Can sinners do good works?

-Jon Irenicus

[Before reading this post, I would suggest you should first read my previous article entitled What is Total Depravity? (A summary of the Doctrine). It is important, especially if you are not so familiar with the doctrine, to have some basic background regarding the subject before proceeding to its details. Please take time reading!]
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We see many non-Christian people (unbelievers) today who seem to be living a morally upright life. We may have also encountered some friends who do not know Christ, but live out their lives as if they are Christians. Also, embarrassing and undeniable is the fact that many "professing" Christians today are sometimes even morally worse than those who don't have personal relationship with Christ!

Some may argue: If that's the case, then it is also logical to conclude that even though mankind is already fallen and sinful, we can still be good humans (since we can clearly see with our own eyes that even unbelievers can do good things). Therefore, after the fall, man became sinful, but not absolutely sinful to the point that he became as sinful as he can be. The immediate conclusion with this argument would be: Total Depravity is a LIE!

Before anything else, we must first specify what kind of good works Total Depravity is talking about regarding what men are incapable of doing so. Ofcourse we all know that a sinner can obey traffic laws, he can give alms to the needy, kiss and say 'I love you' to his mom, donate blood to the Red Cross, etc. These works are good in the sense that they were done to benefit others, and that is good. But the main question we must consider is if "God sees those works as meritorious and acceptable in His sight." The good works we are talking about here, therefore, is not merely what men see and commonly accept as good works, but what God accepts as works pleasing to His sight. After all, Total Depravity never say that sinners are as sinful as they could be, but rather they are completely affected by sin.

All Bible-reading Christians will surely agree with the fact that when Adam sinned against God, he died spiritually (Gen 2:17; Rom 5:17-18). It does not mean, however, that he lost his spirit and it ceased to exist. Spiritual death means separation from the Life-giving presence of God. Spiritual death also implies total inability to respond to God, to work for God, and to follow God (which we call spiritual insensitivity). Can a dead and rotten person stand up for himself and labor? Can he respond to those who call his name? Obviously not! Unless he is first resurrected by God, he can do nothing (Eph 2:1-6). Paul the Apostle clearly described how hopeless human race had become because of sin in his letter to the Romans,

• "What shall we conclude then? Are we any better ? Not at all! We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin. As it is written: "There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one." Romans 3:9-12 (NIV)

The Jews, as well as Gentiles, are all under sin--there is no exception. "There is no one righteous, not even one," says Paul. Our main concern here is the particular statement of Paul which states: "there is no one who does good, not even one" (v. 12). This statement emphatically declares how sinners are totally incapable of doing any good works (or perhaps works that are pleasing and acceptable to God). Christ explained why such is the case:

• "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." Joh 15:5 (NIV)

• "So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit." Matthew 7:17-18 (NASB)

Whatever works done apart from Christ are not the kind of works that pleases God. The will of the depraved sinner is totally affected by sin that all his decisions are inclined only to do what pleases his flesh, and that is evil. In fact, anything that does not proceed from faith is sin!

• "...For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin." Rom 14:23 (ESV)

God is absolutely holy, and anything that comes from a sinful, totally depraved heart are all wickedness in his sight. Even their thoughts are also abomination to the Lord (Pro 15:26), even their prayers (Pro 28:9)! All that the sinner does are abomination to God:

• "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away." Isa 64:6 (NIV)

• "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." Gen 6:5 (NIV)

• "For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot." Romans 8:6-7 (ESV)

We have noted earlier that all sinners are spiritually dead (Rom 5:17-18), they are slaves under sin and in absolute rebellion against God (Rom 3:9-12), and in addition to that, they are by nature children of wrath (Eph 2:3). We Christians (I'm talking to my fellow Christian believers) are once like them and we were once with them. We were slaves unto sin and are hopelessly craving to satisfy the desires of our sinful nature. It is by grace that we are saved from that hopeless state of total depravity. Aside from Romans 3:9-12, Paul also explained Total Depravity in his letter to the Church in Ephesus,

• "And you did he make alive, when ye were dead through your trespasses and sins, wherein ye once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the powers of the air, of the spirit that now worketh in the sons of disobedience; among whom we also all once lived in the lust of our flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest: - but God, being rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace have ye been saved), and raised us up with him, and made us to sit with him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus:" Eph 2:1-6 (ASV)

• "Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots? Neither can you do good who are accustomed to doing evil." Jer. 13:23 (NIV)

It is by God's initiative that we are saved. We can do nothing to help and save ourselves from the power of sin. By God's grace, he made us alive (resurrected us) together with Christ so that we may be free to serve him and bear much fruit pleasant in His sight:

• "Ye did not choose me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that ye should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should abide: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you." Joh 15:16 (ASV)

Total Depravity demotes all men and promotes Christ. This doctrine shows us how hopeless we are as sinners, and that we need a Savior. For more information about Salvation, click here --> What must I do to be saved.