Born Sinful
Our view of the human race is too high. We think that people are better
than they really are, that people are basically good by nature. Sure, everyone
does bad things once in a while, but people are good at heart--we think. But
things are actually a lot worse than we think. Our perspective is distorted, and
we need the truth of God's word to clear away the fog from our understanding and
tell us how things really are. And God, who knows the hearts of all people, says
that humans are not basically good at heart, but are basically sinful. In fact,
the whole human race has fallen into sin, and therefore we are all born sinful.
If we are going to have an accurate view of ourselves and the greatness
of God's grace that rescues believers from sin, we must see the world the way God
sees it. In fact, one aspect of our spiritual growth is that our new nature is
"being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator" (Colossians 3:10).
In order to bring ourselves closer to God's view of the world, we will examine
the following five truths that He has revealed in Scripture.
1. Humans are created in the image of God.
2. Humans are all born sinful as a result of the sin of Adam, the first human.
3. Humans are all born fully sinful--there is no moral good in us.
4. God changes the hearts of all those who trust in Christ, thereby giving them
moral goodness and the ability to do good things.
5. Everything that unbelievers do is sin, because they are still in the state of
utter sinfulness that they were born with.
As we will see in this article, it is of great importance that we
understand these truths. If we do not, it can have terrible consequences in our
lives such as pride, lack of trust in God, lack of gratefulness to God for the
salvation He gives in Christ, and great dishonor to the name of God.
We are created in the image of God
Genesis 1:27 says "And God created man in His own image, in the image of
God He created him; male and female He created them." We are created in God's
image. This means that we are like God and that we represent God.[1] For the
sake of space, we are only going to examine how we are like God.
There are two main ways in which, as originally created, we were like
God. The first way we will call the spiritual image of God.[2] We are
similar (though not identical) to God in that we will remain forever, we have the
ability to think and reason, we know right from wrong, we can form relationships
with others, we have affections, and we have immaterial spirits. The second way
we resembled God is in our moral character. We will call this the moral image
of God. Since God originally created Adam and Eve without sin, they not
only had the spiritual image of God, but were also like God in respect to His
moral character--they did righteousness, loved holiness, loved one another, and
were good by nature. The moral image of God meant that we used our spiritual
image of God to honor Him.
When Adam sinned, the human race lost its moral likeness to God. We
stopped reflecting God's goodness, love, holiness and other moral qualities, and
started defying God's moral excellence. In that sense the image of God is now
lost in us. But the image of God is not lost in regards to all respects, because
we still have the spiritual image of God. Genesis 9:6, referring to humans born
after the fall, says "in the image of God He made man." Humans are still in the
spiritual image of God (see also James 3:9; Genesis 5:1-3), however, we
have lost the moral perfections of this image. Because we lack the moral image
of God, we now use our spiritual image to defy God and attack His glory.
Before moving on to understand just how badly we ruined ourselves, the
simple fact that humans are still in the image of God should make us understand
two things. First, there is great dignity in being human. Humanity has value.
Even now that we are sinful, and there is no moral goodness in us, we still have
significance. Wayne Grudem writes that "this has profound implications for our
conduct toward others. It means that people of every race deserve equal dignity
and rights. It means that elderly people, those seriously ill, the mentally
retarded, and children yet unborn, deserve full protection and honor as human
beings."[3] Second, this truth that we have corrupted the moral image of God in
us, and that we are still in His spiritual image, should nail home to us how
terrible sin really is. Because we were originally in the moral image of God, we
were given one of the highest responsibilities God could have given us--to
display His moral greatness to creation. And we blew it. The greater the
responsibility that is violated, the greater the sin. And we have violated one
of the greatest possible responsibilities. And because are in the spiritual
image of God, we have corrupted something of great importance. What a terrible
thing that we stopped using our spiritual likeness to God for the purpose of
loving God, and started using it for the purpose of sinning against God.
Humans are all born sinful as a result of the sin of Adam, the first
human
Original sin
The Bible teaches that Adam's sin had two main effects on the human
race. The first is that it is imputed to everyone. This means that we are all
counted guilty for what he did. When Adam was tested in the Garden of Eden, He
was acting as the representative of the entire human race. Therefore we share in
the blame for his sin. I have written on this doctrine, called imputed
sin, in an article called "Born Guilty." What we are going to examine in
this article is the second effect that Adam's sin had, called original
sin. Original sin means that, because of Adam's first sin, we are all born
with an evil nature that is against God. We all come into this world with a
sinful nature. It is important to see that whereas imputed sin means that we
share in the blame for Adam's sin, original sin means that we become polluted
because of Adam's sin. Imputed sin most directly involves our legal standing,
original sin most directly involves our moral character.
Sometimes
it is thought that original sin means the transgression Adam and Eve committed,
since that was the first (and thus original) sin. That is not accurate.
Original sin refers to the results of Adam's sin--that all of his
descendants are born sinners.
R.C. Sproul very clearly explains one of the very important truths that
original sin teaches us: "We are not sinners because we sin. We sin because we
are sinners." People do not come into this world good and then get a sinful
nature upon their first willful sin that they commit. Rather, we come into the
world with a sin nature and all of our sins are a result of having that
sin nature. We act according to our natures. So because of our sin nature, we
do sinful actions. A cow does not become a cow by mooing, but moos because he is
a cow. Likewise we do not become sinners because we sin, but we sin because we
are sinners.
There is a great wealth of scripture teaching that we are
born sinful. The Bible everywhere either assumes original sin or outright
teaches it. Let's take a look at some of this Scriptural evidence.
Where does the Bible teach original sin?
The first thing to understand is that God did not originally create Adam
and Even as sinners. He created them good, without a sinful nature and without
sinful inclinations in their hearts. When tested, they sinned by their own
choice. Thus, God cannot be blamed for original sin, because he originally
created Adam and Eve morally good: "God made men upright, but they have sought
out many devices" (Ecclesiastes 7:29).
Scripture says that we are born sinners and that we are by nature
sinners. Psalm 51:5 is a very clear statement that we all come into the
world as sinners: "Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother
conceived me." Ephesians 2:2 says that all people who are not in Christ are
"sons of disobedience." Being a son of something involves being born with its
traits. For example, just as Bill Clinton was born with the traits of the
Clinton family, so also all humans are born with the trait of disobedience.
Ephesians 2:3 also establishes this, saying that we are all "by nature
children of wrath." We are all "by nature children of wrath" because we are all
by nature sinners--for God's wrath is not on a person unless they are a sinner
and deserve that wrath. And since we are sinners by nature, we see that sin is
not just something you do, it is something you are. Thus, Adam and Eve were
originally created morally good, but because of their sin moral goodness vanished
from the human heart and all of their descendants are thus born with a sinful
nature.
Why did Adam and Eve, once they had become sinners, only give birth to
more sinners? Why weren't their children born good? Because God has established
things such that things reproduce after their kind. Since Adam and Eve were
sinners, their children, who were born after their nature, were also sinners. Job
14:4 says "who can make the clean out of the unclean? Not one!" So because Adam
and Eve became sinners, all of their descendants are sinners (which is the whole
human race) because unclean people cannot produce clean people, but only more
uncleanliness.
Scripture calls humans wicked from infancy. Along the same
lines as the evidence we have just seen, there are verses which declare that we
are wicked from the time that we are born. Proverbs 22:15 says "Foolishness is
bound up in the heart of a child." Genesis 8:21 declares, "...the intent of
man's heart is evil from his youth." Jonathon Edwards, in his classic work
The Great Christian Doctrine of Original Sin Defended, remarks that on
this verse: "The word translated youth, signifies the whole of the former
part of the age of man, which commences from the beginning of life. The word in
its derivation, has reference to the birth or beginning of existence...so that
the word here translated youth, comprehends not only what we in English most
commonly call the time of youth, but also childhood and infancy."
Wickedness is often spoken of in Scripture as something belonging
to the human race as a whole. This implies that it is the property of
our species. In other words, wickedness is considered a property of human nature
after the fall. Thus, it must be concluded that we are all born sinners, since
we are all born human and sin is regarded as a property of humanity. One very
clear passage on this we have already seen. Ephesians 2:3 says that we are "by
nature children of wrath." The verses before this are also relevant to original
sin: "And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked
according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of
the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among
them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the
desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even
as the rest" (vv. 1-3). Paul is reminding Christians of what they were like
before their conversion to Christ ("you were dead in your trespasses...in
which you formerly walked"). Thus, all people, until and unless they are
converted, are sinners. Paul went on to make it absolutely clear that all
Christians came from this state ("...we to all formerly lived in the lusts
of our flesh") and that all non-Christians are still in this state ("...and were
by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.") Thus, Scripture regards
all people before they are saved by Christ as sinners and thus deserving of
punishment from God.
In Psalm 14:2, 3 we read: "The Lord has looked down from heaven upon the
sons of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek after God. They
have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is no one who
does good, not even one." This verse is clear that wickedness is a property of
all humans: "they have all turned aside...there is no one
who does good." The phrase "together they have become corrupt" seems to point to
the fact that all humans became corrupt at the same time--when Adam fell.
Job 15:14 similarly declares that wickedness is a property of humanity:
"What is man, that he should be pure, or he who is born of a woman, that he
should be righteous?" Verse 16 says that humans are "detestable and corrupt" and
that we "drink iniquity like water!"
Jeremiah 17:9 says that "the heart is more deceitful than all else and is
desperately sick; who can understand it." This seems to assume original
sin--wickedness is a property of the human heart. Ecclesiastes 9:3 declares a
similar truth: "...the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil, and insanity
is in their hearts through their lives." Again, the human heart is wicked, and
therefore all humans are wicked. This proves that we are born that we, for if
infants did not come into the world as sinners, it could not be true that all
humans are wicked and that wickedness is a property of humanity.
These texts make clear, then, that human nature is corrupt. Therefore,
even infants are corrupt because they are human. And if infants are corrupt,
then this is the same as saying that we are born that way--which means we are
born with original sin. One may, however, object that these texts speak nothing
of infants, only those who are old enough to make moral decisions. All of those
people are wicked, but this doesn't mean that infants are. This is an ingenious
objection, but it does not succeed.
First, the texts do not seem to restrict themselves to people who are old
enough to make intelligent decisions. They seem to speak of human nature as a
whole, a classification under which infants certainly fall. Second, as Jonathon
Edwards pointed out, "..this would not alter the case...For if all mankind, as
soon as ever they are capable of reflecting, and knowing their own moral state,
find themselves wicked, this proves that they are wicked by nature."
In other words, even if these verses were only speaking of people old
enough to mentally understand sin, they would still be teaching original sin.
For on that view, these verses would be saying that all people, as soon as
they know good from evil, find themselves sinners. But if all people, as soon as
they are capable of moral decisions, find themselves sinners, this proves that
they are that way by nature.
Third, Edwards also says, "why should man be so continually spoken of as
evil, carnal, perverse, deceitful, and desperately wicked, if all men are by
nature as perfectly innocent, and free form any propensity to evil, as Adam was
the first moment of his creation?"[4]
Infants die, therefore they must be sinners. Death--both
physical and spiritual--is a result of sin (Romans 5:12; 6:23). Thus, death
cannot come upon anyone unless they are guilty of sin. Since infants die, they
therefore must be sinners. Someone may point to Christ, who was sinless and yet
He died. But He willingly gave up His life, and He did it to conquer the curse
of death that we were under. In fact, God imputed to Christ our sins on the
cross, and Christ died in punishment of those sins. (Remember, imputation
involves your legal standing, not moral character. Christ was not turned into a
sinner on the cross--He remained perfectly holy in His nature. He was counted
guilty, or blamed, for our sins.)
God executes His judgements on infants. Thus, they must have come
into the world guilty of original sin, since they have not yet committed any
personal sins. Have you ever been troubled by the many Old Testament
passages where God commands Israel to destroy whole cities--including the
infants? These are very difficult passages! But that is because we do not have
a proper view of sin. Since God is commanding the infants to be destroyed in
judgement along with the rest of the inhabitants, the infants must be sinners.
For God does not judge people for sin unless they are guilty of sin. But if the
infants are guilty of sin, it cannot be by their own personal choice--since they
don't yet have the mental capacity to make moral decisions. Thus, they must come
into the world sinners because of Adam's sin.
Let's take a closer look at some of these passages. When God destroyed
Sodom and Gomorrah, he said he would not destroy the righteous with the wicked
(Genesis 18:25). The only righteous person found was Lot (and perhaps his
family), and he was therefore rescued with his family. But the infants were left
to be destroyed in that city. Therefore, the infants must have been wicked.
This means that infants must be guilty of original sin. People often have the
idea that infants are innocent before God. Not so! Looks are very deceiving.
They are sinful just as we are.
In 1 Samuel 15:3 God commands Saul "Now go and strike Amalek and utterly
destroy all that he has, and do not spare him; but put to death both man and
woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey." The fact that God's
judgement extends to children and infants must indicate that they are sinners.
These passages should alert us to the fact that we have a very low, weak view of
sin. We tend to think of sin as not being that big of a deal. But God considers
sin to be so serious that even infants are deserving of judgement for their
sinful natures.[5]
If we are not born sinners, why must we be born again? In
John 3:6 and other places, it is said that we must be born again. But why is
this, if the first time around we all enter the world fine? In declaring that we
must be born spiritually, Jesus is declaring that physical birth is not enough
for salvation (John 3:3-15). But how could He say this if we are born into the
world innocent of sin?
If there is no original (or imputed) sin, there is no need for us
to be redeemed by Christ. Christ came to save a fallen world. If our
world is not in the clutches of original sin, then it is not fallen. If it is
not fallen, what ultimate need is there for Christ?
If humanity is not born in sin, wouldn't we expect there to be some
people who have "beaten the odds" and never sinned? If we are born
innocent and good, wouldn't you expect there to be at least some people to have
continued in this state and be sinless today? I think all of us know that "all
have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God" (Romans 6:23). The fact that
everybody sins needs some explanation. The best explanation is that we
are sinners by nature--we are born that way. Someone might argue that the reason
all people sin is because society is sinful, and thus society renders it
impossible for anybody to keep themselves entirely pure. But that only pushes
the question back one step. How did society get sinful in the first place? If
people are born morally good, wouldn't we expect there to have been at least some
societies develop which are morally good?
The OT ceremonies indicate original sin. In his book
The Reformed Doctrine of Predestination, Loraine Boettner writes: "The
Old Testament ceremonies of circumcision of the new-born child, and of
purification of the mother, were designed to teach that man comes into the world
sinful, that since the fall human nature is corrupt in its very origin."
Is original sin fair? One may wonder if it is fair for us
to be born sinners because of what somebody else did before we were even born.
I believe that many reasons are able to establish the fairness of it. But for
the sake of space, I will only give one. Consider these words of the great
theologian R.L. Dabney: "[Man] is obviously under a curse for something, from
the beginning of his life. Witness the native depravity of infants, and their
inheritance of woe and death. Now, either man was tried and fell in Adam, or he
has been condemned without trial. He is either under the curse...for Adam's
guilt, or for no guilt at all. Judge which is most honorable to God, a doctrine
which, although a profound mystery, represents Him as giving man an equitable and
most favored probation in his federal head; or that which makes God condemn him
untried, and even before he exists."
What a shocking truth: there is nobody and nothing on earth that is
unaffected by sin. There are no pockets of goodness left in human society, apart
from what God puts there by His redeeming power. Let us be gripped by the
startling truth that the whole world is corrupted by sin!
Human Beings are all born fully sinful as a result of Adam's
sin
It is clear that we all fell when Adam sinned, and as a result we come
into this world sinful. But how far did we fall? How sinful are we? Are we
born just partially bad, with an island of goodness remaining in us, or are we
born totally sinful? In other words, have we fallen only half-way down the
cliff, or have we fallen so that we can't get up?
The Scriptures answer that we are born fully sinful. There is no island
of goodness that is left in us. Genesis 6:5 says about mankind that
"every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil
continually." Lest anyone object that this was only the case before the
flood (which occurred in Genesis 7) and after the flood God had wiped out this
terrible evil in our hearts, God declares after the flood that: "The intent of
man's heart is evil from his youth" (Genesis 8:21).
Ephesians 2:1 says that before conversion, Christians were "dead
in trespasses and sins." We weren't simply sick, we were dead! People who are
dead in sins cannot do good any more than a dead corpse can obey your command to
wake up. Paul goes on to spell out just how terrible this condition really is,
and to say that it is the condition of all people by nature (as we saw): "And you
were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to
the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the
spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all
formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and
of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest" (Ephesians
2:1-3).
Romans 3:9-12 is another stunning incitement on all humanity. "...both
Jews and Greeks are all under sin; as it is written, `There is none righteous,
not even one; there is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God; all
have turned aside, together they have become useless; there is none who does
good, there is not even one.'" Jeremiah 17:9 says that "the heart is more
deceitful than all else, and is desperately sick; who can understand it?" Job
15:16 says that man is "detestable and corrupt" and that he "drinks iniquity like
water." So much for the common American notions that "people are basically good
at heart" and "we aren't that bad after all." Let's stop flattering
ourselves!
God changes the hearts of all those who trust in Christ, thereby
giving them moral goodness and the ability to do good things
Since we lack any moral good by nature, it is clear that if we are going to be
good this good must come from outside of ourselves. God says that this is given
to those who rely on His Son, Jesus Christ, for salvation from the penalty and
pollution of sin. If a person believes in Christ, they have a changed heart and
are a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). The power of sin is broken and there is
now goodness in the person's heart (Ezekiel 36:26-27). While they aren't
perfect, Christians are now oriented toward obeying God (Colossians 3:9-10;
Romans 8:14). It is a lifelong process to put to death more and more of the sin
in our hearts and to bring to life more and more goodness, and it will not be
complete until death.
The fact that we are born totally sinful should make it clear that all of
the transformation that a Christian undergoes in becoming more and more holy and
escaping more and more of the pollution is from God, and not ourselves. It
couldn't be from ourselves because there was no moral good left in us.
Therefore, we cannot take credit for any good we do as Christians. Everything
good that we do is a result of the grace of God working in us (1 Corinthians
15:10). This knowledge is a powerful sword with which to fight pride. How can
we be prideful of anything we do if we truly recognize that God was the ultimate
cause of it all? If we see pride coming upon us, we must fight it with the words
of Paul: "For who regards you as superior? And what do you have that you did
not receive? But if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not
received it?" (1 Corinthians 4:7).
We can't even take credit for our faith, because that too was a gift from
God (Philippians 1:29). If you think about it, it couldn't be any other way. If
by nature "every intent of man's heart is only evil continually" (Genesis 6:5),
we would never believe in Christ by our own power. For believing in Christ
requires that we have a good intention in our hearts enabling us to choose Him,
which Genesis 6:5 says we do not have. Therefore, God must be the one who
changes our hearts and puts a good inclination in us so that we will believe in
Christ. Thus, while we become more and more holy as we continually trust Christ,
we must recognize that there is a change that our hearts undergo before our first
act of faith. This change, called "regeneration" or the "new birth," is
necessary to enable and cause us to have faith. Since this change precedes and
enables faith, it is not something we choose of our own will. Rather, God alone
decides who will be changed, and therefore God alone decides who will be saved
(see John 1:12-13; 6:44, 65; Romans 9:13-24; Acts 13:48).[6]
Everything unbelievers do is sin
Since there is no good in us by nature, and the only people with renewed
hearts are those who are trusting in Jesus Christ, then it follows that
everything unbelievers do is sin. This is because they have not received a new
heart through Christ, and thus everything they do comes out of the sinful, evil
heart they were born with.
The Scriptures teach this in many places. Titus 1:15-16 says, "To the
pure, all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving,
nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled. They
profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and
disobedient, and worthless for any good deed." For unbelievers, "nothing
is pure." They are "worthless for any good deed."
Hebrews 11:6 says "Without faith it is impossible to please God."
Unbelievers have no faith, therefore they cannot please God. In John 15:5 Jesus
says "apart from Me you can do nothing."
Unbelievers are apart from
Christ, therefore they can do nothing of any value. That is, they can do nothing
good. Romans 3:12, speaking of people as they are by nature and without Christ,
says "There is none who does good, there is not even one." Romans 8:7 says that
non-Christians are hostile toward God and do not subject themselves to His law.
In fact, they aren't even able to obey His law. Paul then says in verse 8,
"those who are in the flesh cannot please God." Thus, if you are a
non-Christian, nothing that you do pleases God. Everything that you do is sin.
You aren't even able to obey God.
But don't we see unbelievers do good things all the time? Don't they
very often give food to the poor, give to charity, tell the truth, and love their
neighbor? Yes. They very often conform externally to the law of God.
But they never conform to it internally. Their motives are never love for
Christ or to bring glory to God. They are not obeying by faith. Therefore, the
things they do which externally conform to God's law are sin because they do not
spring from proper motives. Their good deeds have the outward appearance of
virtue, but inside have the appearance of dead men's bones.
It is a terrible dishonor to God to say that people can be good without
Him. How can we call an action good if it is not done with respect to the one
who is the source of all good? Sin is defined as a "falling short of the glory
of God" (Romans 3:23). What a terrible thing, therefore, it is to believe that
actions which are not done for the glory of God can be considered morally good.
Further, to think that people can do good apart from God flatters us and
causes pride. This is because it establishes our independence from God through
the prideful attitude, "God, I don't need you. I can be good all by myself."
But if we recognize that we need God to be good, this makes us humble because we
realize that we aren't as good as we thought, that we are not independent as we
thought, and that we must depend wholly on God. Dependance on God is the
complete opposite of pride. "An arrogant man stirs up strife, but he who
trusts in the Lord will prosper" (Proverbs 28:25).
Applications
The applications of these truths are very important. We have already
seen many of them, but let me give a quick review and add a few more.
Since humans were originally created in the moral and spiritual image of
God, we should not think that sin is an essential property of humanity. After
the fall all humans are born sinful, but this is not the way human nature is
supposed to be. It is a corruption of our humanity. The maxim, "To err is
human" is wrong. We err and sin not because those things are human, but because
those things belong to fallen humanity. Second, since we were created
with such a high standing, the fact that we have corrupted ourselves and lost the
moral image of God should strike us as a very serious sin. Third, since we are
still in the spiritual image of God after the fall, we should treat all people
with respect.
As you let the truth of original sin sink into your heart, it will have
many good effects. You will begin to see the world the way God does--doomed,
utterly doomed, with no hope apart from His grace because no one escapes the
clutches of sin, not even infants. Let this wake us up to the extent of sin's
grip upon the world. We often lack awareness of how wide-spread sin really is.
The fact is that everybody, always, since the time of Adam and Eve has the
terrible evil of sin in their hearts. Let this destroy the cocky security we may
be tempted to take from any thoughts about the "goodness of humanity." Humanity
is not good! Let us stop flattering ourselves and admit the truth.
Further, as we let the truth of original sin grip us, it will help drive
home to us that we cannot save ourselves, because no one is unaffected by sin.
We will see that we have to look outside of ourselves to Christ Jesus for
salvation--for He is fully God and fully man, the only perfect human to ever
live. We should see the value of Christ's redemptive work shine more clearly as
we come to terms with the extent of sin and that our world is totally unable to
save itself. We need help from above, and God has provided that in Christ.
Understanding original sin also strips us of any superficial views of sin
that we may have, because sin isn't just something humans do, it is something
that we are. Sin is not just on the surface of our being, it goes to the very
core of our being. Original sin also wakes us up to the seriousness of sin. The
fact that even infants, which outwardly appear so good, are sinful should be a
very sobering thought. That infants therefore deserve eternal judgement should
show us how terrible and offensive to God sin really is. Finally, the great truth
of original sin teaches us not look to the ways of the world--merely human ideas,
religions, or how-to books--for instruction on how to live. They are all
themselves affected by sin since they are a product of a world in the clutches of
sin. Instead, we will use the infallible and pure word of God as our standard in
discerning the truth, and as our only fully trustworthy guide to doctrine and
practice. Of course we should not close ourselves off from human teachers, but
we should mainly seek to learn from the people that
teach the word of God, not the wisdom of the world.
The extent and seriousness of sin should combine to make us feel the
danger that the world is in. If you are saved, praise God that he saved you.
And have a greater sense of urgency in reaching the world for Christ. Life is
serious!
The fact that we have fallen all the way, such that there is no moral
good left in us, also has many applications. We need to see how ruined we are
before we can see the greatness of the rescue we need. The fact that we were in
the utter depths of sin, unable to even do one good thing for God, should make us
admire the great lengths that God went to in order to save us, and the power He
had to manifest to accomplish it. Let our worship of God became more thankful,
humble, and awe-inspiring.
The fact that all moral goodness comes from the transforming power of
Christ should preserve humility in us as Christians. For this truth teaches us
that any good that is in us, and any good action that we do, is ultimately a
result of the amazing grace of God.
Finally, the truth that everything unbelievers do is sin should bring us
back to a God honoring view of obedience. Let's stop leaving God out of the
picture when we define sin and righteousness! And this truth should help lead
unbelievers to the Savior, teaching them that they are utterly dependant upon God
for everything.
Finally, this all should spur us Christians on to become more holy. Our
hearts have been changed so that there is good in us and that we can do good. We
should detest the remnants of original sin that remain in us and strive to put
our sin more and more to death (Romans 6:12; 8:13). And we should strive to
bring to greater dominance the grace of God and fruit of the Spirit in our lives
(Romans 6:19).
"And so, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a
heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with
one another, and forgive each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just
as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. And beyond all these things put on
love, which is the perfect bond of unity" (Colossians 3:12-14).
Notes
1. See Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical
Doctrine (InterVarsity Press and Zondervan Publishing, 1994), p. 442.
2. "Spiritual image of God" is not a special theological term. However, the two
main ways in which we resemble God are standard theological doctrines. I came
up with the term "spiritual image" for the sake of clarification when referring
to this first aspect, not because it is a technical or commonly used phrase.
3. Grudem, p. 450.
4. Jonathon Edwards, "The Great Christian Doctrine of Original Sin Defended," in
The Works of Jonathon Edwards Vol. I, (Banner of Truth Trust, 1995
reprint), p. 188.
5. I know that this may raise the question in many people's minds about what
happens when infants die. I believe that God is able to save them if He so
desires. For example, it says that John the Baptist would be "filled with the
Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb" (Luke 1:15). However, I do not know if
God saves all infants who die, or only some. We must also recognize that if an
infant is saved, it is not because of any inherent goodness in them. They are
guilty and must be forgiven, and thus it is out of God's sheer mercy that He
would act in saving any of them.
6. For more information on this issue, see my article Predestination and Human Freedom.
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the New American Standard Bible, copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1975, 1977, by the Lockman Foundation.
For study on the doctrine of imputed sin (which was mentioned earlier as
the other affect Adam's sin had on his descendents), see my article Born Guilty.
MP
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