Sin pt. 2

But if human beings have this sin nature and depraved state, how did we get there and where does it come from? Genesis 3 tells us about the first sin of Adam. The curse because of this sin brings about the sin nature to Adam and the rest of his descendants. This sin nature then is passed down to every human that has lived or will ever live except the person of Jesus Christ. The sin being passed on to the future descendants is called imputed sin. Romans 5:12 shows us this concept, “Therefore, just as sinned entered the world through on man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned”. Sin then because of Adam’s fall from perfection, is imputed onto all of his descendants.  Adam sinned, so all humanity became sinful because of it. But Adam cannot be totally blamed for the sinful state that we are in. All humanity was there with Adam and through Adam and all humanity sinned with Adam. Adam alone did not make the choice because all of humanity and the bad choices with them were there present with Adam helping him make the first sinful pride filled choice not to listen to God. Hebrews 7:9-10 shows us that even if a person is not physically born yet, they are still there in the ancestors and involved with them to some extent. Hebrews tells us, “One might even say that Levi, who collects the tenth, paid the tenth through Abraham, because when Melchizedek met Abraham, Levi was still in the body of his ancestor”. This truth then shows that all mankind was “seminally present” in Adam and that he cannot be blamed for the state of the sinful and fallen person. God then holds all humanity guilty because humanity was there with Adam when he sinned against God for the first time.

           

So how can all this talk about imputed sin and a sinful nature passed down from Adam apply to the life of a human today? This has huge implications for mankind in the world today. In the culture today, weakness is looked down upon. A sense of self awareness and self-focus and self-sufficiency is pushed upon man. This is completely against what the Bible shows us. What matters is a self awareness in that we are fallen and a focus on the deep dark ugliness of what mankind is truly deep down inside. We are disgusting and prideful and selfish. Just like Adam thought he was like God, we today think the same thing and that we do not need Him for anything. Many people do not want to even recognize that God exists and is there to have a relationship with them. God does desire the relationship and His love yearns for communion with His creation. So first we as humans need to understand our place in creation. We as humans are fallen and despicable. But more importantly we humans because of our state cannot do it on our own. The application then is to understand the depth and gap between the creator God, and His fallen creation, man. Man cannot cross that gap on our own will or desires or works. Romans 5:18 reminds us, “Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men”. That is salvation. This gap can be cross back to a relationship with God, by Him extending the cross of Jesus Christ to us over the gap. Only through a realization of how the gap cannot be crossed except by God extending His redemptive cross can a reliance and faith in God be succeeded. Then one is a Christian and a follower of Jesus and His grace. That is why it is so important to understand the sin nature and the imputation and depravity that come with it. To understand where we stand in reference to God and how amazing God is, this understanding to can bring a thankful heart towards God.