The Heart of the Gospel - Pt 4

What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” (Romans 3:9-12 ESV).

Total Depravity can be seen in at least four ways. Each brings our understanding of our need of God’s grace closer to our mind. The first is that our rebellion against God is total. Apart from the grace of God, there is no delight in the holiness of God, and there is no surrender to the sovereign authority of God. Of course, totally depraved men can be very religious and very philanthropic. When Jesus condemned the Pharisees as they prayed, gave alms, and fasted (cf. Matthew 6:1-18), he was making the point that “doing” religion is not enough. Even their religion was rebellion against the rights of God. It did not come from a childlike heart of trust in the free grace of God. In fact, religion is one of the chief ways that man conceals his unwillingness to forsake self-reliance and put all his hopes on the unmerited mercy of God. Our reading today shows the totality of our rebellion. Any seeking of God that honors God is a gift of God. It is not owing to our native goodness. It is an illustration of God mercifully overcoming our native resistance to God. It is a myth that man in his natural state is genuinely seeking God. Men do seek God; however, they do not seek him for who he is. We only seek him when we need something. When we are afraid of death or want to better our position, we go to God as if he is some cosmic vending machine. Apart from being born again, no one comes to the light of God. We should visit another passage. The Scripture says some do come to the light: For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.” (John 3:20-21 ESV). There are those who come to the light; namely, those whose deeds are the work of God. “Carried out in (or by) God” means worked by God. Apart from this gracious work of God all men hate the light of God and will not come to him lest their evil be exposed. This is total rebellion. “No one seeks for God. There is no fear of God before their eyes!” The picture is bleak. And, it should be. We cannot get redemption on our own. It is from beginning to end a work of God. But that is the good news. The Gospel is so good simply because God paid the debt we could never pay and died the death we could never die! Do you see… whatever we face, we do not face it alone. As the children of God, we face it in Him who has already determined our fate. We are destined for good!