Systematic Theology, by Louis Berkhof - New Leaven

Propagation of Sin 34 gave a rather detailed and interesting account of the origin of sin
from the evolutionary point of view. He realizes that man could not very well derive sin
from his animal ancestors, since these had no sin. This means that the impulses,
propensities, desires, and qualities which man inherited from the brute cannot
themselves be called sin. In his estimation these constitute only the material of sin, and
do not become actual sins until the moral consciousness awakens in man, and they are
left in control in determining the actions of man, contrary to the voice of conscience, and
to ethical sanctions. He holds that in the course of his development man gradually
became an ethical being with an indeterminate will, without explaining how such a will
is possible where the law of evolution prevails, and regards this will as the only cause of
sin. He defines sin “as an activity of the will expressed in thought, word, or deed
contrary to the individual’s conscience. to his notion of what is good and right, his
knowledge of the moral law and the will of God.” 35 As the human race develops, the
ethical standards become more exacting and the heinousness of sin increases. A sinful
environment adds to the difficulty of refraining from sin. This view of Tennant leaves
no room for the fall of man in the generally accepted sense of the word. As a matter of
fact, Tennant explicitly repudiates the doctrine of the fall, which is recognized in all the
great historical confessions of the Church. Says W. H. Johnson: “Tennant’s critics are
agreed that his theory leaves no room for that cry of the contrite heart which not only
confesses to separate acts of sin, but declares; ‘I was shapen in iniquity; there is a law of
death in my members.’” 36
F. THE RESULTS OF THE FIRST SIN.
The first transgression of man had the following results:
1. The immediate concomitant of the first sin, and therefore hardly a result of it in
the strict sense of the word, was the total depravity of human nature. The contagion of
his sin at once spread through the entire man, leaving no part of his nature untouched,
but vitiating every power and faculty of body and soul. This utter corruption of man is
clearly taught in Scripture, Gen. 6:5; Ps. 14:3; Rom. 7:18. Total depravity here does not
mean that human nature was at once as thoroughly depraved as it could possibly
become. In the will this depravity manifested itself as spiritual inability.
34 Chap. III.
35 p. 163.
36 Can the Christian Now Believe in Evolution? p. 136.
246