The following is an essay I wrote for seminary on the scope of human depravity.
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It has been said that it is impossible to profane human nature because it is worse than words can paint it. Indeed, it seems that the more desperately errant the portrayal of human nature, the more accurate the picture. It is with this in mind that the question “What is the nature of the unbeliever?” must be considered. This study will involve two aspects of that nature: the substance of existence and the spiritual comprehension that accompanies that existence.
The first aspect of consideration concerns the form of existence experienced by the unbeliever. What substances make up the existence of the unbeliever? What role do the substances play in the life of the unbeliever? Traditionally, conservative evangelical Christianity has held a basically dualistic view on the substance of existence. Basically, it has commonly been believed that humans have both a material and a spiritual substance to existence. However, Scripture commonly references the unbeliever as being a “servant of sin” (literally, enslaved to sin) with freedom from slavery contingent upon acceptance of Jesus Christ for salvation (Rom. 6:17-18). Moreover, unbelievers are also portrayed as hopelessly unrighteous and under the power of sin, as in Romans 3:9-10. The seat of this unrighteous sinfulness is the flesh – the material substance of humanity. Therefore, whatever, if any, spiritual substance is included in the existence of an unbeliever, it must be totally subservient to the material substance that houses the sinfulness and enslaves the self. In other words, the unbeliever must be considered spiritually impotent – ruled by the flesh that dominates his existence.
Having demonstrated the spiritual impotence of the unbeliever, it now becomes necessary to question whether the spiritually impotent can even perceive spiritual things. 1 Corinthians 2:14 speaks directly to this issue: “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, for they are spiritually discerned.” Context tells us that the “things of the Spirit of God” refer to the depths of the nature of God, His thoughts, and His actions. Thus, the “natural man,” the unbeliever, cannot understand the spiritual ideas and concepts that the believer can. Literally, these things are perceived, examined, and judged spiritually. The implication of the passage is that the natural man has no use of this faculty of spiritual discernment. The Bible gives the analogy of the unbeliever being in darkness, while the believer walks in the light (1 John 2:8-11). The eyes of the unbeliever are blind, thus he walks in darkness. The blind person still has eyes, but they are dead members of the body, just as an unbeliever still has a spirit, but it is a dead part of the self. Likewise, just as those born with dead eyes cannot comprehend color, because it is visually discerned, those born with a dead spirit cannot comprehend spiritual things because they are “spiritually discerned.” Therefore, not only are unbelievers spiritually impotent, but they are also spiritually incompetent.
Insofar as the unbeliever is enslaved to the sinfulness that is housed in the flesh of the self and the faculty of spiritual comprehension is dead, the unbeliever must be considered totally depraved. That is to say, the unbeliever is impotent to enact spiritual change, and oblivious even to the need for it. This leaves the unbeliever seeking Truth without the capacity to perceive it, like a blind person seeking the end of a rainbow. The condition of the unbeliever is one of absolute hopelessness apart from the cross of Christ. He is doomed for “everlasting destruction” in hell (2 Thessalonians 1:9). Otherwise spiritually impotent and incompetent, the acceptance of the cross of Christ reinvigorates the spirit of a person with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and grants that person the freedom and capacity to comprehend spiritual things. Through the supernatural power of Christ, the failure of the natural man can be overcome, the faculty of spiritual comprehension can be revived, and the person can dive into the depths of the unsearchable, unfathomable God.
Thus the unbeliever, like the blind man, will likely fall back on other faculties in an effort to make up for the deprivation of the spiritual faculty. The primary faculty that many unbelievers appeal to is reason, the intellectual capacity of humans. Indeed, reason is a useful tool when it comes to the analysis of thoughts and observations. Unfortunately, insofar as humans are finite and fallible beings, reason too is finite and fallible. Despite this fact, many philosophers have attempted to search out and understand the infinite expanse of Truth with this finite faculty. This is to no avail. Human reason does not have the means to comprehend infinity. Moreover, Scripture states in 1 Corinthians 1:17-25 that God Himself will “destroy the wisdom of the wise” and render reason unable to find Him. Likewise, Solomon, whose faculty of reason was more keen than any other man, expresses his frustration at understanding the world when he expresses in Ecclesiastes, “Vanity of vanities; all is vanity.” One commentator has suggested that this phase be translated “frustratingly enigmatic.” That is to say, with reason alone everything is utterly confusing and unknowable. The intellectual capacities of unbeliever and believer alike fail to comprehend infinite Truth. In this sense the unbeliever is also spiritually inept - fumbling about with spiritual notions, but incapable of any real spiritual aptitude.
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Spiritually impotent, incompetent, and inept = utterly hopeless and totally depraved
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