Sanctification vs Total Depravity

Coke or Pepsi? People tend to prefer one over the other. I don’t know many people who say “I like them both the same.” People tend to be drawn to one or the other. I’m a Pepsi man myself. One time when I was in college I spent 10 minutes debating between spending 50 cents more on Pepsi since Coke was on sale. I didn’t have much money, every penny counted. In the end I got the Pepsi.

One of the hot buttons in Reformed theology is the doctrine of total depravity. What’s that? It’s a way of describing the extent of the effects of human sinful nature. Basically it means that there is no part of our heart or mind that is not infected by sin. It’s not partial, it’s total. You, me, and everyone born of a man and woman are born broken, bad, and spiritually dead. We by nature do not want to do good. By definition therefore, we cannot be righteous (See Genesis 6:5, 8:21; Psalm 53:1-3; Ecclesiastes 7:20; Jeremiah 13:23, 17:9; Romans 3:9-20, 3:23).

The upshot of total depravity is that unless God takes the initiative to give saving grace, there is no hope for salvation. Apart from God’s taking that initiative, we’ll look at it in the face and say “Thanks but no thanks, I’m fine the way I am. I’m not that bad. I think I’ve done enough good to get into heaven.”

That is dangerous thinking. Perhaps the clearest testament to the truth of this doctrine is from Jesus Himself. When addressed as “good teacher” He replies “Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone” (Mark 10:18, Luke 18:19). We are driven by the desire to sin not just some of the time, but all of the time. This may express itself more overtly (rape, murder, racism, abuse, theft, etc…) or more covertly (lust, greed, selfishness, pride, fear, etc…) but it comes out all the same. Cancer is cancer, be it clearly seen on the outside of the body or hidden inside the body away from sight. Just because not everyone is as bad as they could be on the outside, it does not follow that they are not just as bad on the inside.

Because there is such a natural and innate push against acknowledging the extent of the cancer of sin within us, Reformed pastors and theologians feel the need to beat this drum loud.

Personally, I am persuaded of the truth of this doctrine. Sin is that bad! And unless it is addressed, we are left totally and righteously exposed to the uncompromising justice of a holy God. It is biblical, rational, and explains my own personal experience as well as my experience with other people.

But sometimes I think we make the mistake of beating this drum too much, or more accurately, in the wrong places. What do I mean by that? I think that sometimes we beat so long and loud on this doctrine that we cannot hear the music of another doctrine that is no less central to biblical Christianity: sanctification.

What is sanctification? It is the work of God’s spirit inside the believer to grow the characteristics of holiness into his or her thought, practice and life. The good news of the Gospel is that God has fully and finally addressed the issue of sin. The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ has cleared the way for the Father to offer grace and forgiveness instead of the wrath of justice (Philippians 2:5-11). Justice is not set aside, but satisfied, so that God is just in giving forgiveness (1 John 1:9).

When we are touched with that saving grace and come to see ourselves in light of who God is, confess our sins, and accept that Jesus paid the just price that we owed on the cross so that we could be set free from that debt, we become justified in the eyes of God. He doesn’t look at us as sinners lost in the malignancy of total depravity, but as sons and daughters who are covered in the righteousness of Christ. More than that, He gives us His Spirit and begins a transformation in us that gives us a love, desire, and drive to be good, righteous, and loving as He is good, righteous, and loving (2 Corinthians 3:18).

Consider the following passages:

Galatians 5:22-25 (NIV) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

Romans 12:2 (NIV) Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Ephesians 4:22-24 (NIV) You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

Colossians 3:12-14 (NIV) Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

Hebrews 12:1-3 (NIV) Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

1 Peter 1:13-16 (NIV) Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”

2 Peter 1:5-9 (NIV) For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.

Each of these passages tells us that we should be becoming good, righteous, godly, and loving. The power to do so is not from us but from the Spirit, but we are supposed to be growing more and more like Christ. Not only that, but as 1 Peter 5:9 says, we should be making every effort to do so! Are we ever going to be perfect this side of heaven? No. But are we going to be becoming more righteous this side of heaven? Yes!

When the Bible says things like, Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time in Genesis 6:9, or that Job was blameless and upright in Job 1:1 and again in verse 8, or when David exclaims The LORD has dealt with me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands he has rewarded me. For I have kept the ways of the LORD; I am not guilty of turning from my God. All his laws are before me; I have not turned away from his decrees. I have been blameless before him and have kept myself from sin in 2 Samuel 22:21-24, the total depravity drum gets beaten all the louder: “Noah was not a righteous man! Job was not blameless! David was not dealt with according to his righteousness, but according to God’s grace!”

I find something wrong with this constant need to qualify these passages so strongly. It is okay to have a preference for Coke over Pepsi, or Pepsi over Coke. But we need to be careful that we don’t do that with our theology. When we favor the doctrine of total depravity over the doctrine of sanctification, we expose ourselves to the error of putting the reality of sanctification on the back burner.

I concede that in God’s sight none are perfectly righteous and that apart from God’s grace none will see God. But shall we water down what the Bible says about these men? The same divine revelation that teaches no one is righteous, no not one, also teaches that Noah was righteous and Job was blameless. The same Scripture commands us to be righteous, to strive for it, to put all our effort into it, and that we are to put off the old self, throw off the sin that so easily entangles, and clothe ourselves with the fruits of the Spirit.

When Jesus said in Matthew 5:48 (NIV) Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect, was He really only insinuating that no one is righteous, or was He also saying we need to be living a holy and righteous life? Personally, I think the context stresses the latter over the former. In the same sermon in Matthew 7:16-20 (NIV) He says,

By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

The doctrine of total depravity used rightly brings us to understand how holy God is, how sinful we are, and how desperately we need the grace of Jesus Christ. But it can also be abused, becoming a hitching post that holds us back from thinking we can, by Christ’s power, let go of sin and be people who like Noah and Job are seen by those around us as righteous and blameless. If we don’t really change in that way, can we really be sure the grace of God is at work in us? I don’t think so. As Peter says in 2 Peter 1:8 (NIV) if we do not, we will end up being ineffective and unproductive in our knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.