Total Depravity and Human Nature in Calvinism
The doctrine of total depravity, a cornerstone of Calvinism, asserts that humanity is completely corrupted by sin, rendering individuals incapable of seeking God on their own. This concept is contested across various Christian traditions.
The Debate Over Total Depravity
The disagreement centers on the extent of humanity's corruption and its implications for salvation. Calvinism, represented by John Calvin and Charles Hodge, affirms total depravity as a fundamental aspect of its theology [1, 4].
Calvinist Perspective on Total Depravity
According to Calvin, humanity's nature is thoroughly corrupted, as evident in his commentary on Genesis 6:5 and 8:21, where he notes that "the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth" [1]. Charles Hodge further explains that total depravity does not mean that individuals are as wicked as possible, but rather that every aspect of human nature is affected by sin [4]. This understanding is rooted in scriptures such as Romans 3:10-18 and Jeremiah 17:9, which describe the pervasive nature of sin.
Alternative Perspectives
In contrast, other Christian traditions interpret the extent and implications of humanity's corruption differently. The Methodist/Wesleyan tradition, as represented by Adam Clarke's commentary on Romans 5:21, emphasizes the reign of sin but also highlights the potential for grace to overcome it [2]. Similarly, the Anglican tradition, as expressed in the Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion, acknowledges the corruption of human nature due to original sin but also notes that this corruption remains even in the regenerate [7].
Patristic and Orthodox Views
The early Church Fathers, such as Augustine, also grappled with the concept of original sin and its effects on humanity. Augustine's writings against the Pelagians underscore the pervasive nature of sin and its transmission through human nature [5]. The Eastern Orthodox tradition, represented by John of Damascus, emphasizes the fallen state of humanity but focuses on the potential for restoration through union with Christ [6].
Shared Ground and Diverging Interpretations
Despite the differences, various traditions agree that humanity is affected by sin and that this condition necessitates salvation. The divergence lies in how they understand the extent of this corruption and its implications for human agency in seeking salvation. The Calvinist perspective on total depravity is rooted in a specific reading of scriptures that emphasize humanity's corruption, such as Genesis 6:5 and Romans 3:10-18 [1, 3]. Other traditions, while acknowledging the reality of sin, interpret these scriptures in light of other biblical themes, such as the potential for grace and redemption.
Hermeneutical Commitments and Historical Context
The differing interpretations of total depravity stem from various hermeneutical commitments and historical contexts. The Reformed tradition's emphasis on the sovereignty of God and the totality of sin's effects drives its understanding of total depravity [4]. In contrast, traditions that emphasize human agency and the potential for cooperation with grace interpret the biblical data differently [2, 7]. Historical contexts, such as the debates against Pelagianism, have also shaped the development of these doctrines [5].
The concept of total depravity remains a complex and contested issue, reflecting deeper theological and hermeneutical differences among Christian traditions. Understanding these differences is crucial for appreciating the nuances of the debate.
Sources
- CCEL (Reformed) “Calvin, Commentary on Genesis, Vol. 1 (Gen 1-23), section 12.12: bring down destruction upon the world. Nay, God seems to contradict himself by having previously declared that the world must be destroyed, because its iniquity was desperate. But here it behaves us more deeply to consider his design; for it was the will of God that there should be some society of men to inhabit the earth. If, however, they were to be dealt with according to their deserts, there would be a necessity for a daily deluge. Wherefore, he declares, that in inflicting punishment upon the second world, he will so do it, ”
- Romans (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on Romans 5:21: That as sin hath reigned unto death - As extensively, as deeply, as universally, as sin, whether implying the act of transgression or the impure principle from which the act proceeds, or both. Hath reigned, subjected the whole earth and all its inhabitants; the whole soul, and all its powers and faculties, unto death, temporal of the body, spiritual of the soul, and eternal of both; even so, as extensively, deeply, and universally might grace reign - filling the whole earth, and pervading, purifying, and refining the whole soul: through righteousness - through this ”
- Mark (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Mark 7:22: All these evil things come from within,.... All evil thoughts, words, and actions, take their rise from the inward parts of man; from his heart; which is sadly corrupted, and is the fountain from whence all these impure streams flow. And if these come from within, then not from without; they are not by imitation or are the mere effects of example in others: example may indeed, and often does, draw out the evil that is within; but it does not produce it there; if it was not there before, it could not draw it out from thence: and if all these evils come from within, then ”
- CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 2, section 50: certain facts of experience. Second Argument from the Entire Sinfulness of Men. This universal depravity of men is no slight evil. The whole human race, by their apostasy from God, are totally depraved. By total depravity, is not meant that all men are equally wicked; nor that any man is as thoroughly corrupt as it is possible for a man to be; nor that men are destitute of all moral virtues. The Scriptures recognize the fact, which experience abundantly confirms, that men, to a greater or less degree, are honest in dealings, kind in their”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 5: Augustine — Anti-Pelagian — CHAP. 50.--THE RISE AND ORIGIN OF EVIL. THE EXORCISM AND EXSUFFLATION OF INFANTS, A PRIMITIVE CHRISTIAN RITE. (part 1): As to the passage, which he seemed to himself to indite in a pious vein, as it were, "If nature is of God, there cannot be original sin in it," would not another person seem even to him to give a still more pious turn to it, thus: "If nature is of God, there cannot arise any sin in it?" And yet this is not true. The Manicheans, indeed, meant to assert this, and they endeavoured to steep in all sorts of evil the very nature of God itsel”
- CCEL (Eastern Orthodox) “John of Damascus, An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith, section 54: man: and Him we worship along with the Father and the Spirit, with one obeisance, adoring even His immaculate flesh and not holding that the flesh is not meet for worship: for in fact it is worshipped in the one subsistence of the Word, which indeed became subsistence for it. But in this we do not do homage to that which is created. For we worship Him, not as mere flesh, but as flesh united with divinity, and because His two natures are brought under the one person and one subsistence of God the Word. I fear to touch coal”
- Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion (Anglican) “Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion (Anglican, 1571), Section 225: Original Sin standeth not in the following of Adam, (as the Pelagians do vainly talk;) but it is the fault and corruption of the Nature of every man, that naturally is ingendered of the offspring of Adam; whereby man is very far gone from original righteousness, and is of his own nature inclined to evil, so that the flesh lusteth always contrary to the spirit; and therefore in every person born into this world, it deserveth God's wrath and damnation. And this infection of nature doth remain, yea in them that are regenerated; where”