" But we are all as an unclean [thing], and all our righteousnesses [are] as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
7 And [there is] none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee: for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities." ( Isaiah 64:6-7 ).
So, Scripture saying that
mankind's righteousnesses are as filthy rags, is not enough?
God said
Israel could do it.
The context of Deuteronomy 30 begins in Deuteronomy 29:1-2, where Moses is speaking to the children of Israel.
Where you get the idea that this applies to
all men, I do not know.
I just showed you.
I cannot help it if you do not believe the words on the page, Utilyan.
In addition, man was not
stripped of the capacity to ever do right in God's eyes.
We abrogated it...gave it away.
Have you been thinking this whole time that I was advocating that mankind had the ability to do right in God's eyes,
stripped away by God?
I surely hope not.
Because the blame lies squarely on us as a race, not with the Lord.
While you're busy telling me I'm bringing in a tradition that has never been hinted at by Scripture, and I just showed you a list of scriptures whose words clearly show that man is not only incapable of doing good:
" Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? [then] may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil." ( Jeremiah 13:23 ).
...but are accustomed to doing evil, please explain to me where I brought it in from.
John Calvin?
I'd never heard of him before 2003, and I certainly didn't get my understanding of Scripture from him or anyone like him.
Now...In Jeremiah, the Lord is speaking to
Israel.
But I know of no man who is outside of what is stated in Romans 1:18-32 and Romans 3:10-18, and we are
all accustomed to doing evil, and not good in God's eyes.
All men are sinners, and all men outside of Christ are termed as "wicked" by God.
Therefore, the "wicked" in the Psalms and Proverbs, the "fool" in Proverbs, and the "vile" throughout the Bible, are the sons of men who are not saved.
The righteous are the saved, the "wise", the "diligent", the "meek", the "peacemaker", etc.
The Gospel starts out with a baseline...
there is none righteous, no not one.
That, Utliyan,
is the Gospel that you were asking me to declare.
Let the words sink in, and believe them.
Romans then progresses to reveal that righteousness is
because of Jesus Christ...and
His righteousness is imputed to the believer ( Romans 4:22-25 ).
We have none of our own.
Are you not aware of the doctrine of imputed righteousness, and why it is so important that we as believers have Christ's righteousness and not our own?
Because we as sinful men cannot do anything good in God's eyes to warrant Him saving us from eternal Hell fire.
Christ's finished work on the cross is the only thing that we as believers can trust.
Why do we need a Saviour so desperately?
Because of something you seem to object very highly to...
"Total Depravity", which is not depravity in the moral sense, but in the spiritual sense.