While our world believes that man is basically good the Bible teaches that not only isn’t he good but that he is totally depraved. According to the website GotQuestions.org:
“While often misunderstood, the doctrine of total depravity is an acknowledgement that the Bible teaches that as a result of the fall of man (Genesis 3:6) every part of man – his mind, will, emotions and flesh – have been corrupted by sin. In other words, sin affects all areas of our being including who we are and what we do. It penetrates to the very core of our being so that everything is tainted by sin and “…all our righteous acts are like filthy rags” before a holy God (Isaiah 64:6). It acknowledges that the Bible teaches that we sin because we are sinners by nature.”1
A sampling of Scripture verses below will show you just how the Bible treats this important doctrine:
(Jeremiah 17:9) – “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”
(Psalms 51:5) – “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.”
(Romans 3:23) – “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”
(Psalms 58:3) – “The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies.”
(Genesis 6:5) – “And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”
(Isaiah 64:6) – “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags.”
(Romans 5:12) – “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so, death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.”
(Romans 3:10-12) – “As it is written: ‘There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.’”
(Romans 7:18) – “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.”
(Ephesians 2:1) – “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins.”
Now don’t get me wrong that total depravity means that man is incapable of doing good deeds. What total depravity means is that even when man does good works his motives are clearly not done to bring glory to God but attention to himself. Since fallen man is in rebellion against God, he has no interest in bringing glory to God through his actions – instead he is driven by self-interest and pride.
So, the natural question to ask is, if man is totally depraved, and has no interest in knowing God, then how can he be saved? Man must first be humbled and come to the knowledge that he is indeed a sinner and hopelessly lost. Somehow God must overcome man’s depravity and help him recognize his spiritually bankrupt state and hopeless condition apart from the grace of God. In other words: “Man’s spiritually blind eyes must be open and the bondage of sin that renders him hopelessly enslaved must be broken so that he can respond in faith to the gospel message and the atoning work of Christ on the cross.”2
Thus, not only must we present the gospel message to the unsaved but we must exercise the power of believing prayer to break the shackle of sin that bind those we are praying for. Some of the elements of the prayers for salvation that I believe God answers include praying in faith the promises of God, praying with intensity, earnestness, and fervency, praying marked by a sense of deep reverence and sincere humility, being watchful, and praying with perseverance until the answer comes.
In closing I would like to share a personal testimony of the persistent believing prayer for salvation exercised by George Müller, the great founder of many orphan homes in England during the 1800’s. Müller was a tremendous prayer warrior and it was the great secret to his amazing success in providing for the needs of thousands of orphans:
“In November 1844, I began to pray for the conversion of five individuals. I prayed every day without a single intermission, whether sick or in health, on the land, on the sea, and whatever the pressure of my engagements might be. Eighteen months elapsed before the first of the five was converted. I thanked God and prayed on for the others. Five years elapsed, and then the second was converted. I thanked God for the second, and prayed on for the other three. Day by day, I continued to pray for them, and six years passed before the third was converted. I thanked God for the three, and went on praying for the other two. These two remained unconverted.
“Thirty-six years later he wrote that the other two, sons of one of Mueller’s friends, were still not converted. He wrote, “But I hope in God, I pray on, and look for the answer. They are not converted yet, but they will be.” In 1897, fifty-two years after he began to pray daily, without interruption, for these two men, they were finally converted—but after he died! Mueller understood what Luke meant when he introduced a parable Jesus told about prayer, saying, “Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up” (Luke 18:1).”3
1 Total depravity – is it biblical? | GotQuestions.org
2 Total depravity – is it biblical? | GotQuestions.org
3 George Muller Persistent Prayer for 5 Individuals – GeorgeMuller.org