If the comic above is too small to enjoy, you can read the dialogue in the comments section of this post.

Why are we continuing to talk about sin in the Faith category of this blog?  Because starting back on July 17, 2007, we devoted this category to a careful study of the three central, foundational doctrines of the Bible:  Creation, Sin, Redemption.

Having worked through the Christian understanding of Creation, we’re now exploring what the Bible has to say about Sin.

And it’s important to get these three foundational doctrines right.  These are the pillars of a true theology — that is, a true understanding of God and his work.  If you get the foundational truths wrong, or if you end up with a missing or compromised pillar, you know what happens.  The whole structure collapses.

So, with that in mind, let’s ask the question:  How does the Bible describe the natural condition (morally & spiritually) of every human being after the fall?  If we are deficient or “light” in our view of sin, we’ll have a very defective view of everything else in the Christian faith and life. 

J.C. Ryle put it this way: “There are very few errors or false doctrines of which the beginning may not be traced up to unsound views about the corruption of human nature.  Wrong views of a disease will always bring with them wrong views of a remedy.  Wrong views of the corruption of human nature will always carry with them wrong views of the grand antidote and cure of that corruption.”

So, this is an important question:  Was our fall into sin total or partial?  How you answer that question matters. 

The Bible clearly teaches — as will be pointed out below — that humanity’s fall into sin was a total fall, not a partial one.  In theological terms, this is sometimes referred to as the doctrine of “total depravity,” meaning that there is a total inability on the part of man to gain or even contribute to his own salvation.

Now, be careful to hear what “total depravity” does not mean.  It does not mean that every person is as evil as he or she could be.  Nor does it mean that he or she is unable to do any good thing whatsoever.

It means that when humanity fell into sin in the Garden of Eden, we fell in our totality!  Mind, thoughts, heart, emotions, will, understanding, imagination, desires, words, motives, dreams, affections, etc., etc., etc. 

Sin now extends to the whole personality of the human being.  Every human faculty has been affected by the fall into sin.

This unflattering truth can be found face–up on page after page of the Bible.  Naturally speaking — that is, before salvation — man is spiritually dead (Romans 5.21; Ephesians 2.1), spiritually bound (2 Timothy 2.26), spiritually bind and deaf (Mark 4.11,12), spiritually uninstructable (1 Corinthians 2.14), and just naturally sinful, both by birth (Psalm 51.5) and practice (Genesis 6.5).

Of course, the Bible references could be multiplied hundreds of times.  But a small sampling will do for a blog post. 

And here’s the kicker:  Can the dead raise themselves?  Can the bound free themselves?  Can the slaves redeem themselves?  Can the blind give themselves sight or the deaf give themselves hearing?  Can the uninstructable teach themselves?  Can the naturally sinful change themselves?

The Word of God is plain and simple on this point.  Our sinfulness (or depravity) is total.  Our inability to even desire salvation (much less earn it or contribute to it) is total.  Total inability.

The picture is one of death.  And indeed that’s what it is — spiritual death.  Picture Lazarus in his tomb.  He’s bound hand and foot and the corruption of death has taken hold of him.  Spiritually, that’s who we are.  There’s not a glimmer of spiritual life within us.

But the good news is that Christ doesn’t come from within us.  He and his life–giving power come from outside of us, just as he did with his friend Lazarus.

And that’s what we need.  If we are to know spiritual life… if we are to live in spiritual freedom… if we are to see and hear spiritual truths… if we are to receive spiritual instruction… if we are to be delivered at last from the slavery of sin… then Christ Himself must come and personally redeem us from our disinterested state of spiritual death. 

Hallelujah.  Come, Lord Jesus.