Total Depravity is the first element in the doctrines of grace. These doctrines are an attempt to establish what the grace of grace is--- why it is necessary, how it operates to bring a person to Christ in faith and keeps them in Christ. "For it is by grace you are saved, through faith---and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God---not by works so that no one can boast. For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Eph 2:8-10)
These five doctrines of grace are biblically worked out through the full counsel of God on salvation and they deal with each element of salvation. Why it takes grace, who receives this grace, the role of the atonement of Christ, how grace is given, and the security of this grace. Humans are not the central issue in arriving at these doctrines, but God is. Humans are the beneficiaries of God's grace. It is the grace of God itself that is being placed in sound biblical doctrine, that can be checked and affirmed by the Scriptures. The first doctrine to be established is the condition of man before the Almighty God. Once that is established the other doctrines in the letters of the acronym TULIP, follow naturally, according to Scripture. If T is true according to Scripture, then U must be true according to Scripture, if T and U are true according to Scripture, L according to Scripture must be and so on. If the first four are true the only conclusion is the P. The basis for each letter is not human logic but according to the Bible declarations on the matter.
For the sake of space, I cannot be fully comprehensive in giving all the scriptures that support the T. Any questions can be answered as they come up---even involving the ULIP and how they relate to the T.
My purpose is this OP is twofold.
1. To establish the relationship between God and man that makes His grace necessary.
2. To alleviate the tendency of opponents to the doctrines of grace to base all opposition on a philosophical "free will." Free will or even man's will at all, is not actually a part of the doctrine. It has been made to be. Total depravity is a doctrine of God. The doctrine in Total Depravity utterly rules out any legitimate discussion of man's will, "free" or otherwise, in any of the following doctrines of grace.
Total depravity begins with who God is, so we must start at the beginning. In the creation account of Gen. we learn that everything came into existence by and from and for God. We learn that earth and all that it is in it was created as man's home, everything was good and perfect. Each created thing having its place and its purpose, with God dwelling there, providing for and communicating with Adam and Eve and they with Him. They were given a commission to tend to and care for the Garden where He placed them and all of creation. Man alone was created in the image and likeness of God. Which means he was similar to God in many ways, but exactly like Him in no way. As such he was a sentient being in that he could think, feel, move about, reason, make choices, etc. Not the least of which is have relationships, the primary one being an intimate relationship with God, and second with each other. This demanded that Adam and Eve conduct themselves with each other and creation itself as His image bearers.
The two trees, were there, one the tree of life, which would keep life in mankind, which he could eat of as he could of every other tree but one. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil. To eat of this tree would bring death. This shows us that Adam and Eve, were created mortal---able to die----and corruptible, but not corrupt. The consequence of Adam eating of that forbidden fruit, (for Eve was deceived, but Adam's eating was open rebellion) was both of them being cast out of the Garden, away from access to the tree of life, and a curse put on them and the ground. The intimate relationship between God and man was severed and through Adam as the first man, to all the rest of mankind, and even to the creation itself. (1 Cor 15:45-47) In that passage we see the first Adam and the second Adam, Christ, who we see promised in Gen 3 when God cursed the serpent. The seed of the woman who would crush the serpent's head.
The intimate relationship mankind was created to have with his Creator was broken. Humanity became a race of sinners. Sure, they could still do some good things, they were not always as bad as they could be. They still had a conscience. They still had the image and likeness of God with which they were created. What they could not do was reconcile themselves to God and regain that intimate relationship.
They could not undo what they had become. And that does not only apply to Adam and Eve, but to all born after them for everyone is made of the same stuff as Adam. We sin. We have sinful desires and act on them. We even like a great many of them. God and man stand as enemies, not friends. That is the relationship we have to God. There is nothing we can do to rectify the situation, to become justified before God and reconciled to Him.
God Himself must do everything necessary for that reconciliation. And only His grace will do so. There is nothing in us that deserves reconciliation with Him, and nothing we can do that will merit reconciliation. We have to receive from God, the righteousness of the Seed of the woman, who conquers the deceiving serpent, imputed to us
This is the doctrine of Total Depravity and this is where is comes from, simplified and condensed. It has nothing to do with our will---at all. It is purely by the grace of God that any can be saved.
