Best Books on Total Depravity
Total depravity is the Reformed doctrine that sin has corrupted every part of human nature, including the mind, will, and affections, so that no sinner can seek God or contribute to their own salvation apart from grace. It does not mean people are as wicked as they could possibly be, but that no part of a person remains untouched by sin's ruin. Spiritually dead sinners must be made alive by God's grace alone, not merely assisted toward faith.
Start Here
basic
Grace Unknown: The Heart of Reformed Theology
Top pickR. C. Sproul · 1997
Sproul's clearest walkthrough of Reformed theology, including why sin's corruption is total.
The Doctrines of Grace: Rediscovering the Evangelical Gospel
James Montgomery Boice and Philip Graham Ryken · 2002
A pastoral, gospel-centered introduction to all five points, including total depravity.
The Five Points of Calvinism: Defined, Defended, Documented
David N. Steele, Curtis C. Thomas, and S. Lance Quinn · 1963
The standard lay-level handbook that defines and documents each point straight from Scripture.
The Total Depravity of Man
A.W. Pink · 2012
A short, plainspoken classic tract laying out the biblical case for total depravity.
Go Deeper
intermediate
The Bondage of the Will
Top pickMartin Luther · 1990
Luther's landmark defense that the fallen will cannot choose God apart from grace.
Willing to Believe: Understanding the Role of the Human Will in Salvation
R.C. Sproul · 2018
Traces the historical debate over free will from Augustine to Charles Finney.
Not the Way It's Supposed to Be: A Breviary of Sin
Cornelius Plantinga Jr. · 1995
A rich, readable theology of how sin corrupts and spreads through every part of life.
Living for God's Glory: An Introduction to Calvinism
Joel R. Beeke · 2008
A broader Calvinism primer with substantial chapters on human inability and depravity.
For Study
advanced
Original Sin (The Works of Jonathan Edwards, Vol. 3)
Top pickJonathan Edwards · 1970
Edwards' rigorous philosophical and biblical defense of humanity's inherited corruption.
Freedom of the Will
Jonathan Edwards · 1754
The definitive philosophical treatment of the will's bondage to sin.
The Cause of God and Truth
John Gill · 2001
An 18th century theologian's exhaustive scriptural defense of the doctrines of grace.
Sin (Studies in Dogmatics)
G.C. Berkouwer · 1971
A dense, academic Reformed dogmatic treatment of the nature and extent of sin.
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A tiered reading guide of the best books on Total Depravity.