Depravity In a Nutshell: Evil Heart Dictates
“Not only is there misunderstanding about who God is but there is also great confusion about who man is. This confusion comes from man’s own desire to elevate and justify himself, which is certainly fanned by the twisted humanistic influences that have taken over our society. We must establish from the outset that the source of truth concerning man is not sociology (the study of our society), psychology (the humanistic study of the soul), or secular anthropology (the evolutionary study of man), but the very Word of God. Remember, we must build upon the solid ground of God’s Word rather than the shifting sand of man’s opinion.” —Stuart Scott (The Exemplary Husband, p.30)
Before you proceed, make sure to read the post on Jeremiah 17:9 and Acts 7:51. This is the starting point if you want to get your Soteriology right!
“There are very few errors and false doctrines of which the beginning may not be traced up to unsound views about the corruption of human nature. Wrong views of the disease will always bring with them wrong views of the remedy. Wrong views of the corruption of human nature will always carry with them wrong views of the grand antidote and cure of that corruption.” —J.C. Ryle
A few years ago while mapping things out I noticed something very interesting coming from God’s own words:
Jeremiah 3:17 > “…No more shall they follow the dictates of their evil hearts.”
Jeremiah 7:24 > “Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but followed the counsels and the dictates of their evil hearts, and went backward and not forward.”
Upon reading that I created a tree called “Following the Dictates of their Evil Hearts,” also known as “Total Depravity,” and carefully mapped out this biblical teaching. There are a lot to unpack just from these seven words.
Follow = we’re slaves and born to follow.
The master we’re following is our hearts.
This master is within us.
This master dictates. It commands, it pulls, it compels etc…
This master is evil.
Once you see and understand that we follow the counsels and dictates of our evil hearts (Jeremiah 7:24), then passages such as Acts 7:51 starts to make sense and why a new heart given in regeneration is needed! An Open-Theist once told me that people could have done otherwise. My response to this is always, “Yes, whatever their evil hearts dictate.” That’s the bottom-line. This is why it’s crucial to have a biblical understanding of the Heart.
Scripture for your consideration
Ephesians 2:3 > “among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind…”
Fulfilling, or carrying out, the desires of the flesh and of the mind. In other words, following the dictates of their evil hearts. Mind = Heart (Ephesians 4:18; Matthew 9:4; Acts 8:22; Zechariah 7:10,8:17).
1 Timothy 4:1 > “…some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons…”
This passage has been used out of context to teach that salvation can be lost. WHY will they give heed to deceiving spirits? EVIL HEARTS have itching ears, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.” (2 Timothy 4:3-4). The Unregenerate will accumulate teachers for themselves that will tell them what their evil hearts want to hear (cf. 1 Kings 22:7-8). The Regenerate follow their Shepherd because they have a new heart that delights in the things of God (Romans 7:22)!
There are countless more passages that speak on this topic. I’ll revisit this post with many more if I’m challenged by any non-Calvinist reading this. For now it’s enough to say that apart from a new heart, fallen men can not genuinely follow the things they hate. They are held captive by their evil hearts. The New Birth is necessary because a new heart is needed.