Are Men Born Sinners? - Library of Theology

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Thiessen, Henry C., Lectures in Systematic Theology, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, 1952. Westminster Confession
Appendix A The Nature and Attributes of Sin Man must sin to be a sinner. The foregoing statement may seem too obvious to need stating, and something that no one could deny. But those who advocate the doctrine of original sin both ignore what is clearly obvious and deny what is palpably undeniable. They teach that an infant who has never sinned is not only a sinner, but is guilty, condemned and under God's wrath. But, what is sin? The Bible says, "Sin is the transgression of the law." I John 3:4. But what law does a newborn baby transgress by being born? Has God given a law that makes it a sin to be born? But if children violate no law in being born, then they are surely not sinners. One might as well call a man a drunkard who has never tasted drink, or a man a thief who has never stolen, or a man a murderer who has never killed, as to say that an infant who has never sinned is a sinner. Or does God's law legislate over our nature, requiring us to be born with a certain nature? No, God has given no law requiring us to be born with a certain nature. The fact is that God is satisfied with the nature he has given us. He legislates only over the use we make of our nature. Since sin is the transgression of the law, an understanding of the nature of law will give us a clearer understanding of the nature of sin. 1. Law, in its generic sense, is any rule of action. 2. Physical law is a rule of necessary or involuntary action. The law of gravity is a physical law. The law of gravity is a rule of action that operates by a law of necessity or force as opposed to freedom and voluntary choice. 3. Moral law is a rule of free and intelligent action as opposed to involuntary or necessary action. It is the rule for the government of free and intelligent action, as opposed to necessary and unintelligent action. It is the law of liberty, as opposed to the law of necessity--of motive and free choice, as opposed to force of every kind. Moral law is primarily a rule of the direction of the action of free will and strictly of free will only.1 We see then what must be the necessary attributes of sin. They must be liberty, voluntariness, and intelligence. By the word intelligence, it is not meant that sin is a good or reasonable choice. It is meant that the choice to sin is made with the full knowledge that it is wrong. It is an intelligent choice because the sinner knows the moral character of his actions before he sins. He knows that he is doing wrong, and if he had no knowledge of right and wrong, he could not sin. Moral law, then, cannot govern the actions of
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Are Men Born Sinners? The Myth of O
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Appendix A: The Nature and Attribut
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and that he has been created with a
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are born: "The wicked are estranged
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We are the offspring of God. Acts 1
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Biblical proof-texts. It is these p
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not a substance. It has absolutely
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flesh and of the mind." And then, s
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Rom. 5:12-19 does not in any way te
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This is the incredible dogma that i
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And, If in Adam human nature as a w
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e disciplined and purified. He taug
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Even the most cultured Fathers from
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They being the root of all mankind,
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2. It means that, since we are the
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possible to make mankind miserable
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10. The fact that men will deny the
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think of the multitudes upon multit
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Part Two: Answering the Christian's
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men are tempted through the desires
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doctrine that Christians were now d
Page 43 and 44: Christ, he points out that Levi had
Page 45 and 46: Why? doth not the son bear the iniq
Page 47 and 48: Those who heartily believe in the d
Page 49 and 50: forth good fruit; but a corrupt tre
Page 51 and 52: appealing to the false logic that "
Page 53 and 54: commanded the sun and not the earth
Page 55 and 56: Second, the doctrine of original si
Page 57 and 58: Part Three: Implications of a False
Page 59 and 60: 5. It is a stumbling-block to the u
Page 61 and 62: The Bible says that God will "judge
Page 63 and 64: heathen philosophy, and was foisted
Page 65 and 66: would lose all its force and meanin
Page 67 and 68: In 426 or 427, it was reported to A
Page 69 and 70: But again, the doctrine of inabilit
Page 71 and 72: The doctrine of a natural inability
Page 73 and 74: they think reason is to be distrust
Page 75 and 76: art Four: Insurmountable Problems o
Page 77 and 78: sinned in Adam before they were bor
Page 79 and 80: Who will have all men to be saved,
Page 81 and 82: John wrote his epistles, condemning
Page 83 and 84: No man is able...by any grace recei
Page 85 and 86: means has been born and continues t
Page 87 and 88: Return to the Index Chapter 12: God
Page 89 and 90: Is God telling lies when he makes t
Page 91 and 92: 6. See further commentary on Romans
Page 93: Finney, Charles G., Lectures on Sys
Page 97 and 98: until they have a knowledge of good
Page 99 and 100: accountability, for this they had b
Page 101 and 102: Matt. 13:38-39; John 3:8; Rev. 12:9
Page 103 and 104: summing up of all he had said befor
Page 105 and 106: "The righteousness of the law" is "
Page 107 and 108: The Bible can be used to prove the
Page 109 and 110: constitution and this mental consti
Page 111 and 112: It follows that the elect may deman
Page 113 and 114: us certain irresistible convictions
Page 115 and 116: manifestly angry; but I do not reco
Page 117 and 118: Excerpts from Charles G. Finney's L
Page 119 and 120: where only the potency comes into a
Page 121 and 122: striking and melancholy evidences o
Page 123 and 124: this was through a degradation of t
Page 125 and 126: 12-21. This passage has been usuall
Page 127: 8. Moses Stuart, Commentary on Roma
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