Arriving at an understanding of original sin based upon Romans 5:12-19
by George Sidney Hurd Especially in recent years, there has been much controversy concerning the doctrine of original sin. While most Christians would agree that sin and death had their origin in Adam, there has been much disagreement as to whether sin and death come to us because of Adam’s original sin, or because each of us subsequently sin. If all sinned in Adam, does that mean that we inherited his guilt, or did we simply inherit the consequences of Adam’s disobedience? Are we sinners from conception, or are babies a clean slate, only to subsequently become sinners due to external influences? I believe and hope to demonstrate that the answers to these questions and more can be found in a straightforward understanding of what Paul sets forth in Romans 5:12-19 where the entire human race that fell in Adam is seen to have been recapitulated in Christ, the last Adam. Here I cite the entire passage: “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned — 13 for until the Law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. 14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the offense (παράβασις, transgression) of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. 15 But the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many. 16 The gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned; for on the one hand the judgment arose from one transgression resulting in condemnation, but on the other hand the free gift arose from many transgressions resulting in justification. 17 For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ. 18 So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men. 19 For as through the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous.” (Romans 5:12-19 NASU) The main objective of Paul in these verses is to show that, just as one man’s singular act of disobedience brought the condemnation of death upon all men, even so, Christ’s one act of obedience brought the justification of life to all men (v 18). He starts out by saying in verse 12: “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned.” There has been much debate concerning what Paul meant when he said that sin and death entered the world “because all sinned.” Historically the Church has held that “because all sinned” means that we all sinned in Adam as the original father and representative head of humanity. However, some argue that the phrase, “because all sinned” is not to be understood as saying that all sinned in Adam, but that we all die because we all personally commit sin. However, there are at least three reasons why this cannot be the correct understanding. 1.The Parallel Typology In the first place, if it were saying that all die because of something we subsequently do, rather than because of Adam’s one act of disobedience, then the parallel between that which Adam’s one act of disobedience brought upon all, and that which Christ’s one act of obedience brought upon that same all, breaks down. It is not something we continue doing which results in the justification resulting in life for all, but Christ’s one act of obedience that brings justification and life to all (v.8). Irenaeus (130 to 202 AD), having known Polycarp, a disciple of John, is known for his Recapitulation Theory of the Atonement. This important aspect of the atonement is based upon this passage in Romans 5 and Ephesians 1:10. He correctly understood the phrase “because all sinned” as meaning that we all sinned in Adam at the beginning. He said: “For we were debtors to none other but to Him whose commandment we had transgressed at the beginning.” [1] Instead of saying that Adam transgressed the commandment at the beginning, he says in agreement with Paul in Romans 5:12 that we transgressed. While the detractors of the doctrine of original sin often attribute it to St. Augustine (354 to 430 AD), we see that, while Augustine further developed the doctrine (in my opinion overdeveloped it by adding original guilt), it did not originate with him. He himself denied that it originated with him, saying: “It was not I who devised the original sin, which the catholic faith holds from ancient times; but you, who deny it, are undoubtedly an innovating heretic. In the judgment of God, all are in the devil’s power, born in sin, unless they are regenerated in Christ.”[2] The heretics he is addressing are the Pelagianists. Historically, those who have most resisted the doctrine of original sin and Christ’s imputed righteousness have been the Pelagianists who believe that one doesn’t need Christ’s imputed righteousness in order to be saved. They believe that one can be saved by their own obedience through divine grace. Those of us who believe that Christ indeed recapitulated all humanity in Christ, the last Adam, should be among the most zealous in preserving the flow of Paul’s logic in this passage. 2. The Grammatical Construction There are several grammatical reasons why the phrase “because all sinned” cannot be construed as meaning that we die because we sin, rather than because all sinned in Adam. It is commonly argued that the reason why we have come to understand it to be referring to Adam’s original sin is because Augustine used Jerome’s Latin Vulgate where the Greek (ἐφ᾿ ᾧ, eph ho), was rendered as a relative clause, “in whom (Lat., in quo) all have sinned.” They are correct in saying that this reading is in error, since the Greek pronoun ᾧ (which), is neuter, while Adam is masculine. Most scholars agree that ἐφ᾿ ᾧ should be understood in the causal sense – “because all sinned.” Only a few, in an attempt to deny the doctrine of original sin, argue that it should be understood in the resultative sense: “with the result that all sinned.” However, another grammatical consideration is that it doesn’t say “because all have sinned” (perfect tense) or “because all sin” (present). Rather, it is the aorist tense of the verb “because all sinned (ἥμαρτον).” By far the most common use of the aorist tense in Greek in the indicative is to refer to an action which occurred in the past. One debater who took the position against the doctrine of original sin argued that ἥμαρτον should be understood as a gnomic aorist which expresses a universal truth. This would mean that it should have been rendered “because all sin.” This is a rare use of the aorist which only applies when the context demands it. However, the context actually militates against this use of the aorist. In verses 13 and 14 Paul makes it clear that he meant to say that all sinned in Adam. 3.Even those not legally guilty of Sin die Perhaps the greatest indicator that Paul meant to say that all sinned in Adam is what he says in the following verses. In verses 13 and 14 he actually demonstrates the point that he made in verse 12 – that all die because of Adam’s sin, rather than for subsequent personal sins. He does this by pointing out that all died during the time between Adam and Moses when personal sins were not imputed against sinners. He explains: “for until the Law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. 14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the offense (παράβασις, transgression) of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.” By “the likeness of Adam’s transgression” he means a transgression which carried the death penalty. His logic is that, although there was no law which involved a death penalty between the time of Adam and Moses when the Law was given, prescribing the death penalty for sins, everyone nevertheless died. This demonstrates that they all died, not because of their own sins, but because of Adam’s original sin. No one transgressed a law with the death penalty between Adam and Moses, yet everyone during that time still died. Therefore, all die due to Adam’s sin, not their own sins. He couldn’t have made his point any clearer. Another evidence that Paul didn’t mention which demonstrates that everyone dies as a result of Adam’s one transgression and not due to personal sins is the fact that over a hundred million die every year without ever having sinned. I am referring to all the aborted babies and infants who die without ever having committed a single sin. Having established that sin and death entered by one man’s transgression, he then proceeds to present the other one Man, Jesus Christ, as the antitype of Adam saying in verses 15 and 16, “But the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many. 16 The gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned; for on the one hand the judgment arose from one transgression resulting in condemnation, but on the other hand the free gift arose from many transgressions resulting in justification.” Notice that Paul’s emphasis here is that, just as it was by the one man, Adam alone that the condemnation of death came upon all without any contribution on our part, even so it was by the one Man, Jesus Christ alone, that the free gift of justification of life came upon all without any contribution from us. Typically, those who argue that we die because of something we do (sinning), also believe that the justification unto life comes to us, not solely as the free gift of the one Man, Jesus Christ, but also as a result of something we subsequently do. When Paul says here that “the many” died in Adam, he is not contradicting himself when he says that condemnation and death come to “all men” in Adam in verses 12 and 18 or that “in Adam ‘all’ die” in 1Corinthians 15:22. Likewise, when he says that the free gift of justification abounds to “the many” in Christ, he is not contradicting himself when he says in verse 18 that His one act of righteousness resulted in justification of life to “all men” or that “in Christ ‘all’ shall be made alive” in 1Corinthians 15:22. Paul is simply emphasizing the effect that the one individual had over the many. In Scripture “many” is often used to refer to all. That is why when Paul said that Christ gave Himself a ransom for all in 1Timothy 2:6, He was not contradicting Jesus when He said that He came to give His life a ransom for many (Matt 20:28). Many, interpreting the next verse in isolation from its context, have misunderstood it as saying that only those who actively receive the justification of life will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ. In verse 17 Paul says: “For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive (οἱ λαμβάνοντες) the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.” There are two ways in which the phrase, “those who receive” (οἱ λαμβάνοντες), can be understood: 1) to actively take or receive, or 2) to receive as a passive recipient. The context must determine whether the receiving is passive or active. For example, in several New Testament passages we see that the recipient must receive something he did not even desire to receive, such as a just reward for his disobedience (Heb 2:2), or a greater judgment (Luke 20:47). In other instances, the recipient receives that which he was not even anticipating. For example, everyone in Cornelius’ house was surprised when the Gentiles suddenly received the Holy Spirit (Acts 10:47). In these examples it is obvious that the recipient is passive. Scholars are divided as to whether (οἱ λαμβάνοντες) in verse 17 should be understood in the active sense or in the passive sense. Arminian scholars generally understand it in the active sense as something we must do. On the other hand, St. Augustine and Calvinists generally understand it in the passive sense, emphasizing the divine initiative. The highly esteemed Greek scholar Marvin Vincent correctly applies the passive meaning to Romans 5:17. He says: “They which receive (hoi lambanontes). Not ‘believingly accept,’ but simply ‘the recipients.” [3] Although he does not go into further detail, his rendering of οἱ λαμβάνοντες in the passive sense is necessitated by the context. The contrast throughout is between what all men receive in Adam as opposed to what all men receive in Christ - the Last Adam. As all men passively receive death, condemnation and bondage to sin through the one man’s disobedience, even so all receive life, justification, and dominion restored, through the one man, Christ. I think it is significant that Irenaeus who is known for the Recapitulation Theory of the Atonement, understood οἱ λαμβάνοντες here in the passive sense, as did Origen and Gregory of Nyssa, believing as they did that eventually all will have been reunited in Christ, resulting in God being all in all (Eph 1:10; 1Cor 15:28). In light of the following verse, it becomes undeniable that Paul meant to say that all will be the recipients of grace unto justification and life through the One, Jesus Christ. In verse 18 Paul draws his conclusion saying: “So then, as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men.” In no uncertain terms Paul makes it clear that all who came under the condemnation of death in Adam will receive justification and life in Christ, the Last Adam. However, that being said, even as not every man experientially entered into Adam’s death, condemnation and bondage to sin at the moment Adam sinned, in like manner, not everyone experientially received life, justification or dominion restored at the moment when Christ - the Last Adam, died and rose from the dead. Even as one must be born into Adam in order to experience the death, condemnation and bondage to sin he brought upon us all, so also every man must be made alive or born again before experientially entering into that justification and dominion which every man received when Christ the Last Adam died and rose again. Of the Last Adam’s death and resurrection, it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being. The last Adam became a life-giving spirit” (1Cor 15:45). And again, “as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive” (1Cor 15:22). We inherited Death from Adam, not Guilt The condemnation which came upon all men for Adam’s one transgression was death, not guilt. Only Adam was guilty for his transgression. A person is only guilty for the sins they personally commit. None of the Church Fathers prior to Augustine in the 5th century taught that we inherited Adam’s guilt. While they believed, as we see here in Romans 5, that Adam’s original sin brought death and corruption to all his progeny, they did not teach that one inherited guilt from the womb as Augustine taught. God told Adam that he would die in the day that he ate from the tree. While he didn’t die physically that same day, he did die spiritually. He lost the beatific vision of God and was cast from the garden of Eden. In the garden before the fall, Adam and Eve were predominately spirit, even though they had a body of flesh. This loss of communion with God in their spirit resulting in them becoming predominately flesh (Gen 6:3). While we are born without having sinned, this spiritual death or absence of communion with God, resulted in us being sinners from the womb with a proclivity towards sin. In verse 19 Paul says that Adam’s one act of disobedience constituted the many or all sinners: “For as through the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners (καθίστημι, ‘constituted sinners’), even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous (καθίστημι, ‘constituted righteous’).” As many as have been born of Adam were constituted sinners because of his one act of disobedience. In Adam we are sinners by nature even before we commit our first sin. We don’t become sinners by sinning: rather, we sin because in Adam we are sinners by nature from the womb. As David says in Psalm 51:5: “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me.” Those who deny original sin have difficulty with this straightforward statement from the Old Testament affirming the doctrine of original sin. They often argue that David was using exaggerated speech and since it is poetry it shouldn’t be taken literally. However, it seems that from the Apostolic Period, long before Augustine in the 5th century, the Church Fathers understood it literally. Commenting on Psalm 58:3 Irenaeus said: “As also David says, ‘The alienated are sinners from the womb: they go astray as soon as they are born.’" [3] As Paul said in Ephesians 2:3, prior to receiving a new nature through regeneration and having the righteousness of Christ, the Last Adam, imputed to us, we were “by nature children of wrath, just as the others.” Although often ridiculed, the saying is true: “We are not sinners because we sin, but rather we sin because we are sinners.” Logically, according to verse 19, those who deny that we were constituted sinners by one man’s act of disobedience must also deny that we were constituted righteous by Christ’s one act of obedience. Those who say that we are only sinners because we sin, typically say that we are only righteous because we stop sinning, rather than us being constituted righteous before God due to Christ’s righteousness having been imputed to us. To me, those who oppose the historic doctrine of original sin and Christ’s imputed righteousness deny truths central to the gospel and are those whom Paul refers to as enemies of the cross of Christ, reducing His atoning death on the cross to nothing more than an example to follow. It concerns me to see so many enamored with the writings of George MacDonald, considering his contempt for the doctrine of Christ’s imputed righteousness through simple faith in Christ’s finished work on the cross. He said: “- some of you say we must trust in the finished work of Christ; or again, our faith must be in the merits of Christ in the atonement he has made in the blood he has shed. All these statements are a simple repudiation of the living Lord, in whom we are told to believe, who, by his presence with and in us, and our obedience to him, lifts us out of darkness into light...” [4] "And any system which tends to persuade men that…a man is saved by having his sins hidden under a robe of imputed righteousness – that system…is of the devil and not of God." [5] Many today, even among those of us who profess to believe that all mankind was recapitulated in Christ and therefore all will finally be restored, reject the words of Paul here when he says that the free gift of justification came to all by the One Man, Christ (v.15), and that Christ’s one act of righteousness resulted in justification of life to all men (v.18). More often than not, they also deny the doctrine of original sin: that all sinned in Adam, and for that reason sin and death passed upon all, resulting in all being constituted sinners by nature (vv. 12,19). As Paul said of some: “For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God” (Rom 10:3). May we be found in Him, not trusting in our own righteousness but the righteousness which is by the faith of Jesus (Phil 3:9). [1] Irenaeus, Against Heresies, book 5:16:3 [2] Augustine of Hippo, “On Marriage and Concupiscence,” in Saint Augustin: Anti-Pelagian Writings, ed. Philip Schaff, trans. Peter Holmes, vol. 5, A Select Library of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, First Series (New York: Christian Literature Company, 1887), 293. [3] Irenaeus Against Heresies Book 3:5:1 [4] MacDonald, George . Unspoken Sermons Series I, II, and III (p. 147). [5] MacDonald, George . Unspoken Sermons Series I, II, and III (p. 100). 
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