Post by Admin on Apr 13, 2015 10:00:25 GMT -5
Originally Posted by Anonymous
The sin of our ancestor Adam has obviously affected his posterity, so I would not quite agree with Smyth. However, I don't agree with Helwys that infants are born sinners and have no disposition to good.
The sin of our ancestor Adam has obviously affected his posterity, so I would not quite agree with Smyth. However, I don't agree with Helwys that infants are born sinners and have no disposition to good.
The separation that exists between man and God does not begin at birth, but before birth.
The writer of Hebrews examples how a future generation is counted as having been participant in a past event:
Hebrews 7:4-10
King James Version (KJV)
4 Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils.
5 And verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though they come out of the loins of Abraham:
6 But he whose descent is not counted from them received tithes of Abraham, and blessed him that had the promises.
7 And without all contradiction the less is blessed of the better.
8 And here men that die receive tithes; but there he receiveth them, of whom it is witnessed that he liveth.
9 And as I may so say, Levi also, who receiveth tithes, payed tithes in Abraham.
10 For he was yet in the loins of his father, when Melchisedec met him.
Adam had a unique relationship with God which was lost through sin. Sin should not be viewed as a substance which is passed on through physical means, but is the result of something that is missing, which is that relationship with God. It is the absence of something, not the presence of something.
The superiority of Melchisadec over Levi is seen here to precede Levi's (and his offspring's) existence and Levi is said to have paid tithes to Melchisadec. So too with our condition, being "in the loins of Adam," if I may so say (lol), it traces back to Adam and what occurred through his actions. This should not be confused as a charge of guilt levied for those particular actions in regards to our own actions after birth, but neither should it be ignored. Ezekiel 18 makes it clear, temporally speaking, every man will be judged according to the individual acts he himself commits. From the eternal perspective, though, we swing back to the relationship that is necessary in order for one to be in relationship with God above the temporal perspective.
Romans 5:17-18
King James Version (KJV)
17 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.)
18 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.
Until Christ died in man's stead, there was no justification unto life. The reason being that no man could live in such a manner in which that which was lost, which was the life that came through relationship with God, could reasonably be ascribed to man. While men, from a temporal perspective, can live reasonably moral lives, and in the eyes of other men be considered "good," from the eternal perspective man had nothing within him that could justify a right standing before God.
Christ made it clear that apart from Himself man has no life in him. Obtaining that life was possible only through eating His flesh and drinking His blood, or, in other words, placing faith in the Work of Christ, acknowledging that which Paul writes above. While we were yet in the loins of Adam, Adam's sin brought about condemnation. We are born unto condemnation, a point the Lord makes here:
John 3:18
King James Version (KJV)
18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
The only means of escape from the condemnation we are born under, from the condition of lifelessness (though we have physical life which remains a temporal issue and is separate from the eternal perspective), is stated quite clearly here. To believe on Christ is in fact to acknowledge the Gospel of Jesus Christ, acknowledging He was Who He said He was, and did what He said He came to do. We have confirmation in the Resurrection of Christ that His death was acceptable to the Father and as Paul states above, the righteousness of Christ provides what can only be viewed as a, no, the Gift.
From a temporal perspective we look down at the newborn babe and cannot imagine that sin could be ascribed to such an innocent being. What we must maintain in our view that is while from a temporal perspective that is very true, this babe has committed no act by which we might ourselves condemn the child, however, while sin may be lacking on the part of the child, so too...is a relationship with God.
And that is what we seek to persuade men of, isn't it? That they themselves can have a personal relationship with God that transcends the temporal into the eternal. This relationship is made possible through the initiative of God, first sending His Son to die in our place, then ascending and sending the Comforter for the purpose of conviction of the very things we are blind to recognize in our natural condition.
And when we are brought into eternal relationship with God, obtaining eternal life which is not a substance poured into us, but a Person indwelling us (because He is Eternal Life itself), we then move from the lifeless condition Christ spoke of to one of life, and that eternal.
So again, Original Sin resulted in the loss of something, not the acquiring of something, such as sin being a "disease" of sorts passed down from one generation to another. The leopard cannot change his spots, however, God can quicken he dead, and that is precisely what He does in salvation.
God bless.