Humanity & Sin

Total Depravity

Created in God's image, fallen through Adam, and in desperate need of salvation.

📜 "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." — Genesis 1:27 (ESV)

📜 "Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned." — Romans 5:12 (ESV)

What We Believe

At Teaching Bridge Fellowship, we believe that humanity was created good, glorious, and in the image of God—but through Adam's sin, we fell into a state of spiritual death, corruption, and guilt from which we cannot save ourselves.

Created in God's Image

When God created Adam and Eve, He didn't make them as mere animals or evolved accidents. He made them in His own image (Genesis 1:26-27)—rational, moral, relational beings capable of knowing, loving, and worshiping their Creator. Humanity was designed to reflect God's glory, to rule over creation as His vice-regents, and to live in perfect fellowship with Him.

Adam and Eve were placed in the Garden of Eden under a covenant of works—obey God fully, and live; disobey, and die (Genesis 2:16-17). This was not an arbitrary test. It was God establishing the terms of relationship with His image-bearers: life through obedience, or death through rebellion.

Fallen Through Adam

But Adam failed. He disobeyed God's clear command, ate from the forbidden tree, and plunged the entire human race into sin, corruption, and death. This wasn't just Adam's personal failure—it was a federal, representative act that affected every single person who would ever be born from him. As our covenant head, Adam's sin was counted as ours, and his guilt was imputed to us (Romans 5:12-19).

This is the doctrine of original sin. We are not born morally neutral. We are born spiritually dead, morally corrupt, and guilty before God. David confessed, "Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me" (Psalm 51:5). From the moment of conception, we are sinners by nature and by choice.

Totally Depraved

This doesn't mean we're as bad as we could possibly be. It means that every part of us—mind, will, heart, affections—has been corrupted by sin. We are not sick people who need a little help; we are dead people who need resurrection (Ephesians 2:1). Left to ourselves, we will never seek God, never choose Christ, never repent and believe. As Paul writes, "None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God" (Romans 3:10-11).

This is the doctrine of total depravity. Apart from God's intervention, we are incapable of saving ourselves, incapable of pleasing God, and incapable of even desiring the things of God. The natural man is hostile to God and cannot submit to His law (Romans 8:7). We are slaves to sin (John 8:34), children of wrath (Ephesians 2:3), and enemies of God (Romans 5:10).

In Desperate Need of Grace

This is the bad news. And it's essential that we feel the weight of it. Because if we don't understand how lost we are, we'll never treasure how great the salvation is. The gospel is only good news to those who know they're in desperate trouble.

But here's the glory: God did not leave us in our sin. While we were still sinners—dead, rebellious, and hostile—Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). What Adam lost in the Garden, Christ won back on the cross. Where Adam failed, Christ succeeded. And now, in Christ, we are not just forgiven—we are made alive, justified, adopted, and destined for glory.

Why It Matters

If you don't understand the doctrine of sin, you won't understand the gospel. Many people think they're "pretty good" and just need a little divine assistance. But Scripture says we are dead in trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1)—not sick, not struggling, but dead. And dead people can't help themselves. They need a resurrection.

This is why salvation must be by grace alone. If we could contribute even a little to our salvation—if we had even a spark of spiritual life or a shred of moral goodness—then grace wouldn't be grace. But because we are totally helpless, salvation must be all of God, from start to finish. God chooses, God calls, God regenerates, God justifies, God sanctifies, God glorifies. We contribute nothing but the sin that made it necessary.

Understanding our sin also shapes how we live. It keeps us humble, because we know we're saved by grace, not merit. It makes us grateful, because we know what we've been saved from. It drives us to Christ daily, because we still struggle with indwelling sin and need His cleansing, His strength, and His intercession. And it fuels our mission, because we know that apart from Christ, the world is lost and without hope.

What Scripture Says

Genesis 1:27

"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them."

Humanity is not an accident or an evolutionary byproduct. We are image-bearers of God, created with dignity, purpose, and responsibility. This sets humanity apart from all other creatures and establishes our unique relationship with our Creator.

Genesis 3:6-7

"So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked."

This is the moment everything changed. Adam and Eve's disobedience wasn't just a mistake—it was cosmic treason against the sovereign God. And the consequences were immediate: shame, guilt, fear, spiritual death, and separation from God.

Romans 5:12

"Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned."

Adam's sin didn't just affect him—it affected the entire human race. Because Adam was our federal head (representative), his guilt was imputed to us, and we inherited his corrupted nature. This is why all people are born sinners.

Ephesians 2:1-3

"And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind."

This is the most devastating description of human condition in all of Scripture. We were dead—not sick, not weak, but spiritually dead. We were enslaved to sin, following Satan, ruled by our passions, and under God's righteous wrath. This is what we were before Christ saved us.

Psalm 51:5

"Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me."

David isn't saying his conception was sinful—he's saying that from the very moment of his existence, he was a sinner. This is the doctrine of original sin. We are born with a sinful nature inherited from Adam.

Romans 3:10-12

"None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one."

Paul's indictment is comprehensive. There are no exceptions. No one is righteous. No one seeks God. No one does good. Apart from grace, humanity is utterly lost.

Historical & Confessional Grounding

The doctrines of the Fall and original sin have been affirmed throughout church history and were powerfully defended by Augustine against the Pelagian heresy, which taught that humans could save themselves by their own effort.

The 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith addresses this clearly in Chapter 6:

"Our first parents, being seduced by the subtlety and temptation of Satan, sinned in eating the forbidden fruit... By this sin they fell from their original righteousness and communion with God, and so became dead in sin, and wholly defiled in all the faculties and parts of soul and body. They being the root, and by God's appointment, standing in the room and stead of all mankind, the guilt of the sin was imputed, and corrupted nature conveyed, to all their posterity descending from them by ordinary generation, being now conceived in sin, and by nature children of wrath, the servants of sin, the subjects of death, and all other miseries, spiritual, temporal, and eternal, unless the Lord Jesus set them free." (1689 LBCF 6.1-2)

This is our confession. We are fallen, corrupted, and condemned—unless the Lord Jesus sets us free.

Common Misunderstandings

"Aren't we born basically good, with just a few bad habits?"

No. Scripture is clear: we are born with a sinful nature inherited from Adam (Psalm 51:5, Ephesians 2:3). We are not morally neutral beings who sometimes make mistakes. We are rebels by nature, dead in sin, and incapable of seeking God apart from His grace.

"If we're born sinners, isn't that unfair? How can God hold us accountable for Adam's sin?"

This objection misunderstands the concept of federal headship. Adam was not just an individual—he was our covenant representative. Just as Christ's righteousness is imputed to all who are in Him (Romans 5:19), so Adam's guilt is imputed to all who are in him. If you object to being represented by Adam, you must also object to being represented by Christ—and that leaves you with no hope of salvation.

"Can't people be basically good if they try hard enough?"

No. Scripture says, "All our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment" (Isaiah 64:6). Even our best works are tainted by sin. Apart from Christ, nothing we do is acceptable to God. We need not just improvement—we need regeneration. We need to be made new.

"Doesn't the doctrine of total depravity mean people can't do any good at all?"

Not exactly. Total depravity doesn't mean we're as bad as we could possibly be, or that we're incapable of doing things that appear good from a human perspective (caring for family, helping neighbors, etc.). It means that nothing we do is done from a pure heart that loves God supremely, and therefore nothing we do merits favor with God or contributes to our salvation. Our best deeds are still tainted by sin, self-interest, and idolatry.

A Word of Application

If you've never felt the weight of your sin, take time to read Romans 1-3. Let Scripture confront you with the reality of your condition apart from Christ. Don't minimize it. Don't excuse it. Face it honestly.

And then—run to Christ. Because the same Bible that tells you how lost you are also tells you how great the Savior is. Jesus didn't come for the healthy, but for the sick (Mark 2:17). He didn't come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance (Luke 5:32). The worse your condition, the greater His grace.

So don't trust in your goodness—you have none. Don't trust in your efforts—they're filthy rags. Trust in Christ alone, who lived the life you couldn't live, died the death you deserved to die, and rose again to give you life eternal.

Prayer

Father, I confess that I am a sinner—born in sin, shaped by sin, and guilty before You. I have no righteousness of my own, no merit to plead, no goodness to offer. But I thank You that while I was still a sinner, Christ died for me. Thank You for grace that reaches down to the dead and makes them alive. Help me to rest in Christ alone, and to live in grateful dependence on Your mercy every day. In Jesus' name, amen. 🙏

Related Resources:

📖 1689 London Baptist Confession, Chapter 6 – "Of the Fall of Man, of Sin, and of the Punishment Thereof"
📘 Salvation by Grace Alone (TBF Page 5)
🎙️ Recommended Lecture Series: R.C. Sproul – "The Holiness of God (and Our Sinfulness)"
📚 Recommended Book: The Sinfulness of Sin by Ralph Venning

Next: Jesus Christ: The Only Savior →

In Sum:

TBF believes humanity was created in God's image but fell through Adam into sin, corruption, and spiritual death. Learn what we believe about humanity and sin.