Romans: Part 2 - Ch. 3-4

Total Depravity

Moving on with our study through Romans, we are now going to be taking a look at chapters 3 through 4. This section of Romans is certainly an eye-opening one as it reveals to us a doctrine that can’t be taught about enough in our churches today. That doctrine, of course, is the doctrine of total depravity. What is total depravity, you ask? I believe R.C. Sproul says it best when he states, “Total depravity . . . does not mean that humans are thoroughly sinful but rather that they are totally incapable of saving themselves.” Total depravity quite literally argues that we can do nothing to contribute to our salvation. We are so lost and overcome by the power of sin that to even respond in faith to the good news of the gospel requires an unheardening of hearts by the Holy Spirit. Paul is very clear on this idea, especially in these two chapters. This is why these chapters deal directly with no one being righteous and how believers before Christ were able to be saved by having God’s righteousness credited to them. When most people hear this, they often want to disagree and claim that they at least made some contribution to their salvation. ‘I’ve done good things before, that has to count toward something!’ Nope. Just as Isaiah tells us in chapter 64, our works are like filthy wrags before God. No matter how good we think we are or how many good deeds we claim to do, it is not enough to even begin to clear the stain that sin has left on our lives. As hard of a pill that this may be to swallow, this doctrine is actually a beautiful one. In fact, this very teaching is what separates Christianity from many other religions. So many religions today claim that we must do a certain amount of good in order to achieve salvation, but Christ says it is only because of Him that we can achieve this salvation. What a relief! Thank God my salvation doesn’t rest even a little bit on me but entirely on Jesus! Yes, understanding the doctrine of total depravity will require the utmost humility, but I would much rather be humbled and saved than prideful and lost. And I think after hearing Paul, you’ll agree too. Let’s dive in. 

No One Is Righteous

To begin, let’s look at what Paul’s main message is here in chapter 3. Paul is using much of the Old Testament in order to prove the truth of his message. This is why Paul reminds us Romans 3:10 “as it is written: “THERE IS NO RIGHTEOUS PERSON, NOT EVEN ONE;” Paul concludes on this point by dropping the hammer in verse 20 when he says “because by the works of the Law none of mankind will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes knowledge of sin.” Paul’s point here is clear. The only way to accomplish good is to know what God’s Law says about doing good, and by the time you know what God’s Law says about doing good, all you’ve really done is realize how much bad you’ve done and how you’re drowning in sin. The Law is good because it shows us how far from righteousness we really are and how great our need for a savior truly is. As Voddie Baucham famously says, ‘We don’t just need to be helped, we need to be saved’. Our good works don’t make up some ground while the gospel makes up the rest; the gospel does it all. Christ alone has saved us, not Christ and our works. This is Paul’s direct message in chapter 3. This is also why Paul concludes this chapter and opens up chapter 4 by discussing righteousness coming through faith. 

Faith Alone

In order to prove this, Paul refers to Abraham being considered righteous in Genesis, not because of his works, but because of his faith that was placed in God. This is why Paul goes even further in Romans 4:5-7 when he says, “But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness, just as David also speaks of the blessing of the person to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: “BLESSED ARE THOSE WHOSE LAWLESS DEEDS HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN, AND WHOSE SINS HAVE BEEN COVERED.” We are blessed not because of anything that has to do with our works, but because our faith is in Him who has justified us. Make no mistake about it, those who came before Christ were sent to this earth and are still saved by their faith in God because the Law only proved to show them how lost they truly were. You don’t need to read far into the OT to see how long it takes people to fall away from God’s grace after being forgiven of their sin. It is only by faith in Christ, the one true God, that we can be saved from our sin and find salvation with God for eternity. This is why chapter 4 ends by telling us that Abraham’s faith that he had in God to carry out His plan was credited to him as righteousness. 

Again, this isn’t Abraham’s works that are being deemed righteous, but his faith. Romans 4:22-25 tells us, “Therefore IT WAS ALSO CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS. Now not for his sake only was it written that it was credited to him, but for our sake also, to whom it will be credited, to us who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, He who was delivered over because of our wrongdoings, and was raised because of our justification.” I love what Paul says here. It is not just for Abraham’s sake that this was written, but for our sake too. It isn’t just Abraham who needs to be reminded that he is saved by faith alone, but us as well. What a beautiful picture total depravity truly paints for us. Yes, this doctrine shows us how lost we really are, but it is only by knowing how lost we are that we can truly understand our need for a savior. Total depravity isn’t meant to leave us feeling depressed and hopeless, it is meant to humble us, take our eyes off ourselves, and come to faith in Christ, the true mediator and only sacrifice who can and has paid the price for our sin. I hope through this study of Romans 3 & 4 that you have found a new love for this doctrine in your heart. 

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Sources

[1] Blue Letter Bible. (n.d.). Blue Letter Bible. https://www.blueletterbible.org/

[2] Theology. “What Is Total Depravity?” Ligonier Ministries, 2025, learn.ligonier.org/articles/what-is-total-depravity. Accessed 28 Feb. 2025.