The Total Sufficiency for Our
Depravity
What two distinctions do the words Trinity,
sovereignty, and depravity have in common? First, all of them
represent sound Bible doctrines taught by orthodox Christianity.
Secondly, none of them is found in the scriptures. For this reason,
the unorthodox religious world customarily accuses us of fabricating
doctrines that the Bible does not teach.
The Word of God, however, does in fact set forth the
concepts and precepts represented by these theological terms. God is
revealed as a Tri-Unity of Persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The
Godhead is supreme in authority, executing their will and good
pleasure without consultation from any external entity. The Bible
portrays fallen man as morally corrupt and spiritually bankrupt. In
theological lingo, this condition is referred to as “total
depravity”.
The doctrine of total depravity as articulated by
orthodox Christianity teaches that man is as bad off as he can be
regarding his condition although he might not be as bad as he
can be in terms of his actions. The initial act of sin caused
Adam and Eve to incur spiritual death immediately, and the Bible
tells us that spiritual (and ultimately physical) death passed upon
all men as a result (Romans 5:12). In one tragic moment, they fell
from the heights of sublimity to the depths of enmity. The initial
indicator of depravity was an aversion for the presence of God. It
rendered Adam and his posterity totally incapable of approaching God
apart from a grace intervention.
Cain and Abel were therefore born into this world as
totally depraved sinners. The manner in which God dealt with these
two brothers, especially Cain, is critical to our understanding of
total depravity. The fact is God was graciously interacting with
totally depraved men thousands of years before the first theologians
drew battle lines over its meaning and extent. A sober reflection
upon God’s behavior toward Cain as recorded in Genesis 4:1-16 is
worth more than a thousand theological volumes on the subject!
It is useful to observe the effects of total
depravity upon Cain. First, he exhibited a total disregard for the
kind of sacrifice God required (4:3-4). The prescribed way of
approach to God was a blood offering that symbolized a life
sacrificed in place of the sinner who presented it. Abel complied
with an attitude of submission; Cain disobeyed with an attitude of
rebellion. Secondly, God’s disrespect for his offering was met with
anger rather than inquiry (4:5-6). He might have responded, “Lord, I
desire your acceptance! What would you have me to do?” He
essentially raised a clinched fist toward God, saying in effect,
“How dare you disrespect the hard-earned work of my hands!? My
offering is every bit as good as Abel’s!” Thirdly, he disregarded
his privileges as firstborn as well as the gracious warning of
impending sin (4:7). Fourthly, he committed the act of murder, gave
false testimony in Lord’s presence, and incurred additional curses
(4:8-12). At the last, he complains of his unbearable punishment
without the first word of confession or an ounce of sorrow regarding
the sin that caused it (4:13). Cain teaches us that at the end of
the road called total depravity stands the inn of brazen infidelity!
So what was the difference in these two brothers? Did
God do something for Abel that He refused to do for Cain? The
context provides the answers. First, Abel believed and obeyed God
while Cain chose unbelief and disobedience. In contrast to the
baseless claim that God simply “passed over” Cain in the matter of
personal salvation, the Lord made it perfectly clear to Cain that
acceptance (i.e., a righteous standing before Him) was solely
contingent upon a willingness on his part to do the right thing
(4:7). Secondly, the argument could be made that God actually did
more for Cain than He did for Abel in terms of grace! The Lord
graced him with His personal presence, reasoned with him One-on-one,
reiterated the terms of acceptance, warned him of the potential
dangers of disobedience, and set a mark upon him to preserve his
physical life, postponing an appointment with eternal damnation!
It is a remarkable truth that Cain, the first man
born into this world, was also the first vessel of wrath that God
endured with much longsuffering—a man who fitted himself to
destruction by his own devices (Romans 9:22). The same precious
grace that Cain resisted was sufficient to save Abel from his sins.
Brethren, there is nothing like a Biblical context to
set the record straight on doctrinal issues. Is it possible to
reflect upon the Lord’s interaction with Cain and draw the
theological conclusion that God simply withheld from Cain the
ability to believe? I have serious and reasonable doubts! I have no
doubt, however, that the Lord Jesus Christ is the total sufficiency
for our total depravity!
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