The term ‘total depravity’ might not mean ‘totally depraved’ but rather every aspect of humanity is affected, though when Scriptures such as ‘all your righteousness is as filthy rags’ are quoted to defend this belief we might as well use the term totally depraved, as it effectively means all are write offs.
Within Judaism – ancient and modern – there was no acceptance that all humans who entered the world were born in a state of sin, neither was there a widespread belief that ‘good works’ were the basis for salvation. An overemphasis on ‘original sin’ and a belief that faith in Jesus (grace) was set in opposition to a Jewish view of obedience to the law (good works) as being the path to salvation has twisted the good news that is in Jesus.
Sin… BIG word. It is very simplistic to give a one word definition to what is meant by that word, and we would need to add such words as ‘transgression’ and ‘iniquity’ as well… so having said it would be simplistic let me fall straight into that trap!! At the heart of sin is a failure to be the person / people God intended. Or succinctly it is a failure to be human.
The Bible does not easily lend itself to being categorised and we all know what it is like to have everything sorted and then discover whole passages that spill out of our category that we have created! Accumulating verses (and yes I am aware Paul does that at times!) can fail us and we miss the overall thrust. In context so many condemnatory texts are critiquing the sin of religion, so all your (religiously defined) righteousness does not cut it (Is. 64:6). The Law is summed up in our response to God and our response to humanity, for the gap between humanity and God is on the one hand infinite and on the other hand so small. Humanity is never and never will become God, but was intended to be in the image of God, and for those who are willing to focus on the face of Jesus the transformation is taking place. The miracle of the incarnation, the HUMAN embodying DEITY, is so world changing. I see no necessity to believe in a literal Adam and Eve, but the incarnation means that the IMAGE of God has been among us, has been on this planet. God tabernacled among us, the seed planted then in one location among one people as the sign that there will be a tabernacling among us – all people and universally – at that coming time. God can be seen! And potentially seen in the eyes of those who are human. If we see them as ‘human’, not as objects, we are beginning to see God. How we treat our neighbour (and who is our neighbour continues to be a question that demands we answer it with an ever increasing circle) was always at the heart of the law, and was at the heart of the life of Jesus and the size of his circle was the inevitable reason why he had to be stopped. His life sacrificed for the preservation of the building that drew a small circle.
I consider it is not for us to make decisions as to who is in (the few like us!!) and who is out (the rest!) – that is for the merciful God to work out. It is not for us to privately (or publicly) condemn all that is done that is for the benefit of others, but it is for us to encourage every action and attitude that brings humanity into view, every response that sees the ‘other’ person / group as worthy of our engagement and interchange.
Paradigm shifts – not from wishing everyone could find faith in God – but away from condemnation to finding personal repentance to increase the circle of those who are my neighbour.