UNDERSTANDING DEPRAVITY

By Dr. M. R. Dowler

According to a 2013 poll of the Ten Most Evil Men in History, not surprisingly Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin were listed as numbers one and two. But the last man mentioned is a name I had never heard of---Friedrich Jackeln, a Nazi SS commander responsible for the death of over 100,000 Jews, Russians and other undesirables during World War 2. His mobile extermination unit was so efficient in their mass murder that their method was named the Jeckeln System. Evil? Yes. Depraved? On a human level; most definitely.

Depravity is an often misunderstood theological concept, even among Calvinists who hold total depravity as a major tenet of their doctrine. The word depravity comes from the Latin word “depravare” meaning totally corrupt or completely bent. The Bible emphatically declares that all of humanity are sinners (Ecclesiastes 7:20; Romans 3:10-12, 23; 5:12), helpless and hopeless without Jesus Christ (John 14:6; 15:5). And Paul in Romans 1 outlines the downward slide of individuals and cultures devoid of God. But is all of unregenerate humanity depraved?

There are three details about depravity to consider---first, an unsaved person (no matter how wicked they may be) is not completely insensitive to conscience and matters of right and wrong (Romans 1:19, 21; 2:15). Second, a depraved person is not continually wicked. Jesus, in the midst of His harshest condemnation, commended the religious Pharisees for their altruistic works (Matthew 23:23), and history tells us that Hitler loved dogs, fine art, sweet pastries and children (German children of course). Lastly, total depravity does not mean a person engages in every possible form of sin.

So is all of unsaved humanity totally depraved? Not in the theological sense. There is coming a tragic day when many morally-upright people will stand in judgment before a holy and righteous God. They will cite many of the good works done during their lifetime (Matthew 7:21-23). But their eternal fate has already been determined by their neglect of salvation through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (Hebrews 2:3; Ephesians 2:8-9). Think about it.