Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into
the world, and death by sin; and so death
passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
(for until the law sin was in the world: but sin
is not imputed when there is no law.
Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses,
even over that that had not sinned after
the similitude of Adam's transgression,
who is the figure of Him that was to come.
Romans 5:12-14
These verses have been, and are even now, contested because they are somewhat hard to understand. Let us think for a moment: The men and women before the flood, before the Law, The Ten Commandments were considered sinners. But, you say, "they did not have the law" and you would be correct but the Law did not cause sin to exist in the world. The Law is a metric of laws that God has expounded upon so men could now have written code, not excuses could now be forwarded as to what God requires of mankind. God created mankind with the ability to reason and the ability to know good and bad for one cannot know the one without the other. Mankind makes moral judgments: "I ought to do this", or, "I ought not to do this." We must admit to be true that the primary moral principles on which all others depend are perceived rationally. There is not a person who gives heed to any moral judgment which can be shown to spring from non-moral and non-rational causes. Mankind antecedent to the flood know right from wrong, they had historical proof that God did not approve of death yet death reigned so they knew that this death was due to sin, a heredity from the man Adam who sinned against God. Remember Adam lived a long time and his children would be able to tell others as to what happened, almost as from the horse' mouth. These people knew about the killing of Abel by Cain and the mark God placed upon Cain. These people had no excuse for sinning but sin still held sway over life. Mankind from the beginning had knowledge and that knowledge sprang from valid reasoning. There can be no account about the universe, about mankind that can be true unless the possibility for our thinking to have real insight.
Mankind can think and make reasons but for those reasons to be valid, even to be moral decisions they find themselves up against that which they have no control over: sin. From Adam to the present and until Jesus returns this heredity of death reigns over mankind. You and I have no say in this fact for you are not holy due to this heredity of death, and the wages of sin is death (Romans 3:23) not a slap on the wrist, not a being "chewed" out but death. How then can I, you, be able to not have this heredity control me? There is only one way and that way is by regeneration: "When it pleased God ... to reveal His Son in me" (Galatians 1:15-16). When we are told to be holy we are most likely to be despaired for you see no way within yourself to follow that command of God. There is a way: it is by Jesus Christ who is a Regenerator for He will put His holiness, that is His heredity of Holiness into your spirit this disposition that you did not have before that implantation by Jesus Christ. It is His teachings that gives to you a foundation for that disposition. This moral transaction, this agreement with God's verdict on sin is the cross of Jesus. Antecedent to the Great Flood mankind had reasoning, had the ability to know "evil" from "non-evil" and had historical reference as to why death reigned, we too have historical reference, the Bible. We too do not have excuse for we have the ability to be energized by the Holy Spirit so that our reasoning to the truth is valid and the truth is valid. This we can do if we come to know and reason that there is something greater that you need and when you have come to know that Jesus is that Greater then you repent of your sins and allow regeneration to come into your soul, your life. You see, you must become conscious that you need it. This moral miracle of Redemption is that God can put into you a totally new life.
Liberal Christianity has lost sight of the fact, or only give some sort of recognition, that mankind is now and will be until the return of Jesus, sinners, never fully perfect for that old nature still is in mankind. What they do is rely on emotional outbursts, or some sort of "spiritualized" actions that are not valid and is not at the core of Christian teaching. There is one attribute of God that we must not overlook and is absolutely fundamental in the Bible in order to render intelligible for all elements, all the commands, and precepts, and that attribute is the transcendence of God. This is found from Genesis to Revelation, the awful truth that separates mankind from the Creator. God is immanent in the world for He knows all things from the beginning to the end. Yet there is a great chasm between mankind and the Creator and it is fixed for you or I cannot cross over to the other side. God though is the One who is truly free as the Creator and upholder of all that is.
Liberal Christians treat the story of the Incarnation more as a symbol of general truth that man at his best is one with God. This type of theology is closely, if not, pantheism and is very different from the fact that there is a living and holy God of the Bible and of Authentic Christian Faith. Liberal Christianity differs in their conception of God and also differs in their conception of man. Liberalism has lost that there is a gulf that separates mankind, all creatures from the Creator God. By this liberal Christianity has lost it sense of the consciousness of sin. That was in the past and is mostly lost, not just in liberal Christian Churches, but in far too many Christian Churches this preaching about sin. You and I have the ability to reason, to think rationally and for our reason, our rationality to be valid we must have a valid source from which we draw this knowledge. That knowledge, the truth, is found in the Bible correctly interpreted from the original languages and not some man-made doctrine.
Do you have a consciousness of sin? Do you find within yourself this need for a Savior? Have you taken time to rationally and thoughtfully considered Scripture as the source for what you need? Jesus can be found and He can change your disposition, and can place His heredity of holiness into your soul. Will you allow Him to do so?
The way of the wicked is an
abomination to the LORD:
but the prayer of the upright
is His delight.
Proverbs 15:9
Repent and God will save you
Richard L. Crumb
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