Does Total Depravity Mean Human Inability? A Biblical Response

The Calvinist Claim

Calvinism teaches Total Depravity: humanity is spiritually dead, enslaved to sin, and unable to respond to God without irresistible grace. In The Potter’s Freedom, James White argues that unless God monergistically regenerates sinners, they remain “corpses in trespasses and sins” (p. 75). Reformed theology asserts that salvation is entirely God’s work, with humans playing no role. But does Scripture truly teach this radical inability?

Calvinist Proof Texts Re-Examined

1. Ephesians 2:1–5 (“Dead in trespasses”)
   • Calvinist interpretation: Spiritual death = total inability to seek God.
   • Counterargument:
     • “Dead” here is a metaphor for alienation, not annihilation of moral agency (cf. Luke 15:24: the prodigal son was “dead” yet chose to return).
     • Regeneration involves God “making alive” (v. 5), but this does not preclude prevenient grace enabling response (John 12:32 – “I will draw all people”).
2. Romans 3:10–12 (“None seeks God”)
   • Calvinist claim: Universal human inability.
   • Counterargument:
     • Paul quotes Psalm 14, which describes general human corruption, not absolute incapacity.
     • Acts 17:27 explicitly says God ordains that humans “seek Him, and perhaps find Him” – implying responsibility, not inability.
3. John 6:44 (“No one comes unless drawn”)
   • Calvinist focus: Irresistible election.
   • Counterargument:
     • John 12:32 (“draw all people”) reveals God’s universal call.
     • The Greek term helkō (“draw”) appears in Acts 16:19 (Paul/Silas “dragged” to authorities), showing it does not imply coercion.

Biblical Evidence for Human Responsibility

1. Acts 17:26–27
   • God “determined [human] boundaries so that they should seek the Lord.” His sovereignty enables seeking, not extinguishes it.
2. 2 Peter 3:9
   • “God desires all to repent.” Calvinists redefine “all” as “the elect,” but Peter addresses all believers facing mockers (v. 3), urging patience for all to come to repentance.
3. 1 Timothy 2:4–6
   • God “wants all people to be saved” and Christ died as a “ransom for all.” White dismisses this as “hyperbole” (p. 193), but the Greek pas (“all”) is unrestricted.
4. John 1:9
   • The “true light…enlightens everyone.” Prevenient grace removes Total Depravity’s barrier, enabling response (Titus 2:11).

Theological and Philosophical Problems

1. Moral Accountability vs. Inability
   • If humans are truly unable to choose God, how can they be culpable? (Romans 2:14–15 – Gentiles “do by nature what the law requires”).
2. God’s Character and “Forced” Love
   • White argues regeneration is like “resurrecting Lazarus” (p. 299), but resurrection restores agency; Calvinism implies coercion.
   • Ezekiel 18:31 commands, “Make yourselves a new heart” – a call to responsible action, not passive reception.
3. Prevenient Grace
   • Arminians affirm God’s grace enables without overriding free will. Revelation 3:20 (“I stand at the door and knock”) implies ability to respond.

Practical Implications of Total Depravity

1. Evangelism
   • If only the elect are saved, why preach to all? Matthew 28:19 and 1 Corinthians 9:22 (“save some”) lose urgency under Calvinism.
2. Assurance of Salvation
   • Calvinism breeds doubt: “Am I elect?” 1 John 2:2 (“atonement for the whole world”) offers broader assurance.
3. Human Dignity
   • Genesis 1:27’s imago Dei is incompatible with Total Depravity’s negation of moral agency.

Responding to Calvinist Rebuttals

1. “Regeneration Precedes Faith”
   • Calvinists claim God must “replace hearts” before faith. Yet John 7:17 says, “If anyone chooses to do God’s will, they will know…” – volition precedes understanding.
2. “Irresistible Grace is Biblical”
   • Acts 7:51 (“You resist the Holy Spirit”) and Matthew 23:37 (“you were unwilling”) refute irresistibility.
3. “Election is Unconditional”
   • 1 Peter 1:2 (“elect according to foreknowledge”) ties election to God’s foreseeing faith.

Conclusion: Synergistic Grace

Rejecting Total Depravity’s extremes does not deny human brokenness. God initiates salvation, but humans respond freely (synergism).

James 4:8 – “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you” – balances sovereignty and responsibility. As White admits, “God is not a cosmic rapist” (p. 299), yet his system risks portraying grace as coercion. True biblical grace invites – and the Spirit empowers response.