Total Depravity in Theory and Practice

Total depravity is one of the most misunderstood pieces of the Reformed theological tradition, second only to predestination. Its easy to characterize total depravity as an overly pessimistic view of the human condition, giving birth to a theology where life is but misery and guilt. Actually, I find total depravity to be a relief to guilt, a practical check on the religious mind and leading to an ultimately optimistic view of life.

First, its important to define total depravity. In short, its the notion that all of human life is touched by sin, affected by our finitude and our fallenness. It does not mean that all human effort is worthless, hopelessly corrupted. Sin is the oily fingerprint that we leave behind. This creates one of the basic tensions in the Christian life. While we are to strive for perfection, to be perfect just as Christ is perfect, we are ultimately destined for failure. I find this to be a huge relief. When my love fails to be perfect, I am not surprised. I realize that I am experiencing something shared by every other human being. This sinfulness is both individual and coorporate. Reinhold Niebuhr's book would have been more aptly titled "Immoral Man and Even More Immoral Society." We cannot escape it through either individual righteousness or cooporate effort.

Total depravity gives birth to a view of humanity based on radical equality. Not only are we created equal, but we are also equally sinful. When we are tempted toward self-righteousness, we are reminded that, regardless of our religious faith, we are no more righteous than anyone else. This is because of one of the basic paradoxes in the human situation. Our desire for purity, our striving for righteousness or goodness, are ultimately tinged with the sinfulness what we would seek to avoid. In fact, any righteousness we possess, any purity we can claim, lies not within ourselves, but in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. The first fault in any racist, classist, or sexist ideology is a misunderstanding of total depravity, that is, they think that some people are innately morally superior to others. Total depravity reminds us that we are all equally morally inferior.

Hope comes from the fact that in the face of our sinfulness, we yet belong to a God of Grace. And the one who created us in the divine image chose to redeem us in spite of ourselves and continues still to sustain us. In this grace, we are able to strive for justice and peace, yet humble enough to realize that the success of our efforts does not lie in our own perfection.