I am stealing from a wonderful article by John Gerstner "TULIP" and in his introductory paragraph states: "Total Depravity

When man first sinned he died (Genesis 2:17). Now man is spiritually dead, not well, not sick, not even terminally ill, but dead in trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1). His depravity pertaining to all aspects of his personality is total. This is not to be confused with UTTER depravity, for there is room for deprovement. Consequently this slave of sin (John 8:34), exploits every opportunity to sin in every area of his being: in thought, word and deed, by commission and omission, and even his good works are bad (Genesis 6:5). Total depravity is our one original contribution to TULIP. We are the dirty soil in which God plants His flower, and from our filth, produces a thing of divine beauty. Those who have eyes to see will notice that the TULIP is an infralapsarian plant." (read here https://www.the-highway.com/articleDec15.html )


What more can one say? Can the man, which a holy God created as perfect (Gen. 1:31) fall any further than he did when Adam sinned? Adam's progeny have born not only the guilt of Adam's sin but his fallen nature also. Does this mean that he now expresses in his fallen nature total depravity or UTTER depravity. IF he exhibits total depravity, every thought, word and deed is tainted by sin. On the other hand, UTTER depravity means that nothing can restrain his sinful nature and so therefore, he exhibits the full unrestrained wickedness of his nature. That would require that the Omnipotent God cannot restrain his wicked deeds. These teachings sound most pious on the outside but when examined, are shown to be faulty as they limit God from creating boundaries. We see for example Abimalech kept from sleeping with Sarah after Abraham told him that she was his sister. Was it Abimalech's righteousness or was it God keeping him from sin? Gen. 20.

The Chestnut Mare