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The Amish, A Mullet, and Total Depravity

Straight from the headlines, an Amish community in rural Ohio recently suffered a series of attacks in which members of the Amish community had their homes invaded. Men and women had their hair forcibly cut, men having their beards shorn, a great indignity for Amish men.

Startlingly, the criminals were fellow Amish. The attackers, led by a man named Sam Mullet, were a disenfranchised group, upset at a local bishop’s decision not to excommunicate several others who they felt had broken community laws. To commemorate their attacks, they are said to have taken pictures of those whom they assaulted. A great irony in these attacks is that The Amish way of life is intended to protect its members from the sinful influences of the outside world. (There is also something incredibly ironic about a movement to cut people’s hair being led by a man named “Mullet”.) Unfortunately, this way of living fails to account for the fact that sinful influence can never be escaped because we are all corrupt. No matter where we go, as long as we are there, sin will be there too.

The Biblical doctrine of Total Depravity, one of the doctrines collectively known as the “Doctrines of Grace,” states that the basic nature of man is corrupt, that he is inclined toward evil, and that he is unable to do anything that merits God’s favor because he is unwilling. Total depravity is ultimately oriented toward God and sometimes expressed toward others.

Theologian Lorraine Boettner says it well:

“…since the fail man rests under the curse of sin, that he is actuated by wrong principles, and that he is wholly unable to love God or to do anything meriting salvation…It is in this sense that man since the fall “is utterly indisposed, disabled, and made opposite to all good, and wholly inclined to all evil.” He possesses a fixed bias of the will against God, and instinctively and willingly turns to evil. He is an alien by birth, and a sinner by choice.” —The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination

An overview of Bible passages makes this difficult doctrine very clear:

  • Romans 3:10-18 is a collection of Old Testament quotations that describe all of humanity as being in rebellion against God.
  • Ephesians 2:1-3, 12 describe humanity as the walking dead.
  • Psalm 51:5 states that this condition is present in man from the moment of conception.
  • Jeremiah 17:9 teaches that man lives in a state of self-deception and cannot trust his own heart.
  • Romans 1:18-32 describes humanity as truth rejecters and therefore given over to sin.
  • Romans 6 denies the idea of free will, calling humanity “slaves to sin.”

The consequences of this condition is dire, as the Scripture says that the penalty of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Even worse, total depravity means that we are uninterested in making peace with God. If man is to be saved, God must do everything. He must call, he must transform, and He must keep.

Good news: Ephesians 2:4 says that God does do everything. Hebrews 12:2 says that He is the beginner and finisher of our faith.

This is truly wonderful news! We were dead, but now have been made alive in Christ! So how do we respond to this great news that God has overcome our sinful corruption and saved us? Here are several suggestions:

  1. Rest in your legal standing with God: You are corrupt and even as a Christian you will sin, but your standing with God is based on Christ’s obedience and suffering as your substitute.
  2. Believe the Bible: Taken on its face, the Bible is very bleak in this way. Will you accept it or will you dismiss it. On this point many people begin to depart from their convictions about the Scriptures. Hold fast to what you were taught.
  3. Let your Bible reading begin: Drawing the right conclusions about man’s dilemma will help you appreciate the Bible’s story.
  4. Be humble about yourself: Be constantly on guard against our own deceitful heart.
  5. Bring a patience with others that reflects our own weakness.
  6. Anchor your evangelism in God. Obey his command to spread the good news, preach HIS good news in the gospel, and trust Him to do the work.
  7. Depend on the Holy Spirit and thepower of prayer: The indwelling spirit and prayer are the antidote for your corrupt, deceitful heart.
  8. Strengthen yourself through the gospel. Don’t go to your corrupt flesh for a pep talk, it will lure you in and destroy you. Get your motivation from the greatness for your Savior.

So in the end we see that what once appears bleak becomes the dark background upon which the brilliance of God’s plan can shine. The Sermon on the mount says “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted (Matt 5:4).” The doctrine of total depravity assaults our pride, but it is so our boast would be in Christ. Let your boast be in Christ today.

(This is a guest post by Matt Fudge. Matt is a leader at Emmaus Bible Church and a good friend of this blog’s normal author. You can follow Matt on Twitter twitter.com/beholdbecome)

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