Bible Question:
Rom 7:9 I was once alive apart from the Law; but when the commandment came, sin became alive and I died; I'm just a little curious on this one. It seems to challenge the doctrine of "original sin" as I normally hear it taught, which, as generally accepted doctrines go, I think is a little weak anyway. To me, it's not a big big deal, (which is cool) but it makes me wonder if Paul, when he said "all have sinned" didn't intend for us to include the very young, or even perhaps the mentally incompetent. Don't you think you have to understand what "sin" is before you can place faith in a savior? What does it mean to you, Berean, (or anyone else of course)that you were once alive, but then at some later time sin became alive in you and you died? My thinking is that by the time I could feel guilty for doing something wrong or hurtful, I was a sinner. Thanks, Rob |
Bible Answer: That is a good question. We don't have to understand what sin is. Think about it..do you have any kids? Take some time out and just sit around some little kids...and watch their behavior. Some is learned others are not. My daughter didn't like sharing anything with any kids. How did she learn that behavior. One word..it is natural, the human spirit is self centered from the start. It can appear as some one who doesn't know any better hasn't sinned. Yet we cannot deny that fact that sin exist within them. There is the potential for sin to arise...and it always does. I was once alive before the commandment came, but my life on earth in this fleshly body is not alive in spirit. It is spiritually dead. So in essence any action I do will seem right to me. I won't think it is wrong. Read Galatians chapter 5. We cannot sneak around the issue of sin with clauses or loop holes. Then if we did God is not all powerful and knowing as we claim him to be. Trust me i used to think I was the nicest kid around growing up. But I lied, cheated, was cunning and wished evil things on people. All in my mind. Which could have lead to action if possible. In verse 19 of Chapter 5 in Galatians it mentioned 'fits of anger'...which is a sin. Now tell me who in the world has never had a fit of anger? Everyone has from the littlest child to the oldest man. I don't think Paul was trying to exclude young people and the mentally incompotent. God has created us all...compotent and incompotent, sane and insane. The evil things I did before salvation didn't seem evil to me...but after the commandments came, I recognized the evil within me. See Col 3:5-10..I hope I made some sense. The Berean |