SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY: MAN, CHRIST, AND HOLY SPIRIT Week Three: Human Sin Introduction and Review This is the third session in a twelve-week study of the doctrines of humanity, Christ, and the Holy Spirit. Last week, we discussed human nature. Humans are ensouled beings comprised of material bodies and immaterial souls and/or spirits. Humans are also gendered beings who exist as either male or female. Human gender and sexuality in particular are controversial doctrines in our contemporary culture. This week, we turn our attention to the doctrine of sin. What s the Big Idea? When God was creating the world, he regularly announced that his creations were good. The one exception was the first humans, who represented the culmination of God s creative work. After the first man and woman were created, God pronounced all of creation to be very good. The implication is that humans made the world even better than it would have been without them. Unfortunately, God s good creation is no longer in its original state of perfection, but is now a distorted version of the original. Though good, the world is fallen. The reason the world fell is because of the sin of the original humans, Adam and Eve. According to Wayne Grudem, Sin is any failure to conform to the moral law of God in act, attitude, or nature. 1 Stan Norman notes that there are a number of biblical terms and metaphors used for sin, but they all promote two common themes: (1) sin never pleases God; and (2) sin always destroys the sinner. 2 The first humans sin not only negatively affected them, but it also infected all of their naturally biological descendants. Apart from God s intervention, all humans are without spiritual hope because of the corrupting and ultimately condemning effects of sin. What Do the Scriptures Say? God made a covenant with Adam in the Garden. If Adam was obedient to all God s commands, including the command not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, then he would live forever in covenant relationship with God. Eternal life was symbolized by the tree of life. 9 And out of the ground the LORD God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die (Gen. 2:9, 15 17). 22 Then the LORD God said, Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever 23 therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he The Doctrines of Man, Christ, and the Holy Spirit Page 1
was taken. 24 He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life (Gen. 3:22 24). 7 But like Adam they transgressed the covenant; there they dealt faithlessly with me (Hos. 6:7). 1 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 14 Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates (Rev. 22:1 2, 14). The first human sin occurred when a diabolical serpent (a manifestation of Satan) tempted Eve into eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Eve, in turn, persuaded Adam to also eat from the forbidden tree. 1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, Did God actually say, You shall not eat of any tree in the garden? 2 And the woman said to the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die. 4 But the serpent said to the woman, You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths (Gen 3:1 7; cf. 1 Cor. 11:3; 1 Tim. 2:14). 9 And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him (Rev. 12:9). The consequences of this original sin include covenantal/relational separation from God, relational separation from each other, a fallen physical world, and spiritual death. 8 And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, Where are you? 10 And he said, I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself. 11 He said, Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat? 12 The man said, The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate. 13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, What is this that you have done? The woman said, The serpent deceived me, and I ate. 16 To the woman he said, I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you. 17 And to Adam he said, Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, You shall not eat of it, cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; 18 thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. 19 By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return (Gen. 3:8 13, 16 19). 23 For the wages of sin is death, (Rom. 6:23a). The Doctrines of Man, Christ, and the Holy Spirit Page 2
22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now (Rom. 8:22). Because Adam was the covenantal representative of the whole human race, every human has inherited the guilt/consequences of his sin. As soon as we are capable, we become actual sinners. 12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned. 18 Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. 19 For as by the one man s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man s obedience the many will be made righteous (Rom. 5:12, 18 19). 3 They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt; there is none who does good, not even one (Psa. 14:3). 5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me (Psa. 51:5). 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (Rom. 3:23; cf. 1 John 1:8, 10). Because humans are captive to sin, we cannot do anything in and of ourselves that is perfectly good; every part of us is tainted by sin. We cannot even restore our covenantal relationship with God without his divine aid. 6 We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. 7 There is no one who calls upon your name, who rouses himself to take hold of you; for you have hidden your face from us, and have made us melt in the hand of our iniquities (Isa. 64:6 7). 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out (Rom. 7:18). 7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God s law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God (Rom. 8:7 8). What Has the Church Said? Though all Christians believe sin is universal to humanity and deserves God s eternal wrath, some details concerning the doctrine of sin have been debated throughout church history. The biggest debate is the transmission of sin from Adam to other people. Historically, there have been three major views: the paradigm view, the biological view, and the covenantal view. Paradigm view: The guilt of Adam s sin is not transferred to other people. Instead, Adam is the paradigm for what happens to all people. Every human is born good (or at least neutral), but as soon as we are offered the choice we inevitably choose to sin. Sin is inevitable, but Adam s sin only affects him. There is no such thing as original sin only actual sin matters. This view is associated with the famous fourth-century heretic Pelagius. Biological view: The guilt of Adam s sin is transferred to other people biologically through sexual intercourse. Every naturally born human being is guilty of Adam s original sin, and as soon as we are The Doctrines of Man, Christ, and the Holy Spirit Page 3
intellectually capable of doing so, we choose to become actual sinners. This view is associated with Augustine and is the official position of the Roman Catholic Church. Many Protestants also affirm it. Covenantal view: The guilt of Adam s sin is transferred to other people covenantally because Adam was the representative head of the human race. As with the biological view, every naturally born human being is guilty of Adam s original sin, and as soon as we are intellectually capably of doing so, we willfully choose to become actual sinners. This view is associated with the Reformed tradition. A second major debate is the effects of sin on human free will, particularly the freedom to willfully exercise saving faith in God through Christ. There are four main views. Pelagians argue human free will is unaffected by sin and that it is even possible to choose to never sin (though they believe almost all people become sinners). Sinful humans remain totally free to choose or reject Christ; it s a simple decision like any other decision. Officially, the church has always rejected this view, though it is fairly common at the popular level among many evangelical and Catholic church members. It is also the default view among theological liberals. Semi-Pelagians argue all humans are sinful, but they also believe we are free to choose to believe. However, our belief is only partial; we need God s grace to finish the salvation process. In other words, we initiate our salvation through our freely chosen faith, then God responds to our faith by drawing us to full conversion. This view has also been condemned by the church, though it is popular with many evangelical laypeople. Arminians argue all humans are sinful and in and of ourselves we are unable to freely choose to believe in Christ. But the Holy Spirit graciously gives all people who hear the gospel the ability to choose to believe or disbelieve. In other words, God takes the first step by restoring our ability to believe, but then it is up to each individual to respond either positively or negatively to the gospel. This view is an orthodox option and is probably the most popular view among evangelical pastors. Though it is the Arminian view, not all people who affirm this view consider themselves Arminians. Calvinists argue all humans are sinful and in and of ourselves we are unable to freely choose to believe in Christ. Though we are naturally able to believe, we are morally unable to believe; we are bent by sin so that we are always choosing contrary to God s best. When the elect hear the gospel, the Holy Spirit restores their moral ability to believe through the regeneration of the Holy Spirit. Most Calvinists believe this results in immediate faith in Christ. This view is an orthodox option and is the dominant view in the Reformed tradition and is held by many Southern Baptists. A final debate is whether or not it s possible for a Christian to grow so mature in the faith that he stops deliberately sinning. We ll address this issue when we discuss sanctification. What Should We Believe? Scripture indicates that Adam and Eve introduced human sin into the world and that all humans inherit Adam s original guilt. A combination of the biological and covenantal views best accounts for this. All humans are guilty of original sin, which early on leads to actual sin. The Calvinist view seems like the best explanation for how sin affects our ability to repent and believe. When we become Christians, we are forgiven from the penalty of sin, which is eternal death. When we are glorified in the next life, we ll be freed from the presence of sin. The Doctrines of Man, Christ, and the Holy Spirit Page 4
The Baptist Faith and Message (2000) provides a helpful basic overview of the doctrine of sin, while the Confessional Statement of The Gospel Coalition offers a more comprehensive account. The Baptist Faith and Message Man is the special creation of God, made in His own image. He created them male and female as the crowning work of His creation. The gift of gender is thus part of the goodness of God's creation. In the beginning man was innocent of sin and was endowed by his Creator with freedom of choice. By his free choice man sinned against God and brought sin into the human race. Through the temptation of Satan man transgressed the command of God, and fell from his original innocence whereby his posterity inherit a nature and an environment inclined toward sin. Therefore, as soon as they are capable of moral action, they become transgressors and are under condemnation. Only the grace of God can bring man into His holy fellowship and enable man to fulfill the creative purpose of God. The sacredness of human personality is evident in that God created man in His own image, and in that Christ died for man; therefore, every person of every race possesses full dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love. 3 The Gospel Coalition Confessional Statement We believe that God created human beings, male and female, in his own image. Adam and Eve belonged to the created order that God himself declared to be very good, serving as God s agents to care for, manage, and govern creation, living in holy and devoted fellowship with their Maker. Men and women, equally made in the image of God, enjoy equal access to God by faith in Christ Jesus and are both called to move beyond passive self-indulgence to significant private and public engagement in family, church, and civic life. Adam and Eve were made to complement each other in a one-flesh union that establishes the only normative pattern of sexual relations for men and women, such that marriage ultimately serves as a type of the union between Christ and his church. In God s wise purposes, men and women are not simply interchangeable, but rather they complement each other in mutually enriching ways. God ordains that they assume distinctive roles which reflect the loving relationship between Christ and the church, the husband exercising headship in a way that displays the caring, sacrificial love of Christ, and the wife submitting to her husband in a way that models the love of the church for her Lord. In the ministry of the church, both men and women are encouraged to serve Christ and to be developed to their full potential in the manifold ministries of the people of God. The distinctive leadership role within the church given to qualified men is grounded in creation, fall, and redemption and must not be sidelined by appeals to cultural developments. 4 How Should We Then Live? Judge Not: Christians sometimes harshly judge unbelievers when the latter act sinfully. This is especially true of those sins that are especially grievous (murder, rape) or controversial (homosexuality). While we should never wink at anyone s sin, neither should we expect unbelievers to act like they aren t sinners. We should be careful in how we speak of the sinful actions of non-christians. We should be bold in our witness, but humble in our attitude. We should mourn for sinners and warn them of the wrath to come, but leave the condemning to God. Mortifying Sin: Though Christians are saved from sin s penalty, we are not yet freed from sin s presence. We each struggle with what the Puritans called besetting sins sins we are regularly tempted to commit. We must be diligent to fight all our sin, but we should especially seek to put The Doctrines of Man, Christ, and the Holy Spirit Page 5
to death our besetting sins through such means of sanctifying grace as self-examination, regular corporate worship attendance, ceaseless prayer, accountability to other believers, etc. Recommended Resources Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine (Zondervan, 1994), pp. 490 514. Russell D. Moore, Tempted and Tried: Temptation and the Triumph of Christ (Crossway, 2011). John Owen, Overcoming Sin and Temptation, eds. Justin Taylor and Kelly Kapic (Crossway, 2006). Wayne Mack and Joshua Mack, A Fight to the Death: Taking Aim at the Sin Within (P&R, 2006). Redditt Andrews III, Sin and the Fall, The Gospel as Center: Renewing Our Faith and Reforming Our Ministry Practices, eds. D.A. Carson and Timothy Keller (Crossway, 2012), pp. 77 87. In 2005, Andy Davis taught through the doctrine of humanity during ACTS on Wednesday nights. You can find outlines and audio of his lessons in the Sermon Audio section of the FBC Durham website. Notes: 1 Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine (Zondervan, 1994), p. 490. 2 R. Stanton Norman, Human Sinfulness, in A Theology for the Church, ed. Daniel L. Akin (B&H Academic, 2007), p. 412. 3 Baptist Faith and Message (2000), Article III: Man, available online at http://www.sbc.net/bfm/bfm2000.asp. 4 Confessional Statement of The Gospel Coalition, Article 3: Creation of Humanity, available online at http://thegospelcoalition.org/about/foundation-documents/confessional/. The Doctrines of Man, Christ, and the Holy Spirit Page 6