"Original
sin" refers to the first sin committed by Adam and Eve, and the consequences
of that sin to future generations. All Bible students agree that serious
consequences came to mankind from that sin. But the term generally refers to a
particular doctrinal concept about sin as taught by most Protestant and
Catholic churches.
The
purpose of this study is to examine the doctrine of "original sin"
and the related doctrine of "total inherited depravity," and compare
them to the Bible.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Unless
otherwise noted, all quotes are from the Westminster Confession of Faith in the
Presbyterian Book of Confessions. All emphasis has been added.
"Our
first parents ... sinned ... By this sin they fell from their original
righteousness, and communion with God, and so became dead in sin, and wholly
defiled in all the faculties and parts of soul and body. They being the root of
all mankind, the guilt of this sin was imputed, and the same death in sin and
corrupted nature conveyed to all their posterity...From this original
corruption, whereby we are utterly indisposed, disabled, and made opposite to
all good, and wholly inclined to all evil, do proceed all actual
transgressions" - Chap. VI, sec. 1-4.
"Every
sin, both original and actual ... doth, in its own nature, bring guilt upon the
sinner, whereby he is bound over to the wrath of God, and curse of the law, and
so made subject to death, with all miseries spiritual, temporal, and
eternal" - Chap. VI, sec. 6.
So all
people inherit the guilt of Adam's sin. Regardless of our own conduct or
choice, we are born guilty of sin and held accountable for the guilt of what
Adam did and doomed to eternal punishment.
We also
inherit from Adam a sinful nature, so that our whole being is evil in every
aspect. We are so thoroughly evil that we are incapable of doing anything
really good. All specific acts of sins are committed because of this inherited
corruption of our nature.
Consequences
and Related Doctrines:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
All the
points of Calvinism follow from original sin:
"Total Inability"
Since
man is incapable of doing anything good, he is powerless to respond to God's
effort to save him. Nothing we can do, say, or think, can in any way influence
our chance of salvation. [See Chap. IX, sec. 3]
"Unconditional election"
Since
we can do nothing toward our salvation, everything is up to God. He
unconditionally elects or chooses certain individuals to be saved. This choice
has nothing whatever to do with our character, choice, conduct, attitude, or
will, either now or in the future. Those whom God does not so elect to save,
will be doomed to eternal torment and there is nothing they can do about that.
God
does this "without any foresight of faith or good works, ... or any other
thing in the creature, as conditions, or causes moving Him thereunto..."
(Chap. III, sec. 3-7). It is of God's "...grace alone, not from any thing
at all foreseen in man, who is altogether passive therein" (Chap. X, sec.
2).
"Irresistible grace"
Since
man can do nothing to respond to God's will, God sends the Holy Spirit to act
directly and irresistibly on the hearts of the elect to enable them to believe
and obey. (Chap. X, sec. 2)
Other
related doctrines of Calvinism are: "Limited atonement" (Jesus died
only for those who are unconditionally elected, not for all mankind), and
"Perseverance of the saints" (those who are God's elect, once saved,
can never so sin as to be eternally lost - Chap. XVII, sec. 1,2). The first
letters of these doctrines spell TULIP.
Infant baptism
If
babies are born guilty of Adam's sin, then it is reasoned that they must be
baptized for remission of sins. This is the origin of infant baptism (though
some no longer practice it for this reason).
Though
there are various forms of the doctrine, we have described the basic concept.
Calvin, Luther, and other reformers believed it, but the Catholic Church taught
it long before the Protestant Reformation. Few members of many modern
denominations care about this or any other doctrine, but it is still in their
official creed books.
Consider
what the Bible teaches:
I. Men
Do Not Inherit Guilt, Nor Are They Accountable for Other People's Sins.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
If we
can inherit Adam's guilt, why not inherit the guilt of all our ancestors? And
why can't we inherit righteousness too? If our parents were Christians who have
been cleansed from all sin (1 John 1:7,9; Heb. 7:25), then there would be no
sin to inherit, so we would be born pure!
Ezekiel 18:20
========
Ezekiel
18:20 - The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the
father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the
righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon
himself.
None of
Adam's descendants bear the guilt of his sin. No one's guilt can come to us
through our parents. Adam's sin is upon Adam alone. If you or I are guilty of
sin, it is because of what we have done (note v24).
Did Jesus Inherit the Guilt of Adam's Sin?
=========================
Hebrews 2:14,17 - He shared in flesh and blood, made in all things
like us.
Luke 3:38; Galatians 4:4 - He was a descendant of Adam, born of
woman.
2
Corinthians 5:21; 1 John 3:5; 1 Peter 2:22 - Yet Jesus knew no sin. In Him is
no sin, because He did no sin [Heb. 4:15; 7:26]
If we
inherit sin from Adam, then Jesus must have inherited it since he was a
descendant of Adam and was like us in all things. But He did not inherit it,
therefore we do not inherit it. Guilt is not inherited.
II.
Each Person Is Individually Accountable and Will Be Judged for What He
Personally Does.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
A. A
Person Becomes Guilty of Sin Because of His Own Personal Conduct.
============================================
Sin is
what people do (in word, deed, or thought) that is not in harmony with God's
will. When the Bible says people are "in sin," "slaves of
sin," or under the "law of sin," it refers to the condition of
guilt and other consequences a person experiences because of his own sinful
conduct.
All the
following passages say a person becomes guilty of sin when he himself commits
or practices wrong. Contrast each passage to original sin, which says man is a
sinner by inheritance before he does anything himself.
1 John
3:4 - Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. Sin
is defined as something a person "commits" ("transgression"
- KJV), not what he inherits. [cf. v6,8]
Mark
7:20-23 - A man is defiled (made guilty) by things (such as those listed) which
a person does because of decisions in his heart. Contrast this to original sin.
Romans
3:9-18,23 - We are all "under sin" (v9) because we "have
sinned" (v23). We have "turned aside" (v12), we do not "do
good" (v12), etc. [cf. Psa. 14:1-4]
Romans
6:16,19 - People become servants of sin because they present themselves, their
own members, as servants of sin and uncleanness. When we obey sin, we become
servants of sin. Compare to original sin.
James
1:14,15 - A man becomes worthy of death when he responds to temptation by
sinning (note "then ... when"). Sin and spiritual death are results
of what he does. Note "each man" - it is an individual matter, and it
is true of each of us.
James 2:10,11 - A person becomes guilty and a transgressor when he
disobeys the law (stumbles).
John 8:34 - A person becomes enslaved to sin because of what he
himself "commits."
1
Timothy 6:10 - Love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Original sin
says the love of money has another root - inherited depravity - a
"root" to the "root." The Bible says the root is the man's
attitude, not Adam's sin.
1 Peter
2:22 - Jesus was not a sinner because he did no sin. If original sin is true,
He would have been a sinner whether He did anything sinful or not.
Where
is the passage that teaches that anyone is guilty of sin because he inherited
guilt from Adam or is counted guilty before he himself commits sin?
[See
also Ex. 32:32,33; Isa. 59:1,2; John 3:19-21; 7:7; Rom. 3:25; 2 Cor. 12:21;
Col. 1:21; James 4:17; 3 John 11]
B. Each
Person Will Be Judged and His Eternal Destiny Determined by What He Himself
Does.
==========================================
Eternal
destiny is determined by our conduct (not by what we inherit), and it is
determined individually. Each person is held accountable for what he did, not
for what his ancestors did.
2
Corinthians 5:10 - For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ,
that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has
done, whether good or bad. Each will be judged for what He did in the body.
This is true of all. Only Adam will be judged for what Adam did. The rest of us
will be judged for what we did.
Matthew
7:21-23 - We enter the kingdom of heaven or are rejected based on what we do.
Sin is something people work or practice - v23.
Romans
1:32 - People are worthy of death because of what they practice. Original sin
says they are worthy of death because they are born guilty of sin before they
ever practice anything.
Romans
2:6-10 - At judgment every man will be rewarded according to his works (not
Adam's works). Tribulation and anguish will be for those who work evil and
don't obey the truth but obey unrighteousness.
Romans
14:12 - So then each of us shall give account of himself to God. Only Adam will
give account for what he did. Each of the rest of us will give account for what
we did.
Where
is the passage that says a person will be judged or eternally condemned because
of guilt he inherited from Adam?
Original
sin says every person is passive in becoming a sinner and passive in being
saved from sin. He is a sinner before he does anything and saved without doing
anything. The Bible says man is active both in sin and in salvation. He becomes
a sinner because of what he does, and we will see that he must choose to act in
order to receive God's offer of salvation.
[See
also Matt. 16:27; John 5:29; 1 Peter 1:17; 3:10-12; Jude 15; Rev. 20:12,13;
22:12]
III.
Babies Are Innocent, Not Guilty.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
If
original sin is true, then babies are born guilty of sin, totally depraved,
destined for eternal punishment. All passages already studied disprove this.
Now note specifically:
Psalm
106:37,38; Jeremiah 19:4,5 - In sacrificing babies to idols, people shed the
blood of innocent people. But if the babies inherited Adam's sin, they would be
guilty and worthy of death. [cf. Jer. 32:35]
Romans
7:9 - Paul (representative of people in general) was alive before sin came, but
then he died. How, if people are totally depraved since birth? (cf. v11)
Hebrews
12:9; Zechariah 12:1; Ecclesiastes 12:7 - Our fleshly nature comes from our
earthly fathers (like Adam). But God is the Father of our spirits. God gives
the spirit and forms it within man.
Total
depravity says man is "wholly defiled in ... soul and body." Does the
sinless Father in heaven give us wholly defiled, totally depraved spirits? If
the spirit comes from God, not from earthly parents, how can we inherit sin
from our parents?
Matthew
19:14; 18:3 - The kingdom of God belongs to those who are converted and become
like little children. But if little children are totally depraved, why should
we become like them? Does conversion make us totally depraved?
Jesus
prayed for children and blessed them (Mark 10:14-16), but He did not baptize
them. They did not need baptism, because they were acceptable just as they
were. But how could this be if they were born total depraved?
The
Bible teaches that sinners must be baptized to be saved (Acts 2:38; 22:16; Mark
16:16; 1 Pet. 3:21; Rom. 3:6,4; Gal. 3:26,27). The consequence of original sin
is that babies who die without baptism are all lost eternally. But the Bible
teaches that babies are innocent and need no baptism. So original sin must not
be true.
IV. Man
Is Not Totally Corrupt, But Is Capable of Choosing Between Good and Evil.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Total
depravity says that man is so corrupt that he cannot choose between good and
evil, and he cannot choose whether or not to obey the conditions of the gospel.
Hence, he must be "passive" in determining his own salvation. Note
the Bible teaching:
A. God
Has Made Salvation Available to Everybody.
===============================
2 Peter 3:9 - God is not willing that any should perish but that
all should come to repentance.
1 Timothy 2:4 - God desires all men to be saved and to come to the
knowledge of the truth.
1 Timothy 2:6 - Jesus gave Himself a ransom for all.
Hebrews 2:9 - Jesus tasted death for everyone.
Titus 2:11 - The grace of God that brings salvation has appeared
to all men.
1 John 2:2 - Jesus is the propitiation, not for our sins only, but
also for the whole world.
John
3:16 - God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever
believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
Romans 2:11; Acts 10:34,35 - God is no respecter of persons.
Since
God has made salvation available to all and wants all to be saved, if man has
no control in the matter, then everyone would have to be saved. But we know
many people will not be saved (Matt. 7:13,14), so it follows that man has the
power to determine whether he will or will not accept salvation. Salvation is
conditional.
Either:
(1) Salvation is conditioned on the choices man makes, or (2) all people will
be saved, or (3) God is a respecter of persons and did not really extend
salvation to all. But points #2 and 3 are false, so man must have the power to
choose whether he will or will not accept the salvation God offers.
Any
doctrine which teaches that salvation is NOT conditioned on man's choice, must
conclude either that all people will be saved or that God is a respecter of
persons and did not really make salvation available to all.
[1
Timothy 4:10; John 1:29; 4:42; 10:9; 12:32,33,47; 6:51; Matt. 11:28-30;
5:43-48; Lam 3:33; Rom. 10:8-18; 11:32; 5:18; Acts 3:25,26; Luke 9:23,24;
15:7,10; Ezek. 18:23,32; 33:11; 1 John 4:14; 2 Cor. 5:14,15,19; Rev. 3:20; Isa.
45:21f; Col. 1:28]
B. Man
Is Capable of Choosing between Good and Evil, and therefore Salvation Is
Conditional .
=========================================
Note
the following passages which show that men do have the power to choose whether
we will or will not obey God's instructions.
People
are not totally depraved but can choose to become better or worse.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Acts
10:2,22 - Before his conversion (11:14), Cornelius was devout and feared God.
How could this be if he was totally depraved and incapable of choosing good or
evil? [Luke 7:2-10]
Luke
8:15 - Some people obey God's word when they hear it because they have a
"good and honest heart." How is this possible if they are totally
depraved?
2
Timothy 3:13 - Other men grow worse and worse. Again, if they are already
totally depraved and cannot choose good or evil, how can they get any worse?
People
are free moral agents like Adam and Jesus.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Calvinism
admits Adam and Eve and Jesus were free moral agents and had the power to
choose between good and evil, but it says we have inherited total depravity so
we do not have that power. Consider these verses:
1
Corinthians 10:13 - With every temptation there is a way of escape so we do not
have to give in and sin. We are like Adam and Eve in that, with each temptation
we face, we can choose to overcome the temptation by taking the way of escape
or we can choose not to.
Hebrews
4:15 - Jesus was tempted in all points like we are. He was a free moral agent
but did not sin because He always chose to do right. Either we have the same
power to choose or else Jesus was not tempted "in all points" like we
are. If we have a totally depraved nature so we can never choose to do right,
but He did not have that nature, then His temptation was not at all like ours!
[Other
passages showing that man is able to resist sin: James 4:7; John 5:14; 8:11; 1
John 2:1; 1 Cor 15:34; 2 Cor. 13:7; Eph. 6:16; 1 Thess. 5:22; 2 Tim. 2:19]
Many
verses say people are able to choose to obey God or disobey Him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Joshua
24:15 - "Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve ... But as for
me and my house, we will serve the Lord."
1 Kings
18:21 - Elijah said, "How long will you falter between two opinions? If
the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him." The people had the
power to choose.
Revelation
22:17 - The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" Whoever desires, let
him take the water of life freely. God invites people to come to Him. Whoever
desires (or "will" - KJV) can do so. The choice is ours.
Psalms 119:30 - I have chosen the way of truth. How, if we cannot
choose good or evil?
Hebrews
11:25 - Moses chose to suffer affliction with the people of God rather than the
pleasures of sin.
Acts
17:11,12 - Even before they believed, the Bereans were noble-minded and had a
ready mind to search the Scriptures and learn the truth.
Isaiah
1:18-20 - God reasoned with the people offering to make their sins white as
snow. "If you are willing and obedient, You shall eat the good of the
land; But if you refuse and rebel, You shall be devoured by the sword".
Their will determined the outcome.
Matthew
23:37 - Jesus wanted to gather the children of Jerusalem together, but they
were not willing! The will of the people determined how they responded to
Jesus' will.
Proverbs 1:29 - Some people do not choose the fear of the LORD.
Matthew
21:29 - Asked to do His father's will, a son said, "I will not."
Later he repented and went. This illustrates our relationship to God. We have the
power to determine whether or not we obey Him.
[John
7:17; Psa. 119:173; Isa. 56:4; Luke 10:42; 7:38; 1 Chron. 28:9; Matt. 5:6;
13:14,15; 16:24; 19:17,21; 26:41; Acts 17:11,27; James 4:4,8; Heb. 2:17; Prov.
3:31; 4:23]
Salvation
is conditioned on the response we choose to give to God's commands.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mark
16:15,16 - Those who believe and are baptized will be saved, but those who
disbelieve will be condemned. These alternatives are to be preached to all
people, but why bother if we have no power to choose anyway?
Every
passage that gives some instruction for men to follow to be saved, is
necessarily implying that man has the power to choose whether or not to
respond. We have seen in numerous passages that man does have that power. [Cf.
Acts 2:38-40; Phil. 2:12]
We do
not deny that much of mankind is depraved. We do deny that all of mankind are
depraved (those in Christ and little children are innocent). We deny that
depravity is inherited unconditionally. And we deny depravity is total such
that man is incapable of choosing between good and evil.
Calvinism
says, in effect, that man is a robot. We have no choice in anything. We became
sinners because someone else sinned, before we had anything at all to say or do
about it. Then we are saved or lost unconditionally, and there is nothing we
can say or do about that either! The doctrine totally eliminates man's free
moral agency, power to choose, and individual moral responsibility!
V.
Answers to Defenses of Original Sin and Total Depravity.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Psalm 51:5
=======
Psalms
51:5 - Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived
me. Does this mean he was born guilty of sin, totally depraved?
1. It
says nothing about Adam, Adam's sin, or that David inherited guilt of Adam's
sin.
2. The
verse does not state that David was born guilty. It describes the guilt of his
mother. His mother is the one who was guilty of sin and iniquity when she
conceived him and brought him forth. (The first part of the verse is, in Hebrew
parallelism, explained by the last part of the verse.)
3.
Consider parallel language in Acts 2:8. People were born in a native language
or tongue. Did they inherit the language? Was it part of their inherent nature?
No, but the people around them spoke it, so they soon learned it.
4. So
David's point is, not that he was guilty of sin from birth nor inherited it,
but he was born into the midst of a sinful environment and sinful influences.
His mother was guilty and so were all around him, so he soon learned it, like
one learns a language.
Ephesians 2:1-3
==========
Some
say you were "by nature children of wrath" means inherited depravity,
and "dead in sin" means powerless to do anything about your condition
like a dead body.
1. But
it nowhere mentions Adam, Adam's sin, nor inheriting guilty of Adam's sin.
2. They
were dead because of "sins" (plural, not singular, as Adam's sin)
"in which you once walked" (v2), and conducted themselves in the
lusts of the flesh (v3). This contradicts inherited depravity and proves our
position, that people are in sin because of their own conduct, not Adam's
conduct.
3.
"Nature" here refers to a person's character which comes as a result
of repeated practice, not necessarily by inheritance. Rom. 2:14 says some
people by nature obey God's will, but total depravity says that is impossible.
4.
"Death" refers to spiritual separation from God - see v11-13. As the
body is dead when the spirit separates from it (James 2:26), so our sins
separate us from God (Isa. 59:2) and we become spiritually dead in sin.
5. Luke
15:24 - The prodigal son had been "dead," yet in that condition was
able to decide to turn from sin and return to His father (v17-20).
Sins of the Fathers Visited on the Children
==========================
Gen.
3:15-19,22-24; Ex. 20:5; 34:6,7; Josh. 7:24f; 1 Sam. 15:2f; 2 Sam. 21:1-9 speak
of the sins of the fathers being visited on the sons. We are told this is how
Adam's sin comes upon us.
1. Gen.
3 shows that we suffer consequences in this life for Adam's sin, but this does
not prove we are considered to be guilty of his sin or will suffer eternal
punishment after this life for it. The children of a gambler or drunkard may
suffer in this life because of his sin, but that does not mean they are
considered guilty of it or will suffer eternally because they inherit guilt.
2. Ex.
20:5; etc., do not mention Adam or Adam's sin. They do not say we inherit sin
from Adam. Ex. 20:5 says the sins of the parents are visited on the third or
fourth generation. We are much further from Adam than that.
3.
These verses also could refer to physical consequences of sin in this life,
rather than guilt and eternal consequences. "Iniquity" (Heb. AVON) is
elsewhere translated "punishment" in ten instances.
"Visiting" (Ex. 20:5) is translated "punishing" in NIV and
in NKJV footnote. The specific examples cited are all examples of consequences
in this life.
4. Note
"third and fourth generation of those who hate me" (Ex. 20:5). God is
discussing those who continue to hate Him! Most likely this is an expression of
God's long-suffering (see the context of Ex. 34:6,7). If one generation hated
God (idolatry - see context), He would rebuke but not destroy the nation. If a
future generation repented, he would spare the nation. But if three or four
generations in a row hated God, He would destroy the nation. So this is
suffering in this life, and it comes on the children only if they too are
guilty of the sin.
Romans 7:14-25
==========
It is argued that this passage describes the total depravity of
nature inherited from Adam.
1.
Again, the passage nowhere mentions Adam or Adam's sin, nor does it say anyone
inherited sin or depravity. The passage does describe depravity, but it is the
consequence of sin the man himself practices (v15-20).
2. The
passage actually contradicts total depravity. The spirit "delights"
in God's law (v22), and man "wills" to do good (v18,19,21). But this
is impossible according to total depravity, for it says man is wholly defiled
in all parts of soul and body, opposite to all good, wholly inclined to all
evil, and has wholly lost all ability of will to any spiritual good. Total
depravity has serious problems in this passage.
3. The
context in v9 teaches the innocence of children (as discussed previously).
Surely v14-25 does not contradict v9.
4. The
passage describes the condition of men in sin, outside Christ, before
conversion (especially Jews under the law, like Paul was before conversion).
Paul uses first person and present tense, but he sometimes does this to show
how he identifies with the people in the condition, especially if he himself has
experienced the problem (cf. 1 Cor. 4:6; Rom. 13:11-13).
Yet it
cannot be that Paul still had the problem he describes. He describes one who is
"carnal, sold under sin" (v14), but 8:8,9 condemns those who are
carnal, and 7:5 shows it is a past condition for Paul (cf. 1 Cor. 3:1ff). He
says sin dwells in him and he is captured under the law of sin (v17,23), yet he
elsewhere shows that Christians must not let sin reign in their members -
6:11-19; Gal. 5:16-24; Eph. 4:17ff; Col. 3:5-14. He says he is "wretched"
(v24), but that is not the state of one in Christ (Phil. 4:4ff). He says Jesus
delivers people from this wretched state (v24,25).
So Paul
is using the historical present tense, just as we might do to tell a story that
already happened. Paul used it to express understanding of the condition of
those in sin, and because he once had that condition (imagine him on the
Damascus road after he knew he was wrong but had not yet been told what to do
about it).
5. Why
can't the passage be describing the depraved and hopeless case of one who is
guilty of sin as a consequence of his own practice, before he is forgiven (like
we discussed in Eph. 2)? Man has physical urges and natural instincts that are
neither good nor bad, moral or immoral, in and of themselves. God's law reveals
proper ways to satisfy these urges, but sometimes our natural body sees ways to
satisfy these urges which are improper, but it does not know the difference so
it still desires it.
As a
result we all eventually sin and become a slave of sin. We do not have God's
promise to answer our prayers, nor do we have other blessings in Christ to
strengthen us. We know we are guilty and not forgiven, so we despair and are
wretched. We have little motivation to do good because doing good of itself
will not remove our past guilt. We know we are wrong, wish to be right, but can
see no solution to our wretchedness.
The
solution, as Paul finally states, is forgiveness in Christ. As Christians we
still sin occasionally, but sin does not reign in our lives as before, and we
have a means of forgiveness when we do sin (cf. chap. 6,8).
Romans 5:12-19; 1 Cor. 15:22
===================
We are
told "in Adam all die" means that all inherit the guilt of Adam's
sin, thereby being born totally depraved.
1. 1
Cor. 15:22 is discussing physical death, which all men do suffer
unconditionally as a consequence of Adam's sin, but it is not saying we all
unconditionally suffer spiritual death and total depravity as a consequences of
his sin. This is clear by the contrast to Christ who unconditionally will make
all alive, referring to the resurrection from physical death, which has been
discussed throughout the context (v3-8,12-21). This will happen "at
Christ's coming" (v23), when the "end" comes (v24).
2. Rom.
5:12-19 is, I believe, discussing spiritual death, but it does not teach the
key points of original sin and total depravity. It does not say people receive
the guilt of Adam's sin by unconditional inheritance, nor does it say people as
a result become totally depraved, unable to do good, etc.
3. Adam
is compared and contrasted to Christ (v14). They are alike in some ways,
different in other ways. The key point is this: Whatever people lost through
Adam, the same people gain through Christ! Note the chart:
Verse BY ADAM BY JESUS
One man's offense The gift by grace
==== ============ ============
V15 many died much more the grace...
bounded to many
V16 resulted in condemnation resulted in justification
V17 death reigned much more ...
righteousness
will reign in life
V18 judgment came to ALL men the free gift came to ALL men
resulting in condemnation resulting in justification of life
V19 many were made sinners many will be made righteous
4. If
this means through Adam's sin all men unconditionally received guilt and
condemnation imputed to them, then it must mean that through Jesus' death those
same all men unconditionally received justification of life! Whatever problem
Adam caused and for whatever people he caused it, Jesus solved the problem for
those same people. If everybody was unconditionally lost through Adam, then
everybody is unconditionally saved through Jesus!
Again,
consistency would require advocates of original sin to believe in universal
salvation. But this contradicts the Bible, so it must not be that people
unconditionally inherit the guilt of Adam's sin.
5. What
the passage really teaches is what we have said all along. The consequences of
both what Adam did and what Christ did are made available to all men
conditionally on our conduct. Whether or not we actually receive the
consequences of their deeds depends on what we do.
"How
can people receive condemnation conditionally through what Adam did?" even
as people receive justification conditionally through what Jesus did! We have
proved by many passages that Jesus' death brought salvation into the world,
making it available to all men, giving us the opportunity to be justified. But
whether or not we actually receive that justification depends on our conduct
based on the choices we make.
Likewise
Adam's sin brought sin into the world (v12), creating an environment of sin
that tempts and influences us all toward sin. But we actually become sinners
and are held guilty for sin only when we decide to participate in conduct that
is sinful. We become sinners by our own conduct, as we have also proved by many
passages.
This is
clearly stated in the passage. V12 - "death spread to all men, because all
sinned." We become guilty of sin when we commit sin, not before. Adam
brought sin into the world and we all sooner or later follow his example. All
the consequences of sin listed in v15-19 come upon us conditionally when we
practice sin, and all the blessings of forgiveness come upon us conditionally
when we obey Jesus.
Illustrations:
"Through the knowledge of the math teacher, all the class became good
mathematicians." "Through the talents of the music teacher, all her
students became good musicians." Were the consequences inherited
unconditionally? No, but the teachers made the knowledge or skill available, so
when the students responded properly, they received what the teacher had to
offer.
Psalm 58:1-6
=========
The
wicked are estranged from the womb (v3), so we are told this means we are
guilty of sin and totally depraved from birth.
1.
Again, it does not mention Adam, Adam's sin, nor that men inherit the guilt of
Adam's sin.
2. What
makes these people sinners? In their hearts they work wickedness (v2), and they
have violent hands (v2). They are sinners because of their own conduct, exactly
as we have taught. This proves our position, not inherited guilt.
3.
"Estranged from the womb" is explained to mean "they go astray
as soon as they are born" (v3). How can one go astray into sin if he was
in sin from the start? If you are already in sin and you "go astray,"
where do you go?
4. How
did they "go astray" and become "estranged"? By
"speaking lies" (v3). Again, it is the conduct of the individual that
makes him a sinner. But can babies literally speak lies at the moment of birth?
No. So the verse itself forces us to conclude that the phrase "as soon as
they are born" is not literal but figurative. It is an hyperbole - a
poetic exaggeration to emphasize a point. (Compare the following verses where
many illustrations are used to describe these same people.)
5. V6
says they have teeth. Again this is not describing people at the moment of
birth.
Nothing
here teaches that people are born guilty of Adam's sin. Clearly the passage
confirms what we have taught: people are not born guilty of sin, but become
sinners later when they go astray by their own conduct.
Conclusion
~~~~~~
The
Bible nowhere teaches the Calvinistic concept that man inherits sin or is born
totally depraved, incapable of doing good or evil. Rather, little babies are
born innocent and not accountable for their conduct. As they grow up in a
sinful world, they reach the age when they are capable of understanding God's
will for their lives. He then holds them accountable for their conduct, and
they are counted sinners when they themselves choose to practice that which is
a violation of God's will.
