BIBLICAL UNDERSTANDIG OF THE NATURE OF SIN, PART 2.

According to New Dictionary of Theology, Augustine believed that one of the penalties of sin was “ ‘concupiscence’, from which no sexual acts of fallen humanity are free ( even within Christian marriage), as the locus of transmission of original sin from parents to children” 4 . Pelagius on the other hand did not believe “corruption was transmitted from Adam to all mankind” 5, and he denied infant baptism and of original sin derived from Adam and requiring cleansing in baptism for the new-born. My view that I lean to is the Creationism view of the soul’s origin which asserts that God creates a soul ex nihilo (out of nothing) for each human being. I do not believe with the view that like the body, the soul is derived from our parents by the process of procreation. I believe that each human gets a soul at conception and the reason why I believe children cannot be considered in the earlier stages of their life as sinners; in this point I believe more like Pelagius than Augustine; and I believe that at a certain stage of their life, the fallen nature of their bodies, which is transmitted by their parents’ DNA makeup, will succumb to sin and their souls will sin and so the need for a Savior by all humanity!” Even though in Romans 3:23 it says “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”, I believe that for the first few years of a child’s life, they are not accountable as sinners but at a certain later time, they will succumb to sin due to the fallen nature of their physical makeup!

Another view I hold is the following: “Even though it is the fallen nature of the body that brings about sin in a person, I do not believe it is just of a sensual or immoral nature even though at times it is; I believe that most times the spiritual warfare starts in the mind after information has gone through the ears; so whether good or evil information has come in, then it is man’s choice to allow it into his heart or not. If he chooses to be led by evil, then that is when he will sin, so his soul sins! Some of this evil in the heart can be of the form of unforgiveness, jealousy, hatred, idolatry, evil  deception, covetousness, unkindness, impatience, anxiety to name a few! As it says in Matthew 12: 34-35: ‘For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil.’ “

According to online source, it says: “God wanted us to recognize our sins. Even those who have not murdered or committed adultery will find themselves convicted of lying, or of worshipping false idols like wealth or power ahead of God.” 6 So sin in any amount will distance a person from God. Everyone is accountable at some point in their lives. And the good news is that if a person believes in the Lord Jesus as having died and risen again on the third day, and repents of his sins, he will be saved. As it says in 1 John 1: 8-10 : “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. But if we claim we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar and His word has no place in our lives.”

NOTES

4Sinclair B. Ferguson, David F. Wright and J.I. Packer, eds., New Dictionary of Theology, (Downers Grove: Inter-Varsity Press, 1988), 59.
5Ibid., 499.
6http://www.allaboutgod.com/what-is-sin.htm (January 27, 2011),1.