Do We Only Inherit The Consequences of Original Sin?
I have an anabaptist coworker, and we got the talking about Original Sin. After pointing out Romans 5 to him and how it talks about how Adam's sin lead to the condemnation of all people, he pointed to a verse in the OT that says we will not inherit the iniquities of our fathers (which I have dealt with before on my short 3 part series on Original Sin, which you can find here, here, and here). I then pointed to other OT verses that seem to say the opposite, my point being that with the ambiguity in the OT, we should look to the NT for a clear interpretation.
But it occurs to me now that perhaps that isn't even necessary. His response was that the OT verses I pointed out only show that we suffer sins consequences. Is this a good response? It is not. According to Romans 6:23, after its long emphasis on the fallen state of humanity, says that the wages of sin are death. In contrast, our reward in Jesus is eternal life, and because that contrast is being made, we know that death is referred to as a spiritual death, since we know that all men have eternal life in a literal sense, that is, we are all immortal. But obviously eternal life in the sense used in Romans 6:23 means a fulfilled life in union with God, so death must have an opposite spiritual meaning. So, let us grant, for the sake of argument, to the anabaptist that we only inherit sins consequences. What are the consequences? Separation from God. A dead relationship with God. This is a sufficient defeater for the anabaptist view on Original Sin.
But it occurs to me now that perhaps that isn't even necessary. His response was that the OT verses I pointed out only show that we suffer sins consequences. Is this a good response? It is not. According to Romans 6:23, after its long emphasis on the fallen state of humanity, says that the wages of sin are death. In contrast, our reward in Jesus is eternal life, and because that contrast is being made, we know that death is referred to as a spiritual death, since we know that all men have eternal life in a literal sense, that is, we are all immortal. But obviously eternal life in the sense used in Romans 6:23 means a fulfilled life in union with God, so death must have an opposite spiritual meaning. So, let us grant, for the sake of argument, to the anabaptist that we only inherit sins consequences. What are the consequences? Separation from God. A dead relationship with God. This is a sufficient defeater for the anabaptist view on Original Sin.
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