the doctrine of original sin.
The doctrine of original sin is one of the most humbling truths
revealed in scripture. It declares that every human
being, apart from the Lord Jesus Christ, enters the world in a
state of sin inherited from Adam, our first father. This is not
merely a matter of copying Adam's example or following a bad pattern,
but of sharing in his guilt and corrupted nature from the moment
of our conception. When Adam sinned in the garden,
he acted as the federal head and representative of the entire
human race. God had entered into covenant
with him, so that his obedience would bring blessing upon all
his descendants, and his disobedience would bring condemnation upon
them. Scripture states plainly, Sin entered the world through
one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to
all men, because all sinned. Adam's sin and guilt was imputed
to the entire race, and his corrupt nature was transmitted to all
his offspring. David confessed this sobering
reality when he wrote, Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful
from the time my mother conceived me. This does not mean that the
physical process of conception is sinful, but that the corrupt
nature which every person inherited from Father Adam is thoroughly
depraved. Every part of man's being, mind,
will, emotions, and affections is tainted by sin. The result
is not that man is as bad as he could possibly be, but that
sin has affected him in every part, rendering him spiritually
dead and utterly unable to come to God in his own strength. The
effects of original sin are evident in every generation. We do not
need to teach a child to lie, to be selfish, or to disobey.
These come naturally because they spring from every child's
sinful heart. As Jeremiah observed, the heart
is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can
understand it? This inward corruption is why
the human race continually resists God and chooses sin over Him. The doctrine of original sin
destroys any hope of salvation by human merit. If man is born
spiritually dead, then no amount of moral reform, religious activity,
or human effort can produce spiritual life. Our only hope is in God's
sovereign grace, accomplished through Jesus' sin-atoning death. just as guilt and corruption
came through the first Adam, so righteousness and spiritual
life come through the last Adam. Paul exalts in this contrast,
for just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were
made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man
the many will be made righteous. Original sin magnifies the glory
of the gospel. It shows the depth of the pit
from which God has rescued his people and the absolute necessity
of regeneration by the Holy Spirit. Salvation is not a matter of
God assisting us to improve ourselves. It is a wondrous miracle making
the dead live, the guilty forgiven, and the corrupt made new in Christ. The doctrine of original sin,
rightly understood, strips man of all pride, casts him entirely
upon the mercy of God, and magnifies the grace of the Lord Jesus.
It reminds us that apart from faith in Christ alone, there
can be no salvation.