Consequences of a Sinful Nature – 2

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If man is the heir of a sinful nature, implied, too, is the fact that God is unrighteous. In what manner may such be stated? When God created man, what is recorded about the manner after which man was formed? “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them” (Genesis 1:26a-27). In what way are we as mankind created in God’s own image? Coffman stated that the likeness of man to God is seen in such areas as “freedom of will, moral responsibility, intellectual achievement, and creativity” (Commentary on Genesis, pg. 39). Does anybody question the similarity in moral responsibility, intellect, or creativity? No credible religious figure does. But fix attention on the similarity in “freedom of will,” because if man is born with an inherent sinful nature, he has no free will but is wholly inclined toward sin. If that is so, and man is created in God’s own image, that, too, would imply God’s own guilt in being wholly inclined toward sin! Would anybody care to affix their name to such an affirmation? The obvious fact set forth is scripture is that God is perfect (Matthew 5:48), meaning He is without sin by nature. For man to be made in God’s image, he too must have been made without sin, entering into sin only after submitting by free will. It is clear that the Calvinistic doctrine of a “sinful nature” is blatantly contradictory to both God’s own nature and Divinely established truth; because if man is inherently inclined to sin, then God must be unrighteous.

If man has the sinful nature claimed by many in the world, then concluded also is the fact that God is unsuccessful. At what has God been unsuccessful? To answer, one must only ask what God’s foremost purpose toward man has been. On one occasion the Pharisees asked why Jesus was eating with publicans and sinners, to which Jesus responded: “They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick. But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Matthew 9:12-13). Later, to Zacchaeus, Jesus would state His purpose as: “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which is lost” (Luke 19:10). Who is it that was lost? The whole of mankind among whom sin was a problem (Romans 3:23). Why did sin cause mankind to be lost? John recorded about heaven that “there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie” (Revelation 22:27). Why? Because sin cannot dwell in the presence of God. Sin, literally, separates man from God (Isaiah 59:2) and any time sin has entered His presence, He has dispelled it. Therefore in the end, any who are found guilty of sin will be dispelled from His presence because they will not be able to abide in His eternal presence (Matthew 25:41,46). But some will say that that is where Christ’s sacrifice comes into effect, and those who otherwise are guilty can be made innocent. What, though, is one of the requirements of any who would be cleansed by the blood of Jesus? “I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3,5). Outside of a person’s willingness and ability to repent, no forgiveness can be forthcoming. However, if man has an inherent sinful nature, as is claimed, then he is wholly inclined toward sin, and thus does not have the capability of repenting. Repentance is the act of both inwardly and outwardly turning from sin. How, though, can one inclined toward sin by nature be expected to turn from sin ? If such is true, even God Himself does not have the power to save man according to His current means of salvation! Would anyone wish to step forward and affirm that God is unsuccessful in His attempt to save man? Then they must also step back from affirming an alleged “sinful nature,” because it concludes that God is, in fact, unsuccessful in such.

It is easy, and common, for people to affix their allegiance to a denominational belief based on tradition or popularity without ever considering the authority for or consequences of such. While many others could be cited, hopefully these few implications of an alleged “sinful nature” illustrate just how erroneous and evil it truly is. Be assured that in His love, God created man innocent and with freedom to choose the direction of their lives; and when we fail, He is both “faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

-Andy Brewer

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