Original Sin And Human Ontology - Part 1
Author: Pastor John Smith
September 14, 2020
Original Sin and Human Ontology Part 1
While I am sitting here in the room abandoned by my eldest daughter as she embarks on the journey called marriage, I have begun to contemplate the years that she has spent in my home as I tried to give her growing room that did not violate the most basic concepts of Christianity and a Biblical Worldview. However, I need to be honest with you that I have also been on a journey of self-discovery. I have been attempting to have a peek into the Essentials of my being. I have been asking probing questions, such as; Who I Am and Why Do I?
I do realize that these are unsettling questions for a Man of God to be asking, especially a Man of God who has been preaching since he was thirteen years old and has been the Lead/Senior Pastor of some great churches that house some of the finest Christians that one would ever meet. If anyone should have a grasp on these two questions it ought to be me! But....nevertheless, I have been asking these two questions for some time. Who am I? I am not naïve I do realize and recognize who my parents are and understand in a general fashion my ancestry. I know that I am a son, a brother, a cousin, a uncle, a husband (maybe I should have put that first), a dad, and a follower of Christ as defined by the Christian Scriptures. I also realize and recognize that I am a theologian of sorts.
I believe the Bible to be the literal Word of God and without error in its original writing (we theologians call it the Autographa). But...Who am I? Now, I do believe that in order for me to understand this all-encompassing question I must turn to the pages of Scripture and remind myself that the Bible does a great job defining who all men and women are collectively and individually. It states that we (humanity) are all SINNERS! It also states that I, John Smith, am a SINNER! This is my designation even outside of the collective.
I am informed by the Scriptures in Genesis 3 when it says that Adam and Eve ate fruit from the forbidden tree in the midst of the garden. When this intentional act of rebellion was exhibited it created a worm hole that sucked everyone into who would discover their ancestry in Adam (by the way that is every human). The Bible calls this our sin nature. This gives me deep insight on who I am. I am someone who has been corrupted by internal rebellion against the things of God. I inherited this obstinance from my first parents, Adam and Eve! I understand that many theologians attempt to prove man’s sinfulness by proving that Adam and Eve sinned, but the truth is, as it relates to every human, you don’t need to go back that far. You can travel back with me to this morning when I was driving to work as I was exceeding the posted speed limit ( I do this a lot)! Because I intentionally rebelled against the laws of the land that did not contradict or oppose the laws of God, I sinned!
Thereby, I proved to everyone and even to myself that one of my defining characteristics is that I am a SINNER, even away from the collective. My nature is corrupted and without any provocation at all. I always (without the intervention of God) want to do things my way. So, as I travel this road of self-discovery, I am realizing anew just like the Apostle Paul, when I want to do good I find myself doing exactly the opposite because the members of my flesh are at war against my Spirit Man. Paul said, who will deliver me from this body that is taking me to death! Then he ended by saying, thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ! I tell myself to rejoice in Jesus and not point the finger at anyone else because if it was not for the grace of God in my life, I could potentially be the worst mass murderer or other vile thing in the history of mankind because I am corrupted. But...the difference maker is that Christ has come into my life and claimed me as his own
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