Topical - Sin, Original...
Introduction:
A. Original sin
1. Some Definitions.
a) Theologians have used several labels to describe this concept.
(1) Inherited sin — This emphasizes the truth that all people inherit this sinful state from their parents, and their parents from their parents, all the way back to Adam and Eve.
(2) The Sin Nature — This focuses on the fact that sin has corrupted our entire nature. The term “sin nature” provides a clear contrast between that root nature (1 John 1:8-10) and its fruits (which are particular acts of sin).
(3) Original Sin — may be defined as “the sinful state and condtion in which men are born.” It is so designated because:
(a) It is derived from the original root of the human race (Adam).
(b) It is present in the life of every individual from the time of conception.
(c) It is the inward root of all the actual sins that defile the life of man.” Simply stated it refers to “the corruption of our whole nature.”
2. Results Of Original Sin
a) Man Is Totally Depraved.
(1) “Total depravity does not mean that everyone is as thoroughly depraved in his actions as he could possibly be, nor that everyone will indulge in every form of sin, nor that a person cannot appreciate and even do acts of goodness; but it does mean that the corruption of sin extends to all men and to all parts of all men so that there is nothing within the natural man that can give him merit in God’s sight.”
b) Man Has An Innate Sin Nature.
“The sin nature is the capacity to do all those things (good or bad) that can in no way commend us to God.”
(1) All Men Born Sinful.
§ Genesis 8:21 – man’s heart is evil from his youth
§ Job 14:4 – we are born from unclean, therefore, you are not going to come out clean
§ Psalm 51:5 – right from birth we are sinners
§ Psalm 58:3 – every man is a liar - Romans 3:4
§ Proverbs 22:15 – this is a natural inclination
§ Romans 5:8-10 – we were at enmity toward God, enemies of the Creator!
(2) All Aspects Of Man’s Being Are Corrupt:
§ “By nature” we are children of wrath—that is, objects of wrath (Eph.2:3)
§ “In sin my mother conceived me” the Psalmist said indicating that it is something we have from conception, not something acquired by actions during our lifetimes (Psalm 51:5).
(3) Every Part Of Man Is Affected:
§ intellect is blinded (2 Cor. 4:4)
§ understanding is darkened, separated from the life of God (Eph.4:18
§ conscience (1 Tim. 4:2)
§ will (Rom. 1:28) is enslaved to sin and stands in opposition to God (Rom.6:20; 7:20).
§ heart (Eph. 4:18)
§ the total being (Rom. 1:18–3:20).
c) Self-Esteem Theology— Robert Schuller.
(1) This says, “We must tell people everywhere that God wants them to feel good about themselves!” Does God really want all people to feel good about themselves?
(2) Self-esteem theology is forced to redefine sin in a way that minimizes the offense to God:
“The core of sin is a negative self-image.” In other words, sin—according to the self-esteem gospel—is not necessarily an offense against God or His law.
(3) Robert Schuller goes so far as to deny that fallen human nature is truly evil:
“By nature we are fearful, not bad.… Label it a ‘negative self-image,’ but do not say that the central core of the human soul is wickedness. If this were so, then truly, the human being is totally depraved.
(4) Robert Schuller redefined total depravity, because total depravity means sinners have no ability to do spiritual good or work for their own salvation from sin. They are so completely disinclined to love righteousness, so thoroughly dead in sin, that they are not able to save themselves or even to fit themselves for God’s salvation.
(5) Too often they do this at the expense of their own consciences.
d) The Great Saints Of The Bible Seemed To Recognize Their Own Sinfulness
§ Peter, seeing Jesus for who he was, said, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!" (Luke 5:8).
§ Paul wrote, “This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief” (1 Timothy 1:15 cf. Eph.3:8).
§ Job whom God identified Himself as a righteous man (Job 1:1, 8) said after seeing, Therefore I abhor myself, And repent in dust and ashes." (Job 42:6 NKJV)
§ Isaiah, seeing God, grasped, "Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, The LORD of hosts." (Isaiah 6:5 NKJV)
§ Daniel 9:14-19 Daniel realized his own sin & exercised (2 Chronicles 7:14).
e) Jesus Himself Taught That Human Beings Are:
§ evil (Matt.12:34)
§ capable of great wickedness (Mark 7:20-23)
§ utterly lost (Luke 19:10)
§ are sinners (Luke 15:10)
§ are in need of repentance before a holy God (Mark 1:15)
§ need to be born again (John 3:3, 5, 7)
f) Jesus Often Spoke Of Sin In Metaphors that Illustrate the Havoc Sin Can Wreak in one’s life
§ blindness (Matt.23:16-26)
§ sickness (Matt.9:21)
§ being enslaved to bondage (John 8:34)
§ living in darkness (John 8:12; 12:35-46)
§ Jesus also taught that sin is universal & that all people are guilty before God (Lk.7:37-48)
§ Jesus also taught that both inner thoughts and external acts render a person guilt.
§ He taught that from within the heart come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance, and foolishness (Mk.7:21-22)
§ He affirmed that God is fully aware of ever persons sins (Matt.22:18; Lk.6:8; Jn.4:17-19)
3. The Remedy For Inherited Sin.
a) God’s Remedy Is Twofold:
(1) A Judgment on the sin nature so that the believer is no longer bound to serve sin:
"And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness." (Romans 6:18)
"There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit." (Romans 8:1, NKJV)
"And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires." (Galatians 5:24, NKJV)
(2) The Gift of the Holy Spirit, which empowers the believer to live free from the dominion of sin and the old life.
(a) Holy Spirit gives us a new set of holy desires (Ezek.36:26), a hunger for righteousness (Matt.5:6) and a desire for Him. “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. (Ezekiel 36:26).
(b) From that point on God uses everything to move us toward being like Christ (Rom.8:28-29).
(c) We are clothed with a perfect righteousness (Isa.61:10; Rom.4:5), giving us a right standing before God without any fear of condemnation (Rom.5:1; 8:1). We have been made “complete in Christ” (Col.2:10), and have been granted all things that pertain to life & Godliness (2Pet.1:3).
B. theories of creation of the soul
1. Origin Of The Nonmaterial Part Of Man.
a) Theory of preexistence.
(1) This view has its roots in non-Christian philosophy; it is taught in Hinduism and was also held by Plato, Philo, and Origen. This theory teaches that in a previous existence men were angelic spirits, and as punishment and discipline for sin, they were sent to indwell human bodies.
(2) There Are A Number Of Problems With This View:
(a) There is no clear statement of Scripture to support this view (although the idea may have been presented in John 9:2)
(b) No one has any recollection of such an existence; the doctrine of sin is not related to Adam’s sin in Genesis 3 but to sin in an angelic sphere.
b) Traducian Theory
c) Special Creation—Creation theory.
(1) This theory teaches that each human soul is an immediate and individual creation by God; the body alone is propagated by the parents.
(2) This view is held by Roman Catholics and many Reformed Christians, among them Charles Hodge.
There are two reasons for this view:
(a) It maintains the purity of Christ—with this view Christ could not inherit a sinful nature from His mother
(b) A distinction is made between a mortal body and an immortal soul—parents may propagate a mortal body but only God can produce an immortal soul.
The problems with this view are:
(c) It necessitates an individual fall by each person because God can create only perfection
(d) It does not account for the problem of why all men sin.
II. imputation of sin
The word imputation comes from the Latin word imputare, meaning “to reckon,” “to charge to one’s account,” and relates to the problem of how sin is charged to every person. The basic Scripture is Romans 5:12, which teaches that sin entered the world through Adam. The interpretation of that verse determines one’s view of imputation.
The importance of this section cannot be underestimated for the following reasons:
(1) Paul’s argument for the imputed righteousness of Christ rests upon this point,
(2) Many today, as in the Biblical era, are denying the doctrine of original sin.
(3) Since one mans act can bring sin and death to all, it can be argued that one man’s act can bring righteousness to all.
Three Imputations In The Bible
(1) Through Adam, sin was imputed to all mankind Romans 5:12
(2) Man’s sins were imputed to Christ 2 Corinthians 5:21
(3) Christ’ righteousness was imputed
to the believer 2 Corinthians 5:21; Romans 4:3-8
A. romans 5:12-19
What Does Each Verse Say About Sin?
(1) 5:12 — sin entered the world through one man, death through sin, all have sinned
(2) 5:15 — many died because of Adams transgression
(3) 5:16 — judgment came from Adam, which resulted in condemnation
(4) 5:17 — death reigned through the transgression of Adam
(5) 5:18 — judgment and condemnation came to all
(6) 5:19 — many were made sinners
1. We Are Counted Guilty Because of Adam's Sin.
a) The Imputation Of Sin: Paul explains the effects of Adam's sin in the following way:
"Therefore ... sin came into the world through one man and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all men sinned" (Rom. 5:12).
(1) The context shows that Paul is not talking about actual sins that people commit every day of their lives, for the entire paragraph (Rom. 5:12-21) is taken up with the comparison between Adam and Christ. And when Paul says, "so [Gk. houtos "thus, in this way"; that is, through Adam's sin] death spread to all men because all men sinned," he is saying that through the sin of Adam "all men sinned."
b) Therefore… (Rom.5:12)
(1) It Means that all he will say about Adam and Christ has its roots in what he has just said in 5:1-11.
(2) The message in 5:1-11 relates to the fact Christ brought peace, reconciliation, justification and preservation from any future wrath.
(3) The question which one might ask: How is it that one man’s act can result in justification for so many? The answer: One man’s act resulted in condemnation to all.
c) Sin & Death Entered the Word (v.12)
(1) The emphasis is on the fact both these things came as a result of just one man’s act.
(2) The one man is obviously Adam and his sin in the garden.
(3) Sin and death cannot be separated (Gen 2:17,3:17-19), thus both spread to every person.
(4) Sin existed prior to this point since it entered through the one act (Isaiah 14; Ezek.28).
(5) The word one is repeated 12 times in 12-19.
2. Universal Sinfulness
(1) Paul’s point is that all men are born as sinners and all will face death.
(2) Not only is all of mankind guilty, we are also born with a sinful nature.
3. All Sinned- Four Views:
(1) Pelagianism: (Heretical View): Man is basically good or born in a neutral state.
(2) Personal Sins: (Hendriksen): This is a simple reference to the fact all people themselves sin, but he also holds to the Augustinian View.
(3) Federal View: Adam is the federal head or representative of all mankind, thus his actions have consequences for all of mankind. Proponents: Charles Hodge, Lewis Berkhoff, Oliver Buswell.
(4) Augustinian View: Natural Headship or Seminal View: We were all present in Adam and sinned in that we were in his loins, just as Levi paid tithes to Melchizedek, since he was in the loins of Abraham (Heb 7:9-10). Proponents: Augustine, Shedd, Strong, Luther, Calvin, Walvoord, Paul Enns, Martin Lloyd Jones, Hendriksen.
Olshausen: uses an illustration from the army: When a general is said to have been defeated, every one of his soldiers is defeated.
B. Romans 5:13-14
1. The Law & All Have Sinned
a) Paul now shows how people who did not live under the law were guilty of the sin of Adam.
(1) Sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sins were not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come. (Rom. 5:13-14)
(2) Here Paul points out that from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, people did not have God's written laws. Though their sins were "not counted" (as infractions of the law), they still died. The fact that they died is very good proof that God counted people guilty on the basis of Adam's sin.
2. What Law is Paul Referring to Here?
(1) He is most likely referring to the Law written on the hearts of man (Rom 2:14-16) Hendriksen).
(2) Morris sees it as the Law of Moses and makes the point:
(a) Where there is no law there is no sin (Rom 4:15).
(b) Death continued to reign even though the law had not been given between Adam to Moses.
(c) Death can then only be explained by the fact death came from Adam since men died during this period.
3. The Sins Mentioned
(1) Some sinned like Adam in that it was a direct violation of a command, while others sin was not a direct violation of a command.
(2) Death still reigned showing that death came from Adam’s sin (Hodge).
4. The Type of Him Who is to Come (v.14)
(1) Adam is the type of Christ who is to come in the opposite sense, that is, one sin and brought death the other succeeded and brought righteousness which leads to life.
(2) The exact way in which Adam is a type of Christ is found in verses 15-17.
C. Romans 5:15
1. Adam’s Act Verses Christ’s Act
(1) Adam’s act brought death to all of mankind, while Christ’s act brought grace and the gift of righteousness, justification and salvation.
(2) Notice that Paul uses the phrase, “how much more,” to show that it more than compensates.
(3) Paul uses the word gift, which focuses on the idea of freeness, and abound to reveal the sufficiency of this gracious gift.
(4) Christ’s work more than reversed the effects of Adam’s act, it provided in abundance life, eternal life, forgiveness, justification, etc.
D. Romans 5:16
1. A Fourfold Contrast
a) The four contrasts are:
(1) Gift vs. one having sinned
(2) Gift vs. Judgment
(3) One sin vs. many trespass
Morris writes on this point:
“The one sin was the direct cause of judgment; it led to disaster. The many trespasses were not the direct cause of the blessing, but simply the occasion that called forth the divine mercy.”
(4) Condemnation vs. justification: The believer finds not only forgiveness of the sin of Adam, but also for all of his sins he has personally committed.
E. Romans 5:17
1. Death Reigned Over All… How Much More… Righteousness
(1) Death reigned over all, not due to their own sin, but due to Adams.
(2) Martin L. Jones writes “the world is a place of cemeteries.”
How Much More…
(1) Once again Christ’s work is seen as more than sufficient to overcome the sin of Adam.
(2) Death reigned due to Adam, but now life reigns due to Christ.
(3) Sin received its just reward (death), but the free gift is different in that it produces more than an exact equivalent, it produces more.
(4) The more is the gift of righteousness and the fact the believer will reign (not death).
(5) Goodspeed, “God’s overflowing mercy.”
Righteousness…
(1) Once again the free gift of salvation is lined with righteousness.
(2) The meaning of the word here is a right standing before God and not an ethical quality.
(3) Not only righteousness is given, but also the future hope of reigning with Christ (The slaves of death becoming kings! -Larange)
F. Romans 5:18-19
1. God Counted Us Guilty Because Of Adams Sin.
a) Many Were Made Sinners (v.19)
(1) Here Paul says explicitly that through the trespass of one man "many were made sinners."
(2) This does not mean by force, but now all men are sinners by nature.
(3) Paul uses the word many here as a reference to all, but the second many is a reference to only those who believe as seen in the context.
(4) When Adam sinned, God thought of all who would descend from Adam as sinners. Though we did not yet exist, God, looking into the future and knowing that we would exist, began thinking of us as those who were guilty like Adam.
(5) This is also consistent with Paul's statement that "while we were yet sinners Christ died for us" (Rom. 5:8). Of course, some of us did not even exist when Christ died. But God nevertheless regarded us as sinners in need of salvation.
Note: Adam had a real choice to sin or not to sin – he was sinfree – I DON’T!
§ ILLUSTRATION: Two roads – One is to do God’s will the other is to do the work of the Devil.
§ Adam had a free will to choose one of these roads.
§ I don’t, I am being pulled in the direction to do the work of the Devil, I am already bent on going the wrong way