Ephesians in HD (Part 22) -- Learning How to Tame Our Depravity

·34 min·3 clips

Dewey explains why we aren't all like Hitler, despite sharing the same total depravity.

Dewey Bertolini opens the episode by reading Ephesians 2:1-5 in the New Living Translation, establishing the theme of human sinfulness and God's mercy. He immediately introduces the theological concept of 'total depravity,' describing it as a universal, incurable disorder—a 'cancer of the soul.' Bertolini clarifies that while all people are equally depraved, they do not manifest this depravity equally; he uses the extreme example of Hitler to illustrate that thankfully, not everyone lives down to the lowest potential of their sin nature. He connects this to the T in the TULIP acrostic of Calvinism, though he personally avoids the label. The host then provides a formal theological definition of total depravity, emphasizing it denotes the pervasive influence of sin, not total evilness. He simplifies this with a parenting analogy: no parent must teach a child to do wrong; it comes naturally. Bertolini applies the concept to contemporary events, referencing the Southern California wildfires and reports of looting and arson, showing how crises reveal human depravity. He cites Proverbs 6's list of things God hates and 2 Peter's description of sinful behavior within the church to paint a biblical picture of depravity's reach. The episode's turning point arrives as Bertolini shifts from diagnosis to solution: the process of sanctification. He argues that while believers remain depraved, they can learn to 'tame' it through daily choices, making righteous actions more frequent over time. This, he states, is the core of Christian living and spiritual warfare. To illustrate, he quotes multiple passages from Ephesians 4 and 5, where Paul exhorts believers to live differently—to stop lying, stealing, using foul language, and instead be kind, forgiving, and people of light. Bertolini emphasizes this is a practical, ongoing struggle, not a one-time eradication of sin. He concludes by circling back to the opening Ephesians passage, highlighting that its verbs are past tense: believers 'used to' live in sin but now, by God's grace, are called to a new life of taming their depravity.

As heard by us

A searching study of total depravity that follows Ephesians 2 from death in sin to life by grace.

This single-episode review reads Ephesians 2:1-5 with the weight its language carries: death in sin, obedience to unseen powers, and exposure to God's anger. From there, it frames total depravity not as a slogan but as a way of naming sin's reach across the whole of human life.

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You want Ephesians 2 to tell the truth about sin without leaving mercy outside the door? Press play.

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