The True State of Man’s Soul

The True State of Man’s Soul: Understanding Sin and the Sovereignty of God’s Grace

---

1. The Importance of Understanding Man’s Spiritual Condition
The state of man’s soul toward sin is a crucial doctrine that shapes our entire understanding of salvation. Even among believers, the ongoing struggle with sin testifies to its pervasive reality. Throughout history, various views have emerged to explain man’s spiritual condition — but only one aligns fully with the clear teaching of Scripture.

If we misunderstand the depth of man’s sinfulness, we will inevitably misunderstand the nature of God’s grace. This makes it essential to discern between false views and the biblical truth.

---

2. Wrong Views of Man’s Spiritual State
Many theological systems attempt to explain the state of man’s soul, but they often fall short of Scripture’s testimony. Here are some of the most common erroneous views:

• Roman Catholic Synergism: This view claims that man’s soul is only wounded by sin, not totally depraved. According to this teaching, man cooperates with God’s grace for salvation. Yet Scripture directly refutes this idea:

  "And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins" (Ephesians 2:1, KJV).

  The Bible describes man as spiritually dead, not merely injured — incapable of seeking or choosing God without divine intervention.

• Wesleyan Prevenient Grace: This doctrine teaches that God gives a universal grace enabling all men to choose Him freely. However, the Bible clearly states:

  "There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God" (Romans 3:11, KJV).

  Without the specific, effectual calling of God, no one naturally seeks after Him. Prevenient grace fails to address man’s total inability.

• Semi-Pelagianism: This view argues that man has enough goodness to initiate a pursuit of God without divine help. Yet Jesus Himself taught:

  "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him" (John 6:44, KJV).

  Any notion of self-initiated faith denies the clear teaching that God must draw sinners to Christ.

• Eastern Orthodoxy: In this system, man is seen as spiritually sick but still possessing some inherent goodness. Yet the Bible leaves no room for such optimism:

  "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6, KJV).

  Even the best of human efforts are tainted by sin and wholly unacceptable before a holy God.

• The Liberal View: This modern interpretation reduces sin to ignorance and the effects of social conditions, rejecting the idea of inherent depravity. Scripture, however, diagnoses sin as a matter of the heart:

  "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" (Jeremiah 17:9, KJV).

  Sin is not merely a product of environment — it is the natural condition of every human soul.

---

3. The Biblical View: Man’s Total Depravity and God’s Sovereign Grace
In contrast to these false teachings, the Bible presents a view known as monergism — the belief that salvation is entirely God’s work, accomplished without any contribution from man. This is the foundation of Calvinistic theology and the doctrine of total depravity.

Scripture makes it unmistakably clear:

• Man is spiritually dead:

  "Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved)" (Ephesians 2:5, KJV).

  Dead men cannot respond — they must be made alive by God’s sovereign power.

• Faith itself is a gift from God:

  "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9, KJV).

  Even our ability to believe is a work of divine grace, not human effort.

• God alone draws and regenerates:

  "Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth" (James 1:18, KJV).

  Our new birth is not the result of our decision but of God’s sovereign will.

---

4. The Magnitude of God’s Grace
When we rightly understand the true state of man’s soul — dead in sin and wholly incapable of seeking God — we begin to grasp the overwhelming magnitude of God’s grace. Salvation is not a cooperative effort where God extends a hand and waits for us to respond. Rather, it is the divine act of God breathing life into our dead souls, drawing us irresistibly to Himself.

This truth humbles us. It strips away all pride and self-reliance, leaving us with nothing but gratitude and awe for the God who saves. As the Apostle Paul wrote:

"Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost" (Titus 3:5, KJV).

---

5. A Call to Cling to Biblical Truth
The doctrine of total depravity and God’s sovereign grace is not merely theological theory — it is the very heart of the gospel. Any teaching that diminishes the depth of our sin also diminishes the glory of God’s grace.

Let us, therefore, reject any view that portrays man as merely sick, wounded, or partially good. Instead, let us cling to the biblical truth that we are utterly dependent on God for our salvation. And may this truth drive us to worship, knowing that all glory belongs to Him alone:

"Salvation is of the LORD" (Jonah 2:9, KJV).

~Kenneth