What does it mean to be powerless to save ourselves?

The biblical teaching of our inability to save ourselves stems from the doctrine of total depravity, which asserts that every part of our being is affected by sin and that we are wholly unable to turn to God on our own. Romans 3:10-12 states, 'There is none righteous, no, not one: there is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.' Like the boy in Mark 9, who could not free himself from the demon, we, too, find ourselves powerless in our sinful condition. Our only hope lies in Christ's atoning work, where He frees us from sin's bondage and grants us new life. This sovereign grace emphasizes our dependence on Him for both salvation and strength in our Christian walk.