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NASB | Romans 5:12 ¶ Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned-- |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Romans 5:12 ¶ Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, so death spread to all people [no one being able to stop it or escape its power], because they all sinned. |
Subject: Is sin inherited from father and mother? |
Bible Note: I wish we didn't see things so different. You've probably heard of Hal Lindsey, author of the best seller Late Great Planet Earth. Lindsey predicted many things that never came to pass and should be discredited today as a false teacher. But alas, he still gets plenty of attention. Let me share with you something he wrote recently that illustrates how confused he is about the most elemental and essential things of Jesus Christ. He writes, "Why is the virgin birth of Christ so important? Since the sin of the human race is passed down through the father, Jesus had to be born without a human father. Otherwise He would have been born with the same curse of sin upon him as the rest of mankind. Thus He would not have qualified to bear the penalty of sin for us. He had to have a human mother to have a true human nature, but as the Scripture clearly states, God Himself was the father of His human nature. ("Born of a Virgin", World Net Daily, Accessed: Feb. 14, 2003) Lindsey answers a very good question about why the virgin birth by giving a completely wrong reason for the necessity of it. He says Jesus had to be born of a virgin because if he was Joseph's biological son, Jesus would have been born depraved: he would have been born with Adam's sin. Without any explanation, he makes the confident assertion that a "sin nature" is passed on, and only through the father. This doctrine is so off the wall, so ridiculous, that it hardly deserves a response. But this doctrine is also commonly taught. This doctrine of paternal heredity of original sin helps Lindsey keep Jesus without sin. This doctrine is completely unnecessary when you understand that SIN IS NOT PASSED DOWN. "The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him" (Ezekiel 18:20) Paul tells us why 'death spreads to all men." Most people only quote part of Romans 5:12, and leave of the last words which say "BECAUSE ALL SINNED." Death did not spread to all men by virtue of passed down sin through the father, but death spread to all men because all men do what Adam did: they disobey God. Jesus was not born of God--instead of Joseph--to prevent His being born with sin. Jesus was born of God because God wanted to come and dwell as a man and experience everything that man experiences, 'yet without sin'' (see Philippians 2:5ff). Lindsey digs himself into deeper error by saying, "He had to have a human mother to have a true human nature." What exactly does that mean? Does he really believe that only the female has a "true human nature" and men don't! Let me illustrate how ridiculous this doctrine is. Suppose a man and woman have a son and daughter. According to Lindsey, the sin nature and 'curse of sin' would be transferred not through the mother, but through the father. Would Lindsey say that the sin nature is passed on only to the son and not to the daughter? Does the son inherit the sin nature while the daughter retains a "true human nature?" If the doctrine of original sin were true, then why wouldn't Mary's father have "passed down" the sin nature to her? Catholics don't try getting away with the idea that women have a purer nature than men, instead they deal with the so-called ''original sin'' by making Mary's birth a miraculous event whereby she was spared from receiving the "sin nature." Both doctrines are wrong but necessary if you believe in "original sin." Lindsey: "Since the sin of the human race is passed down through the father, Jesus had to be born without a father." Here is an example of one error begetting another error. The first error being his teaching that "sin is passed down." The second error being his explanation that the sin nature is passed down through the biological father. The third error being his explanation of why it was fine for Jesus to be born of a woman because the woman has a "true human nature." Those who hold this doctrine believe that children are lost in sin. Many denominations have children ministries so they can "save" those little kids before they die and go to hell for Adam's sin. Still others accept the doctrine of original sin and give infants a modified "baptism" for the forgiveness of sins (Catholicism, Lutheranism). Error begets error. Jesus was born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14) because God wanted His Son to be human, flesh. Jesus was "the only begotten of God"-and not Joseph's biological son-- because He was part of the eternal Godhead. If both parents of Jesus were human, then Jesus would not be anything other than human. There is no such thing as an inherited sin nature that is PASSED DOWN through the Father, contrary to what Hal Lindsey says. - disciplerami |