Biblical Studies/Christianity/Christian Theology/Human Depravity

The Concept of Total Depravity

What Total Depravity Is Not

• It does not mean that someone who is considered unregenerate has absolutely no concept of morality or conscience.
• It does not mean that someone is totally sinful - that is, as wicked as is possible.
• It does not mean engagement in every possible mode of sin.

What Total Depravity Is

• It does mean that sin affects each and every aspect of a person: the mind, body, will, and spirit.
• It does mean that acts thought to be altruistic will always contain at least a shade of improper motive - nothing one does is born totally and completely out of a perfect, flawless desire to serve God.
• It does mean that we as human beings are wholly incapable of eradicating our problem of sin by means of our own volition.

Erickson, Millard J. Christian Theology. Baker Book House: 1985. pp. 628-29.