What is total depravity?
When people think of the phrase total depravity, they think of someone who does not have a vestige of human decency in them – in other words, they are as rotten as they can be like some of the maniacs of history: Charles Manson, Joseph Stalin or Adolf Hitler. Total depravity is a misleading term. It comes from the first letter in the acronym TULIP which supposedly describes the five points of Calvinism – (T) (total depravity), (U) (unconditional election), (L) (limited atonement), (I) (irresistible grace), (P) (perseverance or better preservation of the saints). A person that is totally depraved according to scholars is someone who’s entire being is marred by sin – their mind, will and emotions. All of these faculties are corrupt. All of us are depraved to one degree or another. That does not mean depraved people cannot do any human good. Depraved people are often great humanitarians, philanthropists, kind generous people. And because of that, many people believe they are good