Tracing Out Total Depravity

Lack of Enemy Consciousness and Military Preparedness Due to a Less Than Robust Doctrine of Man's Sin

I used to sell a little pamphlet on the practical implications of Calvinism. There's been an important, yet narrow application of Calvinism in our day, mostly on the doctrine of personal salvation.

Application about the doctrine of man's depravity, we whole-heartedly agree, rightly should stress man's total inability to come to God for salvation on his own.

But what about total depravity serving us for greater enemy awareness, thus, an argument for the need for a militia in the USA?

An answer about this might be developed this way.

Doesn't it stand to reason that Adam's fall into sin requires man to have accountability? One way that man can be held accountable is through various checks and balances. He needs checks and balances of multiple kinds: authorities, parents, teachers, police and so on. Such persons themselves, to be certain, need accountability too. It's something like the different branches of government holding one another accountable. In all such roles, there's an acknowledgment that man is sinful.

One check and balance is the need to be able to answer a man and/or his people if wickedness runs too, too far amok. Therefore, isn't there a needful application of this biblical doctrine to the area of societal readiness to defend a people, and defeat another?

Man is a sinner; his sinfulness must be corrected, and at times contained, maybe conquered by military action.

When we start presenting a droopy and limp doctrine of man's sinfulness, we end up dropping our guard about those who are enemies of the cross of Christ.

G. Mark Sumpter