Total Depravity Verse List

My friend Travis has compiled quite a list of verses to support the biblical teaching of the total depravity of humanity apart from Christ.  What does this say about my friends?  They just sit around making lists about how messed up we are.

He also has a page on his site outlining the verses that indicate that man may commend himself to God on the basis of works.  Incidentally, this page is blank.

I was reminded that I needed to post this today as I used this resource to call to mind some verses on depravity to aid my sermon prep.  But you don’t have to be preparing a sermon to have your heart stirred by looking into the mirror of your own heart and seeing the greatness of Christ’s reconciling death on your behalf.

Swing over to Travis’ site and take a look and then bookmark it for future use. (here is a link)

Possibly Related posts:

1. Alarming Depravity
2. Kevin’s Heart…and yours: an illustration of depravity from National Signing Day
3. The Joker is the Sanest Man in Gotham
4. Robert Hawkins, his heart speaks from the grave
5. How God used Miscarriages to Remove the High Places

6 Responses to “Total Depravity Verse List”

1. P.B. says:

   July 31, 2008 at 6:40 pm

   Hey Erik,

   There are verses that make it so that man can commend himself to God on the basis of works. However, the issue is ABSOLUTE PERFECTION. If one would commend himself to God on the basis of work, then “Cursed is everyone that does not continue to in all the things which are written in the book of the Law to do them” (Gal 3:10). And more, “The man that practices them [the commandments] shall live by them” (Gal 3:11). And Romans 2:7-10 (see Douglas Moo for the ‘hypothetical justification aspect’): “To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek glory and honor and immortality, eternal life: but unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man the doeth evil, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentiles. But glory, honor, and peace to every man that works (notice the tense of the verb) good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile.”

   The issue is whether anyone can ‘live by the law,’ claim a continual, unbroken (even once) obedience to the truth, for James states, “For he who keeps the whole law and yet offends in one part, he is guilty of all” (James 2:10), which is followed by a warning that we will be judged by the free royal law!

   Therefore, IF a man could commend all of his life in a perfection of works with a perfection of heart, mind, will, emotions, motives, desires, disposition and nature unto God at every moment, then justification by works (hypothetically) would occur. And remember ALL justification is by works anyway, as Sinclair Ferguson and R.C. Sproul point out. It is just a matter of by whose works is one declared righteous! There is no mixture of the perfect life of Christ and our works (Gal 3:1-6), neither in coming to believe the first time, nor in the sustaining of faith and the growing in faith.

   I love that Paul does not shrink from telling his readers that there are two ways of justification. One is by YOUR works, which ends in a curse and the doom of one’s life under the wrath of God. The other is by Christ’s works, which, in connection to the fulfillment of the legal requirement for the punishment of sin, results in the glory, honor and life that we do not deserve!
2. Stan McCullars says:

   July 31, 2008 at 9:09 pm

   Good post. Your friend Travis has quite a list. Thanks for sharing it.
3. Erik says:

   August 1, 2008 at 8:17 am

   P.B. Your hypothetical reference translates to a blank page….I think you know what I mean.
4. P.B. says:

   August 1, 2008 at 10:38 am

   I get the joke, but remember, I don’t have a sense of humor!!!
5. tom harvey says:

   August 6, 2008 at 6:32 am

   this list is incredible…. it may even be complete
   we are doing a study on evangelism at my church and i cannot wait to pass Travis’
   list out.
   thank you for posting, and i have bookmarked travis site as you recommended
6. Travis Carden says:

   August 6, 2008 at 6:20 pm

   All right, Erik and P.B. Here’s my “How men can commend themselves to God by works” list–in one verse. Matthew 5:48: “Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (c.f. negatively, James 2:11).