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Hoyte Nelson's Poems/ Reflections & Biblical Essays
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Essay Adam's Sin and Man's Salvation Within
the Southern Baptist Convention today, there is much discussion, among other
things, about the doctrine of the original sin, and the consequence of that sin
as it relates to man’s salvation. One
point of view is that God, in His sovereign elective grace, regenerates a soul
from spiritual death by His sovereign eternal decree, and that
“regeneration” from death must take place before one can respond to the
gospel message. The question is about the sequence
of events within God’s call to salvation and sanctification. My understanding on this subject is this: God in His sovereign, eternal grace has ordained Salvation through the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ. This “so great salvation” is received by faith as the Father calls each one through the gospel. And all that receive Christ by faith are assured of God’s special gift to His children. And that believing, we are “born again.” (Regenerated) The
Apostle Paul has given unto us this testimony: “For I am not ashamed of the
gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who
believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greeks, (Romans 1: 16).
Again, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God,” (Romans
10: 17). And again, “Being born again, not by corruptible seed, but
incorruptible, by the Word of God...” (1 Peter 1: 23). Again,
“How shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they
believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall
they hear without a preacher?” (Romans 10: 14). It is
important to notice the sequence that is set forth in the Scriptures: Ephesians
1: 10b-14 wherein he says, “In whom we
also have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of
him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in
Christ should be to the praise of His glory. In Him you also trusted, after
you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having
believed, you were sealed (born again, or regenerated),
with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is
the guarantee of our inheritance until
the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.” (Highlighted
for emphasis) Paul, in Gal. 4: 6 says,
“And because
you are sons, God has sent forth Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out,
‘Abba!’ Father!’” It should be
remembered that the Holy Spirit is God’s promised
gift to His children. He does not promise that we would receive salvation as a
result of Pentecost, but as a result of the Calvary. The promise to Abraham,
fulfilled in Jesus Christ, is the hope of our salvation. The truth is that God
has elected us, “in Christ,”
before the foundation of the world. (In other words, God from eternity purposed
one way of salvation, and that salvation is in Christ Jesus, who Himself is the
fulfillment of the “promise,” promised to Abraham and his “seed,”
fulfilled in Christ. (Galatians 3:16) Although we are chosen in Him before the
foundation of the world, we are not “in
Him” until we are reconciled to Him through the gospel. It is
helpful in the understanding of God’s elective purposes, if we understand the
reason for man’s condemnation: It helps us to see the large picture. It is
said in John’s gospel chapter 3: 18, “He
who believes in Him is not condemned, but
he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has
not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” Now notice,
he is condemned “already.” The
question should be asked, when was man condemned? He is condemned for one
reason, he has not believed. One of the
troubling things for me has been the idea that God arbitrarily choosing some for
salvation and condemning others to damnation from eternity. We know that the
believer is not condemned, and the unbeliever is condemned already. The question
is this: “why,” and “when?)” If I understand the Scriptures correctly,
God chose His own, purposefully, not arbitrarily. It is said in John 6: 64b, “And
Jesus knew from the beginning who they
were who did not believe,…In
other words, God purposed from eternity to save those that would believe the
gospel, and He rejected for eternity those who would “not” believe the
gospel. The debate centers in the statement in Paul’s reference to being dead
in trespasses and sins. (Ephesians 2: 1). In other words, what then is the
result of Adam’s fall? First of
all, all of mankind is separated from God, hopelessly lost apart from the gospel
of Jesus Christ. The question, as I
see it, is about the meaning of the phrase in Ephesians
2:1, “And you were dead in your
trespasses and sins….”The idea of being “dead in trespasses and sins,”
I believe, does not mean that one is “dead” apart form his personal “trespasses
and sins;” nor does it mean that he has no consciousness of good and evil,
or that he cannot understand, or respond to the proclaimed Word of God. If this
were true, then children could not obey their parents “in the Lord.” nor
could they be brought up in the “nurture and admonition of the Lord.”
Another example is Timothy: Paul called him, “My beloved son...” 2
Tim. 1: 2, and in 3: 15. Paul says this about him, “And that from a childhood you have known the sacred writings (Scriptures)
which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith
which is in Christ Jesus.” Timothy, Paul’s son in the faith, must have
been a young man when he became a Christian; yet, he had known from a child the
Holy Scriptures that leads to salvation. The question is: if he were born,
“dead in trespasses and sins,” totally depraved, with a wicked heart unable
to discern spiritual truth, how could he have known the Holy Scriptures, etc.? It is true that man lost
his standing with God in the Garden of Eden; therefore, the sin-nature
inherited from Adam brings forth sin, and as a consequence, “death.” Now we
might ask, why? “For all have sinned” (Romans. 3: 23). Cornelius is
another example of a lost man’s condition before salvation; yet, he was aware
of his need of salvation, etc. (Acts chapter 10)
A Summation: It seems to me that the effect of the original sin, in the Garden of Eden, where Adam was separated from God because of his disobedience; that death was the appointed consequence of that sin. We know that physical death was part of the package, and it occurs only at the end of the road of life. Spiritual death is likewise the consequence of the sin. It is called the “second death" in that it is the eternal separation from God. Now, what does the Bible teach about Adam’s sin? It says, “for as in Adam all die...” 1Cor. 15: 22a. This, however, is concerning physical death in that it is recorded in the context of the resurrection. Remember that Jesus did not die to redeem us from death, but from sin, which brings death. We are “dead” only “in trespasses and sins;” which is the result of our sin nature inherited from Adam. The Bible says, “We are by nature the children of wrath; even as others who have no hope.” But for the believer, this old nature will be totally changed at the resurrection; yet, in this life there is still a battle to be fought (1 Cor. 15: 42-58).In Conclusion: It is my understanding, that as a result of Adam’s sin; he was cast out of the Garden of Eden with no way to return, except, by the promise given to Abraham; fulfilled in Jesus Christ. (Also, Genesis 3: 15) Therefore, salvation comes only by the hearing of faith, empowered by the Word of God. For we know that God’s Word “is the power of God unto salvation to every one who believes” (Romans 1: 16). “And that believing” we receive salvation as a gift of God’s grace; we are then, “born again” as a result of the gift, given to believers at Pentecost (Galatians 4:6). |