Section Three:

1
Section Three

• The Fall

2
overview

• Gen 1-11
• Gen 3
• Gen 4-11
• Sin in the History of Israel
• Patriarchs
• Israelites
• David
• Prophets
• Sin in the NT
• Summary
• Systematic Reflections on Sin (Theology of Sin)

3
1. Gen 3-11

• Gen 3initial affects of sin
• Broken relationship with God
• Scared
• Kicked out of Eden
• Broken relationship with each other
• the woman you gave me
• Gen 4
• Death
• Physical
• Spiritual
• Ground is cursed

4
1. Gen 3-11

• Gen 4-11, the avalanche of sin
• Gen 4
• Cain and Abel
• Lamech
• Gen 5
• and he died
• Gen 6-9
• Gen 65 the flood
• Gen 11
• Tower of Babel

5
2. Sin in the History of Israel

• Patriarchs
• Abraham (Gen 12, 16, 17, 21)
• Jacob (Gen 25, 27, 28)
• Judah! (Gen 38 cf. Gen 49)
• Israelites Exod 32 Numb 13-14 Judges
• David the best we got! 2 Sam 11-12 Psalm 32, 51
• Prophets Isa, Jer, Ezek
• Isa 14-6, 21-23
• Jer 1323 171, 9
• Ezek chaps. 2-3 8 16 20

6
3. Sin in the NT

• Rom 118-32
• Downward spiral of sin
• Rom 310-12
• no one seeks after Godno one is righteous
• Rom 323
• All have sinned
• Rom 8
• All non-Christians hate God
• Misc. passages
• Eph 21-3 417-19
• Gospels Jesus critique of religious and
  social sins

7
Summary

• Sin affects humanity
• Sin is BOTH an enslaving power and personal
  transgressions
• Sins, as acts of disobedience make one guilty
  Sin as an enslaving power make one a victim
• Gen 47 Rom 616-23 78 Gal 14
• Practical Thought
• How we view sinners with this DUAL focus of sin

8
Summary

• Sin affects societal and cultural structures
• Personal vs. structural sin
• Personal
• Internal
• External
• Structural
• Babel (Gen 11)
• Leadership/Government
• Deut 17
• Economics
• OT economic system
• Personal sins (greed, selfishness, lack of
  neighborly love, etc.) created sinful structures.
• Social Classes
• Jesus ministry

Structural sin. Sin doesnt just affect
individuals. When individual sinners get
together, they form patterns of
civil/religious/economic/political structures of
sin.
9
Summary

• Sin affects creation
• Non-human creation
• Gen 315
• Droughts in the Bible (in an agrarian society)
• Earthquakes
• Rom 819-23!

10
5. Systematic reflections on sin

• Original Sin
• Refers to the first sin (i.e. of Adam) and its
  affects on the human race
• Total Depravity
• Refers to the extent to which sin has affected
  humanity

11
The Free Will-ers

• Pelagius (400s)

• British Monk
• Mans nature is good
• Man can freely chose or reject God
• Gods grace is purely external, not internal

12
The Free Will-ers

• Jacobus Arminius (1500s)

• Mans nature is not good, but merely sick, though
  not dead (totally depraved)
• With the help of God, man can chose God
• Gods grace is upon everyone the ultimate choice
  is up to man
• Arminian semi-Pelagian

13
The Predestinarians

• St. Augustine (400s)

• Bishop of Hippo (N. Africa)
• Stressed the sovereignty of God and depravity of
  Man
• Man is not born good. Man is born in Sin
• Man is unable to choose God apart from Gods
  grace
• Didnt like Pelagiuss views

14
The Predestinarians

• John Calvin (1500s)

• Followed Augustine
• Stressed the sovereignty of God and depravity of
  Man
• Man is not born good. Man is born in Sin
• Man is unable to chose God apart from Gods
  grace
• Didnt like Arminiuss views

15
1. Original Sin
Rom 512 Therefore, just as through one man
(i.e. Adam) sin entered into the world, and death
through sin, and so death spread to all men,
because all sinned

• Scripture teaches that in Adam we receive
• Guilt
• 1 Cor 1522 Rom 518-19
• Pollution (Corrupted nature)
• Ps 514 Jer 179 Eph 417ff Eph 23
• Question What is the relationship between Adams
  original sin, and its effect on the rest of
  humanity? Or, how is Adams sin transmitted?
• 4 Views

1 Cor 1522, For as in Adam all die, so also in
Christ all shall be made alive
Rom 518-19, (18)So then as through one
transgression there resulted condemnation to all
men, even so through one act of righteousness
there resulted justification of life to all men.
(19) For as through one mans disobedience the
many were made sinners, even so through the
obedience of the One the many will be made
righteous
16
Different Views on the Transmission of Sin

• Bad Example
• Pelagius
• Adam was created neutral we too
• No transmission totally free
• Universal sin? Yes. We follow the bad example of
  Adam
• Federal Headship
• Adam stood as the representative for humanity.
• God, therefore, imputes the guilt of Adams sin
  to all whom he representsall of humanity.
• Direct transmission of guilt, indirect (mediated)
  transmission of corruption.
• Natural Headship
• We were all, in a sense, physically in Adam when
  he sinned.
• Augustines mistranslation of Rom 512
• Cf. Heb 79-10
• Federal/Natural Headship (both 2 and 3)
• Because Adam was our head and representative
  when he sinned, the guilt of his sin is reckoned
  to our account (Federal Headship). And because we
  were in Adam when he sinned, we were involved in
  his sin, and therefore we have been born with a
  corrupt nature (Natural Headship, realism)
  (Hoekema, Created in Gods Image, 166-67).
• i.e. view 2 explains our guilt in Adam view 3
  explains our polluted nature.

Augustine on Rom 512, because all sinned
Greek eph ho pantes hemarton (in whom all
sinned) Latin in quo omnes peccaverunt (in
whom all sinned)
Rom 518-19, (18)So then as through one
transgression there resulted condemnation to all
men, even so through one act of righteousness
there resulted justification of life to all men.
(19) For as through one mans disobedience the
many were made sinners, even so through the
obedience of the One the many will be made
righteous
Heb 79-10, And, so to speak, through Abraham
even Levi, who received tithes, paid tithes, for
he was still in the loins of his father when
Melchizedek met him
17
Total depravity

• Pelagian position
• We are not born depraved
• sin is simply something we do, not a condition
  that we are in
• semi-Pelagian ( or Arminian) position
• We are born sick, but not dead
• Augustinian /Calvinistic position
• We are born dead, unable to change our condition
  apart from Gods special grace
• What it does NOT mean
• as bad as they can be.
• indulge in every sin possible
• ever do any good (NOTE common grace and image of
  God)

18
Total depravity

• What it DOES mean
• the corruption of original sin extends to every
  aspect of human nature (body, soul, intellect,
  heart, will, attitude)
• people are born with no natural inclination to
  love God
• Total depravity means that sin has so affected
  the human will that we no longer possess the
  unaided moral ability to change our condition.
• Some good deedsyes
• Change our conditionno
• Some have preferred the term pervasive or
  comprehensive depravity

Rom 87-8, the mind set on the flesh is hostile
toward God and they cannot please God
Rom 510, while we were enemies, we were
reconciled God
19
Total depravity

• Passages
• Rom 118-32
• All people reject their creator
• Rom 39-12
• No one seeks after God no one is good
• Rom 323
• All have sinned
• Eph 21-3
• We are spiritually dead and children of wrath
• Eph 417-19
• Sin has corrupted the mind, heart, and will
• Ezek 3626-27 chap. 37
• Humanity apart from God is dead

20
Total depravity (TD)

• Summary
• All people are born spiritually dead and unable
  to become alive apart from divine intervention
• Dead people cant choose God
• Sets the stage for how we understand salvation
• God must take the initiative breathe life into
  us (Ezek 37)
• TD helps make sense of the world
• (Hitler, 9/11, Rwanda, Cambodia, Charles Manson,
  etc.)

21
6. Misc Aspects of sin

• Christians and sin(s)
• Do Christians commit sin?
• Yes.
• Are post-converted Christians usually called
  sinners?
• NO
• What about total depravity?
• Eph 21-3 you were dead in your trespasses and
  sins 417-19 the sinswhich you formerly
  walked
• What about Rom 1?
• See Rom 321-26
• Christians are often called saints (holy ones,
  sanctified ones, etc)
• Rom 17 1 Cor 12 69-11 2 Cor 12 Eph 11

22
6. Misc Aspects of sin

• Christians and sin(s)
• Christians do not practice sin (1 John 34-10)
• 1 John 34-10  
• Everyone who sins breaks the law in fact, sin is
  lawlessness. 5But you know that he appeared so
  that he might take away our sins. And in him is
  no sin. 6No one who lives in him keeps on
  sinning. No one who continues to sin has either
  seen him or known him.
•  7Dear children, do not let anyone lead you
  astray. He who does what is right is righteous,
  just as he is righteous. 8He who does what is
  sinful is of the devil, because the devil has
  been sinning from the beginning. The reason the
  Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's
  work. 9No one who is born of God will continue to
  sin, because God's seed remains in him he cannot
  go on sinning, because he has been born of God.
  10This is how we know who the children of God are
  and who the children of the devil are Anyone who
  does not do what is right is not a child of God
  nor is anyone who does not love his brother.

23
6. Misc Aspects of sin

• Christians and sin(s)
• It is assumed that Christiansthose who follow
  Jesuswill obey Him!
•  Rom 8 John 1415, 23-24 1514 1 John 518

John 1423-24 If anyone loves me, he will obey my
teaching. My Father will love him, and we will
come to him and make our home with him. 24He who
does not love me will not obey my teaching. These
words you hear are not my own they belong to the
Father who sent me.
John 1415 If you love me, you will obey what I
command.
John 1514 You are my friends if you do what I
command.
24
6. Misc Aspects of sin

• Christians and sin(s)
• However,
• There is still a war against sin in our present
  lives (Rom 616-23 see also 1 Corinthians!)
• but our identity and the dominant pattern of
  life is not one of sin but righteousness.

25
6. Misc Aspects of sin

• Christians and sin(s)
• Ya, but what about
• Rom 714-23
• Describing Paul (or any Jew) before his
  conversion, not after
• 1 Cor 31-3, carnal Christians?
• The Corinthians are carnal/fleshly in that they
  are doing fleshly or carnal things.
• Not a separate category of carnal or
  non-obedient Christians

26
6. Misc Aspects of sin

• Christians and sin(s)
• What happens when a Christian sins?
• Our legal standing before God is unchanged (Rom
  81)
• Our fellowship is weakened, though not broken
  (Eph 430)
• We may be disciplined by God
• Heb 126-12
• Rev 319

27
6. Misc Aspects of sin

• Are there different degrees of sin(s)some worse
  than others?
• Yes and no.
• NO. If we are talking about humanitys legal
  standing before God, then all are equally
  condemned.
• Rom 516 James 210-11
• But YES. If we are talking about the
  consequences/results or the degree of Gods
  displeasure.
• In the OT, there are different degrees of
  punishment for different types of sin.
• Intentional and unintentional sin (Lev 42, 13,
  22 517 Numb 1530, cf. vv. 27-29 sins with a
  high hand)
• Sins outside the body and sins against the
  body (1 Cor 618)

28
4. Are infants guilty of sin and thus damned?

• The difficulty Scripture is clear that 1) all
  people are born with Adams guilt and condemned
  to death, and 2) all people remained damned apart
  from faith in Jesus Christ.
• What does Scripture say.
• Children of believers often are saved (Titus
  16). This is not automatic (Samuel, David, Eli)
  but often the case.
• Example parenting as a Christian (cf. Deut 6)
• See also 1 Cor 714
• Jesus showed special favor to children (Matt
  183 1914)
• People are under Gods wrath for rejecting God
  (Rom 118ff)

29
4. Are infants guilty of sin and thus damned?

• Solutions
• Age of accountability?
• Deut 139, childrenwho do not yet know good
  from bad
• Isa 715-16, Before the child knows how to
  reject evil and choose what is right, the land
  whose two kings you fear will be desolate.
• Adam/Christ parallel from Rom 5?
• We are made righteous in Christ by His act, yet
  we benefit from this provided that we believe in
  Him.
• In the same way, we are made sinners in Adam,
  yetperhapsthis too is contingent upon our own
  decision to reject the creator (Rom 119-21) and
  remain in sin.
• God is perfectly just he will do what is right!

30
5. What about the unpardonable sin?

• Texts Matt 1231-32 (cf. Mark 329-30) the sin
  unto death 1 John 516-17)
• Different views
• Could only be committed while Jesus was on earth
• Refers to the sin of unbelief that continues
  until death. Anyone that dies in unbelief has
  committed the unpardonable sin .
• The unpardonable sin if serious apostasy by
  believers, and that only those who have been born
  again can commit this sin.

31
5. What about the unpardonable sin?

• Texts Matt 1231-32 (cf. Mark 329-30) the sin
  unto death 1 John 516-17)
• Different views
• Refers to willful and persistent rejection of the
  Spirits work in Christ and attributing this work
  to Satan.
• The person has clearly seen the undeniable
  evidence of Gods work in Jesus
• Has persistently hardened his/her heart toward
  it.
• Has attributed this work to Satan.
• Because of this, it is impossible for a
  Christianone who desires to follow Jesus and by
  definition believes in the Spirits work in
  Christto commit this sin.
• If you are concerned whether you have committed
  it, then this very concern proves that you
  havent!