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How are we affected by sin?
There are different schools of thought concerning the
extent that sin has affected us. Without a doubt, sin brings death (Rom. 6:23). Death is not a natural part
of God's creation. When sin entered the world, death came with it (Rom. 5:12). But, to what extent and how
deeply are we affected by sin? The Reformed theologians hold to the
doctrine of total depravity. This is the teaching that sin has affected
all of what the person is in body, soul, emotions, mind, and spirit.
Furthermore, the Reformed position states that the affect of sin on our
persons makes unbelievers incapable of choosing God their own since sin
has left us dead, blind (Eph. 2:3), and incapable of understanding
spiritual things (1 Cor. 2:14).
In contrast, the Arminian position states that sin has
affected all of what we are, but that it has not incapacitated the free
will choices of the unbeliever. The Arminian position states that the
unbeliever is still capable of choosing or rejecting God on his own --
all he needs is some prompting from the Holy Spirit.
Nevertheless, the extent of the affect of sin upon us
will continue to be debated by Christian theologians since the Scripture
does not explicitly declare its depth.
Since has also affected us by its influence on the
world. All we need to do is look around us to see that we grow
old, gets sick, and die. In other words, the world is decaying and we
first notice it in our own bodies. We also see the affect of sin
on societies that war against each other. There is mayhem, killing,
theft, adulteries, murders, lying, etc.. Our jails are filled with
those who are ruled by sin -- which is rebellion against God's truth.
Also, sin has affected the world in that there are
floods, earthquakes, storms, etc. These are the result of an
imperfect world with sin running through it. when Adam fell, the
world was affected by his fall. Adam represented all of the
created order since he was given dominion over it by God.
Therefore, when Adam rebelled he took the world with him in his fall and
as the Scripture says, it awaits its own deliverance:
"For the creation was subjected
to futility, not of its own will, but because of Him who subjected
it, in hope 21 that the creation itself also will be set
free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of
the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole
creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until
now," (Rom. 8:20).
Sin will finally be
remedied only by the return of Christ who will then destroy sin and
death completely. Until that day, we war against the sinfulness of our
fleshly bodies as well as the affects of it upon creation.
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