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Because of the fall, man is unable of himself to savingly believe the gospel. The sinner is dead, blind, and deaf to the things of God; his heart is deceitful and desperately corrupt. His will is not free, it is in bondage to his evil nature, therefore, he will not - indeed he cannot - choose good over evil in the spiritual realm. Consequently, it takes much more than the Spirit's assistance to bring a sinner to Christ - it takes regeneration by which the Spirit makes the sinner alive and gives him a new nature. Faith is not something man contributes to salvation but is itself a part of God's gift of salvation - it is God's gift to the sinner, not the sinner's gift to God.

"I will betroth you to Me forever;

Yes, I will betroth you to Me

In righteousness and justice,

In lovingkindness and mercy" (Hosea 2:19).

"Christ must needs be God, not only that the divine nature might support the human from sinking under God's wrath, but also to give value and weight to his sufferings" (Thomas Watson, Body of Divinity, ch 23)

Therefore original sin is seen to be an hereditary depravity and corruption of our nature diffused into all parts of the soul . . . wherefore those who have defined original sin as the lack of the original righteousness with which we should have been endowed, no doubt include, by implication, the whole fact of the matter, but they have not fully expressed the positive energy of this sin. For our nature is not merely bereft of good, but is so productive of every kind of evil that it cannot be inactive. [John Calvin Institutes of Christian Religion, Book 2, Chapter 1]

Scriptural support

Total Depravity (Total Inability)

"The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually" (Gen 6:9).

“Behold, I was shape in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me” (Psa 51:5).

"We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment" (Isa 64:6 ESV).

"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?" (Jer 17:7).

"This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father"

(Jn 6:65).

"None is righteous, no, not one;

no one understands; no one seeks for God.

All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one."

"Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive."

"The venom of asps is under their lips."

"Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness."

"Their feet are swift to shed blood;

in their paths are ruin and misery,

and the way of peace they have not known."

"There is no fear of God before their eyes."

(Rom 3:10-18).

"The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned" (1 Cor 2:14).

"The word of God to an unregenerate heart is like a trumpet at the ear of a corpse: the sound is lost" (Spurgeon).

""Truly You are God, who hide Yourself,

O God of Israel, the Savior!" (Isa 45:15).