Man is Depraved
Rather than laying the ground work for the doctrine of depravity, the fall of man, original sin, and so forth I’m just going to jump right into the discussion. I affirm the fall and depravity of man in Adam. I affirm that we not only inherit mortality and death from him, but that we are also born sinners by nature as a result of the fall. Hence, as I understand it, the need to be born again.
To be fair, I wouldn’t say I’m completely Augustinian in my views on original sin, but I certainly fall within the broader use of that category. I even consider myself (a modified) Wesleyan-Holiness advocate. Simply put, I believe man, in some imperceptible way, receives and shares in the depravity that came as a result of Adam’s sin. Therefore I believe man is inherently carnal, and at enmity toward God, in his natural state.
I don’t claim to know how that depravity is transferred. I only know it is done so in the person of Adam. My intent here is to supply Scriptural basis and validity for this claim. To do that we shall begin with Paul’s comparative argument in Romans 5:12-19.
Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come. But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
The summation there is clear; by or through one man’s disobedience (Adam’s sin) we were made sinners. That doesn’t merely say we were made mortals, though such is entailed. Nor does it say we were simply made more susceptible to, or having a natural proclivity toward, sin. Though again, such is surely involved. It goes further than that. It states emphatically, as a matter of revealed truth, that we are sinners because of Adam’s sin. This leaves no possibility for innocence, no intermediate state between sinner and saint. We are either at enmity with God, and that by nature, or we are reconciled to God in Christ.
Type & Antitype
The comparison/contrast here is noteworthy. Adam is given as a type, an anti-type, of Christ. Such association is used by Paul elsewhere, even designating our Lord the last Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45). In brief, though having opposite effects, we are made righteous in Christ the same way we were made sinners in Adam. How is it then that we were made sinners? Certainly Adam’s own sin was the catalyst. For by it sin entered the world, and death by sin. Still, it is our connection to Adam that permitted sin and death to somehow pass to us. Namely, being of Adam places one in Adam as concerns the results of His fall. Thus we are born into it. This is affirmed in the realization of the anti-type in Christ. We are made righteous by being born again, born of the Spirit, and thus placed in Christ. This somehow permits His righteousness and life to be shared by us. We see then that the newbirth connects us to Christ as the last Adam in the same way our natural birth connects us to the first Adam. Truly that which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit (John 3:6).
It is important to note that not only did “death pass upon all men“, but it passed in such a way that as a result thereof Paul declares “for that all have sinned” (Romans 5:12). That is to say death certainly passed, but so too did sin. Therefore to claim man is not a sinner by nature is tantamount to claiming man is not mortal by nature. If one only has a proclivity toward sin in Adam, then it would follow that one also only has a proclivity toward death in Adam. But if all indeed die in Adam, then all in Adam are likewise sinners as well. Whatever change transpired in man’s spiritual state, whatever was lost or affected by Adam’s transgression — body, spirit, and soul — was passed to us. Now, it doesn’t seem proper to speak of man as having dual natures, yet it is evident that man’s nature has a duality within it. That is, man is a spiritual and physical being at one and the same time. Whatever the appropriate and precise explanation for that the fact remains, when Adam sinned he died spiritually as well as physically. He became suceptible to death, being made mortal, and inevitabtly returned to dust as do we. Yet, he also suffered a spiritual change, a change that passes on to all born of Adam, a change that makes or constitutes us sinners by nature (Romans 5:19).
I think it noteworthy to consider the incarnation at this point. It is, as I understand it, for this reason that our Lord was conceived of a virgin. This allowed Christ to receive true humanity, including mortality, through the woman (and thus indirectly from Adam). Yet, not having an earthly father, he was not actually of Adam, so though mortal and human He was not sinful. instead of needing to be “born again” He was literally born of the Spirit! This made him both really the Son of God, God made flesh, and a sinless man by nature. Consequently, we must be spiritually reborn, or born of the Spirit, in order to have and experience new life in Christ. Thereby the spiritual life and divine fellowship Adam lost in the fall is restored in Christ through conversion. Likewise, the mortality received in Adam is restored to immortality in the resurrection, being born from the dead as it were (Colossians 1:18).
Moral Responsibility Unabated
However, being born a sinner is not an excuse for our sins. The tenor of Scripture affirms both our inherent depravity in Adam and our personal responsibility for our own sins. Yes we are spiritually dead in our trespasses and sins, as well as a result of Adam’s sin. Nevertheless, we have willingly sinned all the same (Romans 3:23). Perhaps one could say we willingly cooperate with our sinful nature in the commission of various acts of sin. Evidently then our depravity does not effect our will or state in such a way as to absolve us of personal responsibility for our sins.
Let us again consider the anti-type. We are made righteous, made saints, in Christ. Because of Him, and His sacrificial death (burial and resurrection) we can be forgiven and pardoned of our sins. This is accomplished both by imputing the righteousness of Christ to us, that is to our account, in justification as well as by imparting the righteousness of Christ to us, making of us new creatures, in regeneration (2 Corinthians 5:17). Furthermore, we are then able by cooperation with the new nature, and the leading of the Spirit, to act on and express that righteousness in our living (1 John 2:29). Evidently then justification and regeneration does not effect our will or state in such a way as to absolve us of the responsibility to do righteously (1 John 3:7).
So in both cases the spiritual nature is affected, leaving one’s state and status changed. One is either made a sinner by natural birth (being born of Adam), or else one is made righteous by spiritual rebirth (being born of the Spirit). Nevertheless, in both instances, each is held responsible for their own deeds all the same. I cannot explain how or why that is. I can only affirm that experience and Scripture, to the best of my understanding, declare it to be so.
The Summation
The witness of Scripture is true. Adam, through sin, caused all born of him to be made sinners. Christ, who is sinless, gave Himself for us so that we can now be made righteous in Him. Indeed, we must be born again (John 3:7).
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