on terms they did not select (so-called "total depravity"), under impossible handicaps they did not choose (depraved in will and 'dead in trespasses and sins')and
they did not themselves plunge into original sin
I am not certain if John Phillips is outright denying Original Sin, but reading this statement certainly causes one to wonder if Phillips has any idea as to the nature of his own sin or the Scriptural teaching of Federalism.Romans 5 clearly teaches that all men die for one reason. That reason is all men are united under Adam's headship. When Adam sinned, all of mankind sinned in him. Adam's sin is imputed to every man. If we deny this clear teaching of Scripture, then we by definition undercut the imputation of Christ's righteousness by faith alone.
Another aspect of this quote is that Adam did not choose to sin and embrace the consequences for that sin. God specifically told Adam that in the day he ate of that fruit, he would surely die. Apparently, Mr. Phillips (and I assume Wiemers) do not believe that Adam died. Perhaps he was mostly dead?
A common misunderstanding among Christians is that sin touches every aspect of our lives except our wills. For some reason, our wills are left floating in mid air and untouched by sin. It is as if our wills are not really a part of our very sinful souls. In essence, the human will seems to be thought of as being morally neutral.
This position also assumes that if God gives a commandment, man must have the ability to carry out that commandment. Yet Paul tells us in Romans 3 that the law was not given so that we could obey God, but instead was given to increase our knowledge of our own sin. Romans 3:20
by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.God's sovereign grace may be anathema to Phillips and Wiemers, but that is because they do not recognize how great their fall in Adam is and how great God's grace truly is.
No comments:
Post a Comment