Theology Thursday

Well, it is late but it is still Thursday. I am going to begin a five part series for the Theology Thursday post with a brief discussion on total depravity. In order to understand why we need a Savior, we must first understand our condition. When I say our condition, I mean the state we are in as sinners apart from God's grace. We are a fallen race. One thing that seems to be a forgotten truth in most churches today is this - as it is written: "None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. (Roman 3:10-11) You see we must understand that since the fall we have no desire to seek God or understand God, and that is because we now are naturally opposed to Him - The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. (1 Corinthians 2:14) The natural (or man in his fallen state) does not seek, love or want to know the one true God of the bible... we are actually opposed to Him - For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. (Roman 8:7-8) This is *briefly* total depravity. We are sinners by nature and we will not seek God apart from His grace imparted to us to transform us. Of course, it is not total in the sense that we are as bad as we could be, rather it is total in the sense that we are unable to submit to God and do good in our natural state. We are totally lost apart from the supernatural work of God in our life to change our nature and cause us to seek Him.

However, the glorious truth of the gospel is that Christ came to save sinners, and He will not lose any for whom he died - And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. (John 6:39)