Download Joshua`s God of War - David Instone

Original Sin
READ Romans 5
Do you use Facebook or any other form of social networking?
- if you are over 30 you probably don't, and if you are under 20 you do
- I'll try and explain why it is so wonderful, even though I don't use it
- it is like email and a shared photo album and a gathering of friends combined
- you can use it to contact one friends or to share your latest news with all friends
- you post your personal info like address, birthdays, favourite music etc
- you also post your latest photos and news and even gossip and thoughts
- this sounds scary but all this is visible only to your 'friends'
This is a great way to keep in touch with people esp if you don't write often
- you don't need to look up the names of their children before you contact them
- you can read up their latest news and see the latest baby photos right there
- and you don't have to tell all your friends individually about your news
I'm not trying to sell Facebook – I want to ask if you are on God's Facebook page
- I'm sure that if God used the internet, he would have a Facebook page
- I'm sure of that for exactly the same reason that I personally don't like Facebook
- I don't have a Facebook page anymore because I'm not very friendly
- I got fed up with vague acquaintances wanting to be my buddy, so I disabled it
- but God is not like me. He loves people, and I'm sure he'd have a Facebook page
- would you be on that page? Have you accepted the invitation to be a friend of God?
- to be on someone's Facebook you have to accept their invitation to be a friend
- and I'm sure that God would invite EVERYONE. But you have to accept
Actually you would already be on God's page as a baby photograph
- like any parent, all the baby photos go on the page as news for all friends to see
- but as the children grow up, the photos become rarer, and then they leave home
- you hope the children will keep in touch – perhaps by being Facebook friends
- but you can't force them. You can only invite them. And that is God's situation
- God invites us to be his friends, but then has to wait for us to respond.
When I put it this way, it sounds very easy. But it wasn't easy for God to invite us
- there is the huge problem of sin, which separates us from God, almost from birth
- is it "almost from birth"? or are we actually separated from God "at birth"?
- that's a controversy which has centered on this chapter of Romans for centuries
- are we separated from God simply by our human nature which tends towards sin?
- or are we separated from God by our personal rebellion against God by sinning?
- this is the hotly disputed area of theology known as Original Sin
-
Original sin isn't a new original type of sin which no-one has ever done before
- it is the very first sin which became the origin of all sinfulness in humans
- the first sin, by Eve and Adam, because of which they were evicted from Eden
- outside Eden they were no longer immortal and regularly in the presence of God.
- they joined the rest of creation, subject to disease, death and separation from God
- and their children inherited this inclination to rebellion and separation from God
But does God reject us automatically, or do we separate ourselves when we sin?
- in practice, this doesn't make much difference, because we all sin anyway
- one of the first words toddlers speak is "No", though most rebel long before this
- they are naturally selfish, unconcerned about the wishes or needs of others
- we put that down to ignorance, because we love them, though it soon becomes
obvious that they often know jolly well that they are hurting other people
- fortunately most children learn to moderate this selfishness, or at least disguise it
- and as adults we can appear to be quite nice, especially if you don't know us well
- but we can't fool all the people all the time, and we can't fool God at all
- God can see a bit of Adam and Eve in us all. We've rebelled against his perfection.
So in practice it doesn't matter if we are separated when we start sinning or from birth
- but it does make a difference to God, or at least to our understanding of God
- if God rejects us simply because of the way we've been born, it doesn't seem fair
- we can say that God is good and we are sinful, and God can't do anything about it
- but that makes God seem rather like a victim of social niceties or look like a snob
- of course we can find theological reasons to view it differently, but it's difficult
'Repentance' is a problem too, because if we are born sinful, repentance isn't real
- if we can't change what we are, and we can't even want to be changed by God
- then God has to make us want to be changed, and we can't choose to repent
- so how is that real repentance? If only God can make us repent, the lack of
repentance is his fault - unless he changes us just enough to give us real choice
On the other hand, if God rejects us when we rebel against him, that's different
- then God isn't the one who rejects us – we are rejecting him when we start sinning
- we may be too young to know what we are doing, but we are doing it ourselves
- and we have enough power of choice to repent and ask God to help us change
- we don't have to wait for God to give us enough power to choose to change
- we have that choice built in – free choice to walk away from God or walk to him
- we start exercising that choice from birth, and very soon we rebel and are sinful.
- this means that when we repent it is real repentance. We ourselves want to change
- and it means that God is genuine inviting everyone to be friends with him, from birth
So there are two different views of human sin, which make God look very different
1) We are born utterly sinful and separated from God, and we don't even have
enough goodness to repent, unless God helps us.
2) We are born with the inclination to sin, which we all follow. It is that sin which
separates us from God, and we can choose at any time to repent and turn to God.
- Pelagius said if we had free will to sin or not sin, we could, with effort, be sinless
- he pointed to Abel who was thought to have lived righteously without any sin
- (this Jewish tradition was somehow accepted uncritically by most Christians)
- he said that if Abel was sinless, then people could be sinless if they tried hard
- the church was so horrified by this that they over-reacted and taught Original Sin
The second view clearly makes more sense and fits what we know about God
- God holds us guilty for our sin till we repent, which isn't fair if we can't help it
- so why do so many believe the first view that we are utterly sinful at birth?
- because of Romans 5, and because of an over-reaction to a heretic, Pelagius
The church should have simply replied "The Bible doesn't say Abel was sinless"
- but instead they said everyone inherited sin from Adam – ie Original Sin.
- most people credit Augustine with cementing this idea of inherent original sin
- but Augustine himself, answers Pelagius saying, like Paul, that everyone must
have sinned some time, and no-one can be perfect [On Nature and Grace 45]
- to press this home he lists some kinds of sins which everyone must be guilty of
- (they sound rather quaint now, but perhaps because we don't take life seriously):
[Had not] Abel, notwithstanding that he is rightly styled righteous, ever
indulged in immoderate laughter, … or ever plucked fruit to extravagance, or
ever suffered indigestion from too much eating, or ever in the midst of his
prayers permitted his thoughts to wander …. And are not these failings sins?
- wow – these guys really were serious. I wouldn't think of over-eating as sinful,
and as for "immoderate laughter" – I'd have to avoid cartoons and comedies.
When you read Romans 5, it seems to support the second view
- it appears to say that God rejects us not because we are born but because we sin
v. 12 "Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death
through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned" (NIV)
- most translation end in the same way but you can also translate it differently, as in
the Latin Vulgate, translated literally in the Catholic Douay version:
v. 12 "Wherefore as by one man sin entered into this world, and by sin death;
and so death passed upon all men, in whom all have sinned.
- ie we die either because we sinned "in" Adam or because we personally sinned
- on the face of it, Paul is on the side of those who say we die because we sinned
- after all, he spent the first three chapters proving that everyone sins personally
- if sinfulness is simply due to being related to Adam, he needn't have bothered
Paul does point out later in chapter 5 that our sinning is linked to Adam's sin
- but he doesn't say any more than that our sinning started there, so that we all sin
- lets have a look at the whole chapter – see the complex looking chart
- it isn't really complex. It just points out the structure indicated by the vocabulary
- the chapter divides into two big sections:
* vv.1-11 (starting and ending with the theme of reconciliation)
- the middle of this section are three expansions of terms used in v.2
* vv. 12-19 (contrasting "one man" with "the many" or "all men")
- the middle of the second section are three examples based on v.15
- and the last couple of verses summarise it all and leads to the next chapter
The first section says: We can be sure we are friends of God because he loves us
The second section says: Adam spread sin to us all, but Jesus spreads life to us all
The chapter says that we all inherit sin from Adam, but we can all be reconciled
- does that mean that we are born with Adam's sin or with his inclination to sin?
- Paul doesn't make it clear, but, as I said, if we are sinful simply by being born,
then why should Paul spend chapters 1-3 proving we all sinned personally?
So why would anyone ever conclude that Paul taught we are born sinners?
- the fault lies with Pelagius (c AD 400) and with Abel, the good brother of Cain
Pelagius probably wasn't as extreme as he is reported, and Augustine wasn't extreme
- later theologians elaborated Augustine's ideas about original sin and removed free will
- Augustine still believed in free will (he quotes his work on Free Will at On Nature
and Grace 81), though he said when we sin freely, we lose the freedom to stop
- and the Fathers before Augustine certainly believed in Free Will
- they said if people don’t sin freely and can't stop, then God can't hold them guilty
- [see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pelagianism#Church_Fathers_on_free_will]
I must say that I can't understand why this idea of Original Sin became so popular
- but now it is the accepted doctrine of the Catholic Church and the Reformed
movement in Protestant churches, and I don't think it can ever change
- it's a real problem for evangelism, so people don't talk about it too much
- imagine telling someone: "You have to repent, but you can't do it unless God lets
you, and if God doesn't make you repent, God will punish you for it."
- of course few people put it like that. Instead they say: "We will pray that God will
help you repent, and when you do, God will accept you."
- or imagine telling someone: "God will rightly punish you for your sin even if you
haven't committed any, because you inherited sinfulness just by being born."
- of course few people put it like that. Instead they say: "God will punish you for
sins you committed, and your inherited sinful human nature will be included".
- or imagine telling someone: Your still-born baby has gone to hell because it
wasn't baptised
- churches which believe we're born sinful used to say that, but they avoid it now
But there is no need for scouting round the truth in this way
- what Paul says in Romans is perfectly intelligible and makes sense to everyone
- in chaps 1-3 Paul shows us that we have all sinned in some way, and deserve death
- in chap 4 Paul shows that we can be saved from that sin by trusting in Jesus
- in chap 5 Paul explains we inherited our inclination to sin from Adam
- and just as sinning like Adam brought death to all, so Jesus brings life to all
By concentrating on Original Sin, we miss the wonderful message in Romans 5
- the big new message in chap.5 isn't about sin – it is about reconciliation
- we are like children who have had a bust up with parents and are reconciled
- we can be friends again with God.
- we may not notice this theme right at the start of the chapter, but any Greek would
- because they would pick up the twin themes of grace and peace:
v.1 "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with
God…(2)…we have gained access by faith into this grace"
- it doesn't mean much to us, except that "grace" and "peace" sound like nice words
- but this pair is very familiar to any Greek, because this is how you write to a friend
- you start the letter "Grace and peace to you", just like we write "Dear so & so"
- what does "Dear" mean? literally "costly" or "precious" – ie "my precious one"?
- the literal meaning doesn't really figure in our thoughts. It means "Hi"
- the literal meaning of "grace and peace" is similarly not what is in peoples' minds
- it is simply the way you write to someone you want to be nice to
- Paul writes to his churches like that see Rom.1.7; 1Cor.1.3; 2Cor.1.2; Gal.1.3 etc
Now Paul tells us that God wants to address us in the same way
- he has just finished telling us we are hopeless sinners, and we need to trust Jesus
- now he tells us this fixes things totally. We are back in God's good books
- he says we can be so sure of this that we even rejoice when everything goes wrong
- because we can be sure this isn't a sign of God's punishment, but of his training
- he will use the difficulties to make us stronger and better (v.4)
- and he finishes the chapter by saying all this will lead to eternal life
- though he won't actually get round to talking about eternal life till chap.8
- because he has another couple of chapters on our sinful character before that
So God is inviting us to be his buddies – he calls us to his grace and peace
- just as if he is writing a letter or an email to us, as if we were a good friend
- we may have been his enemies because of our sinful rebellion against him
- but now we are God's friends and we are invited to join his Facebook page
- the only question now is whether we are going to turn our back on the sin which
separated us from God and accept this invitation to be his friend
- that's the thing about Facebook – you can't join someone up on their behalf
- you can send them an invitation to be a friend, but they have to choose to join.
- unless they make that choice, they can't join Facebook and spend time with you
That's where most people are right now
- God has their baby photos on his page, and he'd love them to join as friends
- God has dealt with the sin which separated them, by Jesus's death on the cross
- and he has sent out invitations, in books, internet, visions and word of mouth
- whatever means of communication works best for the individual he has used
- and now all God can do is wait
- because even if we don't take Free Will seriously, God does
- people have chosen to walk away from God. They must choose to turn round.
- we can help them by our prayers, so that the Enemy doesn't confuse them
- but ultimately everyone has to decide for themselves to return to God.
- or to ignore him and continue rejecting him
Romans 5 NIV
1Therefore,
since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through
our Lord Jesus Christ, 2through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in
which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.
3Not
only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering
produces perseverance; 4perseverance, character; and character, hope.
5And
hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by
the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. 6You see, at just the right time, when we were still
powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man,
though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8But God demonstrates his
own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
9Since
we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from
God's wrath through him!
10For
if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to
him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be
saved through his life!
11Not
only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through
whom we have now received reconciliation.
12Therefore,
just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and
in this way death came to all men, because all sinned—
13for
before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when
there is no law.
14Nevertheless,
death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses,
even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern
of the one to come.
15But
the gift is not like the trespass.
For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace
and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!
16Again,
the gift of God is not like the result of the one man's sin: The judgment followed
one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought
justification.
17For
if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much
more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of
righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.
18Consequently,
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.
19For
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.
20The
law was added so that the trespass might increase.
But where sin increased, grace increased all the more,
21so
that, just as sin reigned in death,
so also grace might reign through righteousness
to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.