One of the most pressing concerns in Reformed churches
today is the importance of getting the gospel right. Recently, Reformed
churches have had to oppose the Federal Vision theology, which
compromises justification by inserting good works into the definition of
faith. Unfortunately, Christians tend to defend doctrines by erring in
the opposite direction. So it is that Reformed churches are presently
facing a corruption of the gospel by the virtual denial of
sanctification and good works.
In the context of this situation, Tullian Tchividjian has written a blog post
addressing the first of the five points of Calvinism, total depravity,
which defines the full extent of man's problem in sin. Tchividjian asks,
"Are Christians Totally Depraved?" and answers, Yes. Regenerate
believers in Christ are, he says, totally depraved. It is true, he
admits, that Christians differ from unbelievers in that God's grace has
enabled us to believe the gospel, yet total depravity describes both
believers and unbelievers with respect to our inability to live so as to
please God. He concludes his post with a punchy summary: "Because of
total depravity, you and I were desperate for God's grace before we were
saved. Because of total depravity, you and I remain desperate for God's
grace even after we're saved."
What's wrong
with a statement like this, the point of which is to exalt God's grace?
The problem is that Tchividjian teaches that, apart from our change in
legal status through justification, Christians are in the same spiritual
condition after regeneration as before. Unbelievers are totally
depraved and Christians are totally depraved; the same condition
describes them both. Continue at Rick Phillips
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