Mankind is faced with innate problem. When Adam sinned, he revealed his sinful nature and was no longer considered innocent. He found himself naked and ashamed, removed from the Garden of Eden and without the communion with God that he previously experienced. Because of subsequent revelation given through the Apostles, we can understand that God judicially declared him to be under sin (Romans 3:9-20; Galatians 3:22); he was enslaved to sin because of his sinful flesh (Romans 7:14-35); and was unable to overcome that condition on his own, no matter how acceptable he would try to become (Ephesians 2:8-10). So as Adam and Eve procreated, their children also inherited his sinful nature (Psalm 51:5; Ephesians 2:1-3). Subsequently, they passed their sinful nature down to the next generation, and so on. Therefore, all individuals, through all generations, possess a sinful nature.
The sinful nature is transmitted to us through birth. The resulting condition is spiritual death, or separation between man and God. As sons of Adam, we are born physically alive yet spiritually dead. The communion enjoyed by Adam and Eve with God before the fall was lost as symbolized by their sense of nakedness, the instinct to hide from God, and their banishment from the Garden. They were graciously allowed to live out their natural lives, but it was with a degree of separation from God that was not previously experienced. In the same way, their posterity has been separated from God and are longing for that acceptance and reconciliation. Simultaneously, the sinful nature entices sinful gratification. This creates an internal conflict, which adds to the despair of mankind in the fallen world in which we reside. We desire communion with God, but the efforts of mankind fail to achieve it. This dire need for approval is why false religions that incorporate various forms of idolatry are so alluring (Acts 17:16-31). They suffice to give us approval from peers and a false sense of divine approval. Therefore, we arrive again at the core of the problem. We do not have divine approval. We have come under divine judgment because we are sinners. We do not become sinners as we grow up and choose to sin. We sin because we are sinners! An apple tree bears apples. Ever since Adam sinned, the fruit of mankind is sin (Galatians 5:19-21). Sin characterizes the essence of what we are (Psalm 51:5). All men have a sinful nature (Ephesians 4:17-24).
The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Galatians 5:19-21
Next Section: Personal Sin
Table of Contents: The Last Adam
Text for this post has been borrowed from my Kindle eBook The Last Adam (Book 1 of the Grace and Knowledge Series), by Brother Woody Brohm. Copyright 2012.
I’ve included the full text of the book on this blog and you are free to read the book in this format if you please. Just follow the Next Section Link or view the Table of Contents to skip to wherever you prefer.
All Scripture quoted from:
New International Version (NIV)
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