QC and SG accountability (27/7/18)
We spoke again about the 1) reasonableness of Adam being our perfect representative, as well as 2) how it is that his sin can be imputed to us. We have alluded to this in a previous discussion last year (https://queensroadcell.blogspot.com/2017/01/qc-and-sg-accountability-13117.html). We also mentioned the alternate understanding of imputation of sin: "seminalism" as opposed to "federalism". The former takes the view that we were all represented by physical descent in Adam's loins, just as Levi was said to have paid tithes to Melchizedek via Abraham (Heb 7:9-10).
Sin is described in the Bible both in terms of a falling short of God's glory (the visible radiance of His inner perfections, Rom 3:23) as well as a transgression of His perfect will as expressed in His law. Sin entered the world through Adam, but might have been said to exist because Satan fell after the original perfection of Creation (Gen 1:31) and could commit the evil of tempting man.
However, when we speak of "original sin", we are not referring to Satan's sin, or Eve's, or Adam's. We refer to the sinful nature we all carry because of Adam's sin - the sin we all have in our origin. This is allied to the Calvinist idea of 'total depravity', which does not mean that we are all as evil as we possibly can be, but that all that we do is tainted by original sin, and in ourselves we are unable to do anything to please God (Heb 11:6), being "dead in trespasses and sins" (Eph 2:1).
We asked whether it is Biblical to say that God wanted us to freely choose Him out of love for Him, not like puppets, so that we might have a restored relationship with Him. There is no doubt that Scripture asks us to choose God (e.g. Josh 24:15, Is 1:18). The issue is the motivating power in which that choice is made. Because of original sin, we will never on our own choose God, for our desires are corrupt (Ro 3:10-12), and for us, 'free' choice (= the ability to choose according to our desires) is constrained by our sinful nature. In contrast, Adam, who had no intrinsic sinful nature, was able to freely choose obedience of disobedience to God. Scripture teaches that we cannot choose God unless He first chooses us (Jn 6:56, 10:26) It takes faith (Eph 2:8-9) to save us, and that faith is a free gift for which we can take no credit.And yet God chooses us in a way that never violates our will - none of us have felt compelled against our desire to receive Christ! We must hold both the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man as fully taught in Scripture although we cannot fully understand how these work together (e.g. Ge 50:20, Ac 2:23, 4:27-28)
Sin is described in the Bible both in terms of a falling short of God's glory (the visible radiance of His inner perfections, Rom 3:23) as well as a transgression of His perfect will as expressed in His law. Sin entered the world through Adam, but might have been said to exist because Satan fell after the original perfection of Creation (Gen 1:31) and could commit the evil of tempting man.
However, when we speak of "original sin", we are not referring to Satan's sin, or Eve's, or Adam's. We refer to the sinful nature we all carry because of Adam's sin - the sin we all have in our origin. This is allied to the Calvinist idea of 'total depravity', which does not mean that we are all as evil as we possibly can be, but that all that we do is tainted by original sin, and in ourselves we are unable to do anything to please God (Heb 11:6), being "dead in trespasses and sins" (Eph 2:1).
We asked whether it is Biblical to say that God wanted us to freely choose Him out of love for Him, not like puppets, so that we might have a restored relationship with Him. There is no doubt that Scripture asks us to choose God (e.g. Josh 24:15, Is 1:18). The issue is the motivating power in which that choice is made. Because of original sin, we will never on our own choose God, for our desires are corrupt (Ro 3:10-12), and for us, 'free' choice (= the ability to choose according to our desires) is constrained by our sinful nature. In contrast, Adam, who had no intrinsic sinful nature, was able to freely choose obedience of disobedience to God. Scripture teaches that we cannot choose God unless He first chooses us (Jn 6:56, 10:26) It takes faith (Eph 2:8-9) to save us, and that faith is a free gift for which we can take no credit.And yet God chooses us in a way that never violates our will - none of us have felt compelled against our desire to receive Christ! We must hold both the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man as fully taught in Scripture although we cannot fully understand how these work together (e.g. Ge 50:20, Ac 2:23, 4:27-28)
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