Depravity of Man

My first goal is to establish man's total depravity, or inability to please or seek God outside of His finished work through Christ. First, we can look at the conversion of Paul in Acts 9. Before his encounter with Christ, he was zealously pursuing the traditions of men and pursecuting Christians. His zeal did not bring him any closer to God, and Paul considered all his works before Christ as dung. Christ draws him to himself on the road to Damascus. Notice there is no decision on Paul's part, and Paul says he was set apart at birth. Romans 5:10 says that while we wer enemies, we were reconciled to God through his son. We were not seeking God, but enemies of him. We did the opposite of what was required. Without Him, we have no desire to please God. Eph 2:5, Col 2:13 while we were dead in transgressions, we were made alive in Christ. A dead man does not raise himself, pursue God, or do anything on his own. Only God can raise him from the dead. Eph 2:8-10 by grace we have been saved, not of our works so no man can boast. If we made any effort to accept or pursue God, we could boast over those that did not choose him. We are also called his workmanship to do his works. He is the potter, a pot does not choose his potter or tell him how to create. John 1:12-13 we, the redeemed, we not born of blood, or flesh or the will of man, but of God. We cannot will ourselves to be Christians, God must choose us. In my last podcast "born of water and spirit" Jesus tells Nicodemus he must be born again and this is an act of God, not man's will. The Holy Spirit blows like the wind and we cannot decipher where it comes or goes. Only God knows according to his good pleasure. 1Peter 1:3-7 God caused us to be born again to a living hope. We did not cause it. John 17:6 Jesus prays for those God, the Father gave to him. He is quite clear that he is not praying for everyone, only those the Father chose for him to save. Finally, Romans 8:28 ties in sanctification with justification by illustrating those that are being sanctified were chosen by God to be justified, and that is why it is happening. 28And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified