Gordon H. Clark: The Definition of Man, Part XI

The chapter we next come to is “Total Depravity.” “This doctrine has to do with the effects of sin in the history of the human race” (71). But, not merely the sins, but “the depraved nature which engenders them” (71). Total depravity, the very sound which causes many Christians to shutter, is that “T” in TULIP within Calvinism. Pelagius, a contemporary of Augustine, denied it entirely. Augustine defended it. The “one thing” that Adam did effected a state – and some say a nature – for us all.

I dealt with the issue in the last paper (part X) that I can operate within the basic framework of traditionalism. Adam, the first human being, and his wife, the first woman and mother of us all (I deny evolution as completely unbiblical), sinned. That “one sin” as Paul called it, effected what I prefer to call a “state”, a “standing” for us all.

Quite simply, Adam was exiled from the Garden/Temple/Heaven and earth that God had made on the earth. This cut man off from eternal life. We find this in Gen 3.22 first. The phrase, “live forever” in Hebrew is a Qal, Perfect verb followed by a prepositon (“to”) and noun, “olam” which has a variety of meanings, one of which is “forever” (Fuerst notes that it comes from the root word olm which means “dark” – so, “veiled, concealed, dark, distant; of unlimited time…perpetual duration” -Hebrew and Chaldee Lexicon – 1867). It carries with it the idea of “eternity” or “time forever” but contains all time so far into the future that it is concealed, hidden because it is so far away. There is no lingustic aversion to applying to it this idea in certain contexts, but, as stated, it does not always carry this meaning – context defines the word). The Septuagint renders it “he will live unto the age” (aion), which is a common NT phrase for “forever”.

We find the phrase again applied to God in Dt. 32.40. “As surely as I live forever” says the LORD. I Kings 1.31 is applied to David in a way of respect (Neh. 2.3). Job 7.16 notes that man, namely Job, will not “live forever” (same Greek in the LXX and Hebrew phrase). Psalm 22.26 uses the phrase with a hopeful meaning.

Psalm 49.9 placed within the larger text of the psalm gives us a rich theological concern. There, tucked in with the words “redeem”, “ransom”, “souls” (nephesh) and “the pit” surround “live forever.” Verse 10 speaks of human death and perishing. Verse 12 asserts that man does not live forever. “Death shall feed on them” in the “grave”. This is countered by the psalmist with “for God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave – for He shall receive me” (v.15). This is a “death” psalm, largely concerned with the wicked. But, the psalmist declares that he will be “redeemed”.

If we understand Hebrew poetry and parallelism, then we can see that the couplet in verse 7-8 is meant to go along with “live forever”. The wicked will not be “redeemed” or “ransomed” and their souls shall “cease” – but the righteous will be “redeemed from the power of the grave”. In other words, “live forever.” Here we have the phrase “live forever” with the idea of “redemption” and “ransom.” Notice, though, that the righteous also “go to the grave”. But, unlike the wicked, they are “redeemed” from the pit. Remember, in my last few papers, “sheol” was the ultimate form of Adam’s “death” in the Garden: life apart from God – not physical life, but eternal life. This is what Adam failed to eat, and what he was cut off from. As such, when he died, he would “go down to the pit.” By the time we get around to the psalms, a “hope” is beginning to express itself in terms of “living forever” when one is “redeemed from the pit” – ransomed by God – saved from “the power of the grave.” If, then, we understand “the death” of Adam as being cut off from eternal life and going down to the pit – then we can begin to understand the hope of eternal life and the destruction of sheol – a destruction of the power of the grave. The soul (the substance of the whole man – see previous papers in this series) is redeemed from the pit, so that in Christ, “to die is to gain” – We never see sheol. We never see the pit. We go directly to heaven. In fact, the in Christ life has already seated his people in heavenly places. The ultimate goal of Adam was not life forever on God’s created earth. It was life forever with God in righteousness in the highest heavens. Eve is the mother of the “living beings” – Christ is the father of all the souls who have his “life giving spirit”.

Psalm 119.144 connect the laws of God with “life”. “Thy testimonies are righteous forever; Give me understanding that I may live.” Notice the parallelism between “forever” at the end of the first stich with “live” at the end of the second stich. Here, “understanding” is connected with “living.” Knowledge and “living” go hand in hand.

Isaiah 57.16: “For I will not contend forever, Neither will I always be angry; For the spirit would grow faint before Me, And the breath of those whom I have made.” The previous verse states, “For thus says the high and exalted One Who lives forever, whose name is Holy, “I dwell on a high and holy place, And also with the contrite and lowly of spirit In order to revive the spirit of the lowly And to revive the heart of the contrite.” God “lives forever” over and against man who does not. God needs to “revive” the man, the “breath” that God made (which hearkens back to Genesis 1,2).

Ezekiel 37.25 states, “And they shall live on the land that I gave to Jacob My servant, in which your fathers lived; and they will live on it, they, and their sons, and their sons’ sons, forever; and David My servant shall be their prince forever.” Here we have the idea of the promised people of God to “live forever” in the “land” – and this connects us directly with what we find in the Garden of Eden. Adam was cut off from the land of the Garden, and he was cut off from the tree that made one “live forever.” This is not life forever in the flesh, or physical life on earth forever. It is here that the element of the “spiritual” takes over – the “better country” or “heavenly land” concept: life forever with God in heaven. Ezekiel 37 sets us squarely in the NT times and the redeeming work of Christ. “And He said to me, “Son of man, this is the place of My throne and the place of the soles of My feet, where I will dwell among the sons of Israel forever. And the house of Israel will not again defile My holy name, neither they nor their kings, by their harlotry and by the corpses of their kings when they die” (43.7). This can only mean that heavenly, better country of the heavens with God Himself. This was Adam’s original destination, which he forfeited.

With this brief analysis, we find our Lord saying, “I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he shall live forever; and the bread also which I shall give for the life of the world is My flesh.” Clearly, Jesus is not talking about living forever on earth. He is talking about living forever in heaven with Him. However, one must EAT on earth SO THAT he goes to heaven when he naturally expires. Eternal life, the Tree of Life, was meant to be eaten ON EARTH. Had Adam never eaten, he never would have lived forever. I submit that the Tree of Life and its effect of living forever is the same thing Jesus was (and is) offering once again from the Tree of Life contained in the heavenly, spiritual Garden of God (Rev. 22). Adam’s Garden was physical. It was a created garden with streams, gold and the like. It represented the true heavenly Garden of God as a type – but held out the promise of eternal life. “And this is eternal life, that they may know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent” (John 17.3). Eternal life is not just a qaulity of life that allows our souls to live forever with God. Some theologians differentiate between the quality of the natural “immortality of the soul” with “life forever” in that the latter is truly a “knowledge”. Eternal life is knowing God – life cannot consist without “knowledge”. We often think that the “tree of knowledge” and “tree of life” means that the latter does not contain “knowledge”. But, this is far from the truth. “Life” is “knowing God.” In his words are “life” – man does not “live” by bread alone, but by God’s word. Word is knowledge. Christian life cannot ever be devoid from knowledge.

In our last few papers, we noted that the image of God is that rational ability of man to think God’s thoughts after him. Man was made to converse with God. Knowledge is that way we do this. By tying “eternal life” to knowledge, we can see that Adam’s eyes would have been opened to the things of God, had he eaten of the Tree of Life. He would not have felt ashamed, or knew fear. He would have known God from a far different perspective than the one he was created with, or the one in which he gained by eating of the tree of knowledge.

This brings us to Total Depravity. With all mankind born to Adam, now cut off from eternal life, and thus, cut off from the knowledge of the Lord – from “knowing God” in the most intimate sense – the “effect” of this was misery. Man was now, more or less, left on his own “knowledge” and his own “life.” Adam’s children were born in this state. Having “no knowledge of God” is equal to having no “eternal life”. Unless God intervened through directly talking with man (like Cain, Noah, etc.), man would not ever “know” God. But, these encounters with God came “from without” or “from outside” the man. God is seen as talking “to” men, acting “on” men, but always from “without.” God “comes down” out of heaven – in contrast to the picture in Ezekiel where he will “dwell with man.” The new covenant of the prophet Jeremiah goes further: God would write his law on their “heart.” Here, the “inner man” the “soul” of man would be directly touched. No longer would God have to talk to man in an audible voice, or reveal himself to man with visible demonstrations (miracles) – but would come and dwell in his heart: directly. The voice of God would register in the “conscience” – the heart, the mind, or soul or spirit of man. The “outer” things of the world Adam (things seen) would become the “inner things” of the spiritual man.

It is often objected that God no longer speaks audibly to us, and rather than seek after those things which defined the childish ways of the old covenant order, which should, instead, learn to appreciate what a great spiritual significance it is to “hear” God in our hearts. To “know” God through Jesus Christ with the apprehension of faith. “Blessed are those who never see me, yet believe.” This is new covenant language. It was to characterize the “age to come” life.

Now, as for total depravity, this simple means that in and of our own selves, we cannot, indeed, are not “able” to come to God, know God, believe in God or generate that eternal life with God through our own merits, good works, or great looks. The Bible is loud and clear on the merits of man in and of themselves. They count for nothing, no matter how “good” they are.

Adam was exiled from this life. Jesus has restored this life, and now calls all whom he shall call to “come, eat, drink”. Those who do shall never, ever see the Second Death (which replaced the first death, sheol and hades).

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