Understanding Original Sin: Guilt, Pollution, and Redemption

Original guilt we are all guilty held guilty for that first sin of Adam it is imputed to us put to our account we are held in that way responsible for it now we come to consider the second aspect of this doctrine of original sins and that is what is known as original pollution because you remember the moment Adam sinned two things happened at once one was that he became guilty the second was that a change took place in him he was not the same as he was before changes took place in him which we have considered now the doctrine of original sin says that both those consequences that happen to Adam devolve upon us also so that we are guilty of original pollution as well as original sin. [00:01:09]

This pollution from which we all suffer as the result of Adam's sin is not merely a disease it is a sinful and therefore a guilty condition it is merely that we are suffering from a disease but we are guilty because we are polluted it is something which must be regarded therefore partly in that legal manner another thing we must be careful to observe about it is this we must not say that it mean that it means that there has been a change in the substance of the Soul you may ask me what you mean by substance of the soul I mean by that it's Constitution we don't know what that comes stitution is as we have seen but we must speak very careful not to say that it means any change in the soul as such uh it isn't a kind of substantial change in that way but it is rather a change along the lines which I shall proceed to elaborate. [00:03:14]

The Bible says that sin is positive it isn't the absence of goodness it is the positive presence of evil and of Badness man not only is not what he ought to be he is what he ought not to be and that is something which we must emphasized because it's emphasized constantly as I'm going to show you in a few minutes in the scriptures themselves now then how does this condition this absence of original righteousness and the presence of of positive evil manifest itself in Fallen men how does it manifest itself in all of us and here again there is a two-fold division which is taught and emphasized right through the scriptures the terms generally used are these first it shows itself in what is called total depravity. [00:05:27]

Total depravity does not mean that men is incapable of admiring virtue or incapable of disinterested feelings and actions you notice you see why I'm emphasizing these negatives ah says your modern psychologist and as I say unfortunately many Christians I can't abide this doctrine of total depre it it can't be right to say look at many men who are not Christians they've got ideas of virtue they try to do good they may be idealistic quite so I say total depravity does not mean that a man doesn't recognize virtue or that he's incapable of disinterested feelings and actions it's not a part of the definition of total depravity at all and the last negative is this we do not mean by total depravity that every unregenerate person will indulge in every form of sin it doesn't mean that either. [00:08:49]

Well positively it means this that Fallen men or man in his Fallen condition has an inherently corrupt nature which extends to every part of his being every faculty of his soul and body it means that man as the result of the sin of adamant of the Fall has this corrupt condition which applies to every faculty of his soul and of his body another thing it means is this that there is no observe the adjective there is no spiritual good in it oh yes there's a a good deal of natural good there's a good deal of natural morality he can recognize Pagan virtue yes but there is no spiritual good whatsoever in him that's what it does mean or if you like to elaborate it a bit more you can put it like this men in a state of total depravity every unregenerate men is at enmity against God that's a great characteristic always of total depravity he is naturally at eny against God and God's holy law. [00:09:41]

The term flesh in Scripture often refers to the principle in human nature that resists God's law and wars against the Spirit. It represents our estrangement from divine life and highlights the internal struggle between our sinful nature and the Spirit's influence. The flesh lusteth against the spirit and the spirit lusteth against the flesh it's that principle in Fallen men which Wars against the spirit and resists the law of God or if you like a still simpler definition you can describe it as human nature in its estrangement from the Divine life and I think that's as good as any but but perhaps strangely enough the best way to understand this term the flesh is to take that famous statement which our Lord made to Nicodemus you'll find it in John 3:6 that which is born of the flesh is flesh that which is born of the spirit is Spirit. [00:20:38]

Men in this fleshly condition in this uh state of depravity is one isai who has become utterly lopsided Paul describes him you remember in the second chapter of the epistle to the Ephesians and in the second verse is saying that he is guilty of being controlled by lusts of the Flesh and of the Mind something which people forget everybody recognizes lusts of the flesh but according to the Apostle Paul lusts of the Mind are as bad as lusts of the flesh for men was never meant to be controlled by his mind anymore than he was meant to be controlled by his body he was meant to be controlled by the spiritual but that I say has been lost as the result of sin and the fall and man if feel like has become exentric he's not at home he's not balanced he's lopsided he hasn't got his balance some men are controlled entirely by their bodies eating and drinking and various other things yes but others you see who are not guilty of that can be equally in a state of lust and equally In the Flesh because they're controlled by their Earthbound Minds by their own Thoughts by the philosophies of men and not by God's revelation and not by God's spirit. [00:26:44]

The Bible teaches that man is totally incapable I'm emphasizing both terms man is as the result of sin totally incapable what do I mean by that well again I don't mean that he cannot perform any natural good of course he can it's obvious it doesn't mean that he's incapable of civil or Civic good and righteousness of course he is his history proves that even though it doesn't even mean that he's not capable of an external kind of religion he is capable of that a man can be very religious and yet we still serve him that he's totally depraved and totally incapable well how do you show it well like this he is totally incapable in this sense that all his actions are defective good though they may be in many ways because they are not prompted by a love of God and a love to God and because they're not prompted by a concern about the will and the glory of God so though they may be ethically and morally good in and of themselves they're useless because their motive is not true. [00:31:34]

He cannot do any act which fundamentally meets God's approval he cannot do anything which fundamentally meets the demands of God's law there is none righteous know not one all have sinned and come short of the glory of God you read the third chapter of the epistle to the Romans and there you'll find it stated very clearly all the goodness of the world is as filthy RS all the goodness is as dung and refug and lust ultimately it has no better because it cannot satisfy God's ultimate approval or his law but we also mean this by total incapacity or total incapability that men cannot change his fundamental preference for sin and self he cannot change his own nature I go further he cannot even make an approach to such a change men cannot get rid of the depravity I've been defiling he can't even make an approach to getting of it fundamentally he can do nothing about his forign condition his fundamental total depravity and inability. [00:32:47]

Despite this bleak picture, there is hope. God, in His infinite love, provided a promise of deliverance through the seed of the woman, who would bruise the serpent's head. This promise was fulfilled in Jesus Christ, who bore our sins and offers us salvation, restoring us to a state even greater than before the fall. Into that awful condition there came a promise and the thing I think that will Fascinate us and charm us throughout eternity is this is that the promise came from the very God against whom men Rebel and still more amazing and remarkable is that it came almost immediately after man had rebelled for the promise was given to men even before he was Thrust out of Paradise The Promise was given to him even in the very Garden where in his utter Folly he listened to the devil and and fell and brought all these horrible consequences upon himself even then without any delay this amazing God whom we worship and adore in his Everlasting and eternal love gave the promise the seed of the woman shall bruise the Serpent's head there is going to be a Deliverance a savior as salvation and God's Universe men supremely shall not only be restored to what it was before but even something Beyond it. [00:40:07]

The Son of God gave himself and bore our sins in his own body on the tree that we being dead to sins should live unto righteousness let us pray great God of Wonders all thy ways are Godless Godlike matchless and divine but the fair glories of thy Grace oh God they stagger us and stand out in a more matchless manner than anything else who is a pardoning God Like thee or who has Grace so rich and free oh Lord we pray thee to enable us to see this more than ever before Oh God we thank thee for even the searching of Thy word which humbles us and humiliates us to the dust and strips us of all our self-righteousness and selfreliance and reveals us unto ourselves in all our wretchedness and vess and hopelessness we thank thee for it all because it is only as we realize that we realize something of that love so amazing and so Divine that gave itself even unto the death of the cross that we might be rescued and redeemed we would say thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift Lord accept our unworthy praise and adoration. [00:41:39]