April 28th: The Transmission of Adam’s Guilt

Speaker: Chris Laws.

The poisonous streams which flowed from Adam’s disobedience help us appreciate the mighty work of Christ on Calvary.

Why am I condemned because Adam fell?
“For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners...” (Rom 5.19).
Ever since the Fall of Adam, the whole human race has been sinful, fallen.
“There is none righteous, no, not one” (Rom 3.10).
A river of poison has flowed through the whole human race from that event.

Sin universal – nothing more obviously true. Beyond dispute.
The awareness of sin is universal. People say, “nobody's perfect”, but there is no explanation outside Scripture.
There is always war in the world, atrocities, genocide, murder.
The nicest worldings turn out to be not so nice after all.

Jonathan Edwards – if the Bible were silent here, we would be left asking, “Why does everybody sin?”
There was a superficial idea in the 18th C that man was inherently good and evolving upwards.
Some still think so today. Scorn for God widespread.

HOW HAS ADAM’S FALL INFLUENCED THE WHOLE RACE?
The effects of his fall were rapid.
The result was a worldwide judgement.
Over the centuries theologians have identified three streams.

1 – IMITATION
Corruption spread in the world like wildfire.
Gen 3 the Fall; Gen 4 Cain murdered Abel; by Gen 6 “God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth… the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”
People influence one another, “Evil communications corrupt good manners” (1 Cor 15.33).

Family traits. Sinful Adam influenced his children.
Parents worry about children getting in with the wrong set.
Dysfunctional families breed swearing, theft, criminals.

National traits.
The Canaanite tribes became so profane that God determined to utterly destroy them.
“Cretians are always liars, evil beasts, slow bellies (idle gluttons). This witness is true.” (Titus 1.12).
Some today nations are known for their dishonesty, theft, corruption.
Theft becomes accepted behaviour because everybody steals.
A kind of relativism sets in – what everybody else does must be alright.

International traits; acceptance of same-sex marriage has gone from nation to nation.
Corruption has moved over the globe like a torrent.
Twitter/X and Facebook have exposed a festering worldwide community.
Today relativism rules. What everyone else does is right.
LGBT, indoctrination of children with gender change.So imitation of bad example is one poisonous stream we may trace back to Adam.

2 – NATURAL DESCENT
Scripture says we are sinful before we are born.
“Behold I was shapen in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me” (Psalm 51.5).
The problem is built into children as all parents discover.
God warned Adam that he would surely die if he disobeyed.
Cain’s body inherited the fallen characteristics of Adam's body – susceptible to disease, decay and death.
Ever since, every human being has had to die. “As in Adam all die...” (1 Cor 15.22). Another poisonous stream.
All biology changed – more on that in a minute.

But what about Adam’s guilt?

3 – IMPUTATIONRom 5.19 “For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.”
Clue: our text mentions only Adam’s first sin, his “disobedience”.
How could only Adam's first sin pass down to me, but not his subsequent sins?
There was something unique about Adam's first sin – and that's the key to the problem.

Adam and Eve were the start of the human race (BCF 6:3: “they being the root…of all mankind.”)
He and Eve the only people on Earth. Charged with starting the human race. “Be fruitful and multiply...” (Gen 1.28).
Solemn realisation not lost on them. Welfare of a new race/human race in their hands.
Magnificent intellects, unspoilt by sin and ageing. They were not primitive!

Original righteousness was bestowed on Adam; he was sinless, part of God’s “very good” creation.
'Original' – given to Adam as the origin of the human race.
Intended for all his posterity. He had a great responsibility.

ADAM THE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE HUMAN RACE        
BCF 6:3 They...by God’s appointment standing in room and stead of [place of] all mankind, the guilt of this sin was imputed [ascribed], and their corrupted nature conveyed, to all their posterity.”
“God ordained that Adam should stand not for himself only, but as the representative of all his descendants” (Berkhof).
Just as Christ was made head of a people, and took responsibility for them and their sins...
Adam was made head of the human family, and was given responsibility for it.
On probation not only for himself but also for all his posterity.
Test given to Adam, and a warning. “Thou shalt surely die” (Gen 2.17).
‘Disobedience means catastrophe for the human race. Death will enter the world. You will be profoundly changed and the whole race after you.’

He sinned, and sin entered the world for first time, followed by death, and engulfed the whole world, irreversibly.
Human destiny had been placed in his hands, and he failed.
A sinless human 'test case' in a perfect environment, in close communion with God, fell.
We would have done the same.

In Romans 5 a parallel is drawn between Christ and Adam.
Rom 5.19 “For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.”
We all know that righteousness is given by imputation, instantaneously by Christ's work at conversion.
In the same way Adam’s guilt is imputed to us.
Rom 5.15 “If through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.”

Adam's guilt was imputed to us all immediately – as a result, cursed with a corrupt nature
Deep within we are “by nature children of wrath” (Eph 2.3)
Image of God fractured, alienated from God, environment cursed, sentenced to die.
Ever since all men have demonstrated how fallen they are.

BCF 6:3: “Our first parents, by this sin, fell from their original righteousness and communion with God, and we in them... They being the root, and by God's appointment, standing in the place of all mankind, the guilt of this sin was imputed, and their corrupted nature conveyed, to all their posterity descending from them by ordinary generation.”

THE PLANET RUINED
Adam’s sin had even wider effects. Romans 8 explains.
8.19-22: “creature” = “creation”. Paul personifies Creation, as we do, ‘Mother Nature’.
8.21 “Bondage of corruption.” Bondage is a slave term. Creation is like a slave.
8.21 Slave to whom? To “corruption” – decay (Gk to shrivel, wither, spoil, ruin). The slave master is “corruption”.

Nature is now ruled by decay and death. Waves of life begin, and die out.
Creation is noble, beautiful, majestic. Like a nobleman reduced to slavery.

1. Slave master has absolute control. Death, decay, ageing has total mastery: everything must die.
Sin's devastating destructiveness. Whole planet ruined by one sin.
Never underestimate it. Don't play with it.

2. All the slave’s efforts are for his master – no pay packet.
Animals work ceaselessly. Treadmill – same after 1000 yrs. Death swallows up all they do.
Are you excited about life? Life after life is expended to no avail. “One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh, but the earth abideth for ever (Ecc 1.3).” Give it to God – life abundant.

Puritans used to say Creation teaches men who will not learn – and so they lose their labour.

WHY THEN DID GOD CREATE THE HUMAN RACE?

God looks for genuine love and obedience. So He gave Adam and Eve free will – hence possibility of a Fall.
1. New paradise in which a Fall will be eternally impossible.
2. The plan of redemption will be for all eternity the greatest subject for praise and marvel.
3. Whole planet ruined by one sin. For eternity we will never doubt the horror of rebellion and sin.