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< > Note on various erroneous doctrines There are several erroneous teachings about the fall of man, which crept into the Church at a very early date and should be noted at this point; since not only have they led to wrong practices, but they have also clouded the minds of men and dimmed the glory of God, presenting such a picture of Him that, while men could still fear Him as the Almighty, they could neither respect His justice nor discover His love. 1. The soul of a baby is not hopelessly corrupt because of Adam's sin; it is its flesh only which is tainted; its soul and spirit are pure, being made by God. Mk. 10:14, Is. 57:3-7, 16, Eccl. 7:29, 12:7, Num. 16:22. 2. A child is not born dead in sin, alienated from God and without knowledge of Him. It is the sin which is dead; the child is alive. Rom. 1:19-21, Acts 17:27, Mt. 18:3-5, Rom. 7:8-9. — end of page 10 — 3. God (a) does not impute the sin of Adam to his children, nor (b) does He impute the righteousness of Christ to a Christian. (a) In Ezekiel 18, God clearly teaches that a man dies for his own sin, not his father's; and that it would be wholly unrighteous to blame one man for the sin of another. (II Chr. 25:3-4.) (b) Neither is the righteousness of Christ imputed to anyone; it is Christ's death which is imputed, suffered on our behalf. The moral perfection of Christ cannot be imputed to anyone; but it is imparted as we obey Him. Each man will receive the reward of his own deeds. (II Cor. 3:18, 5:10.) N.B. The Greek word dikaiosune has two meanings: (a) Justification when brought to trial by the Law; this can take place in two ways; 1. The evidence shows you not guilty; and you are discharged; 2. The evidence shows you guilty, but you. or someone else, pay the penalty. Thus the convict who has done his time is "justified" and no longer a convict: it is libellous to speak of him as such! (b) A moral character which deserves praise because, so far from breaking the Law, it goes the "second mile." "(a)2" is the condition of the sinner when saved; he is "freed from the Law." But God wants him to live so that he becomes "(b)" and is "saved with glory." (II Tim. 2:10, I Peter 1:17, Heb. 2:10.) 4. It is not true that God is angry with us, for our "fallen nature", and would be justified in condemning us to Hell for it. Out of this slander upon the justice of God has arisen the erroneous practice of Infant Baptism, which is an attempt to counter the supposed danger by means of Baptismal regeneration. If it were true that we were so born that sin is inevitable, not only would repentance be impossible, but we should have a perfect excuse for our sin, and could not possibly feel guilty. Historically and practically the doctrine that sin is inevitable always leads to this very frame of mind, an acquiescence in it as a regrettable necessity: humanum est errare! God, of course, could not and does not, condemn us for what we cannot avoid; neither could men repent of actions which were forced — end of page 11 — upon them by their nature. They could only grieve over the fact that they were so badly created: and for that they would of necessity blame, not themselves, but their Creator. Gen. 18:23-25, Rom. 3:5-6, Rom. 5:13. N.B.l. The fact that all men do as a matter of fact sin is not due to some taint of "original" sin in their nature which makes sin inevitable; but as the Bible says, to the fact that "all like sheep go astray." It is the herd instinct and the fear of standing alone which operates so powerfully. We are to confess Christ before men. Sin is not due to some flaw in the soul, but simply to the possession of free will. Both Adam and Eve sinned, though from different motives, in spite of the fact that they were created completely perfect in body, soul and spirit. Lucifer also sinned, though perfect in all his ways from the Creation. Perfection of creation is no safeguard against sin! (Eccl. 7:29, Ezekiel 28:12-15, Is. 53:6, Gen. 2:5-25.) Neither is perfection of surroundings a preventative. The first sins both in Heaven and Earth were committed under ideal conditions. N.B.2. Even perfect flesh, such as Adam and Eve possessed, was endowed by God with desires, which unless curbed by the soul would lead it to sin. The realisation that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasant to look at is put first in the motives that led to Eve's sin! The stronger the bodily instinct, the greater the danger of misuse. The strongest and most lovely of all physical instincts implanted by God, the sexual, is also the most dangerous unless ruled by the soul. The perfect flesh of the perfect man contained within it the possibility of temptation and sin just as inevitably as did the fallen flesh of Adam! The only safety of the most perfect flesh lies in its control by a wise and loving soul. (Gen. 3:6, Mt. 4:2-4, Mt. 26:41, I Cor. 9:27.) N.B.3. While it is true that Cain and Abel came into the world with smaller opportunities than Adam and Eve, since God no longer visited them intimately in the garden, it is also true (a) that God did not again ask so high a standard and (b) that Enoch walked with God and that Noah pleased Him. It is true that the fall of Adam brought the whole race down to a lower level of possibilities; it is also true that the lower level — end of page 12 — was capable of achievement, and that God could still be pleased with men. From Adam justification was no longer by works but by faith; and the rite of blood-sacrifice for sin was well known from Abel, who was the first of a long line of men who have pleased God by their faith. (Acts 10:35, Ezekiel 14:14, II Chron. 20:7, Heb. 11:1-40, Hab. 2:4.) 5. "As in Adam all die even so in Christ shall all be made alive" (I Cor. 15:22), does not refer to our souls, but to our bodies. If it did refer to our souls, it would be a powerful argument for Universalism! Adam died physically not because he sinned, but because God drove him from the Tree of Life; otherwise in spite of his sin he would have lived for ever. For the same reason all men suffer physical death. Hence all, including the wicked, will be raised from death by Christ. The death of this resurrection body in the Lake of Fire, which is the second time a man loses his body, i.e., his second death, will be for a man's own unrepented and hence unforgivable sin: and will be eternal, leaving the soul in hopeless impotence and anguish. (Acts 24:15, John 5:28-29, Rev. 20:11-15, Rom. 2:1-9, Mark 9:43-50, Gen. 3:22-24.) < >
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Note on various erroneous doctrines

There are several erroneous teachings about the fall of man, which crept into the Church at a very early date and should be noted at this point; since not only have they led to wrong practices, but they have also clouded the minds of men and dimmed the glory of God, presenting such a picture of Him that, while men could still fear Him as the Almighty, they could neither respect His justice nor discover His love.

1. The soul of a baby is not hopelessly corrupt because of Adam's sin; it is its flesh only which is tainted; its soul and spirit are pure, being made by God.
Mk. 10:14, Is. 57:3-7, 16, Eccl. 7:29, 12:7, Num. 16:22.

2. A child is not born dead in sin, alienated from God and without knowledge of Him. It is the sin which is dead; the child is alive.
Rom. 1:19-21, Acts 17:27, Mt. 18:3-5, Rom. 7:8-9.

— end of page 10 —

3. God (a) does not impute the sin of Adam to his children, nor (b) does He impute the righteousness of Christ to a Christian.

(a) In Ezekiel 18, God clearly teaches that a man dies for his own sin, not his father's; and that it would be wholly unrighteous to blame one man for the sin of another. (II Chr. 25:3-4.)

(b) Neither is the righteousness of Christ imputed to anyone; it is Christ's death which is imputed, suffered on our behalf. The moral perfection of Christ cannot be imputed to anyone; but it is imparted as we obey Him. Each man will receive the reward of his own deeds. (II Cor. 3:18, 5:10.)

N.B. The Greek word dikaiosune has two meanings: (a) Justification when brought to trial by the Law; this can take place in two ways; 1. The evidence shows you not guilty; and you are discharged; 2. The evidence shows you guilty, but you. or someone else, pay the penalty. Thus the convict who has done his time is "justified" and no longer a convict: it is libellous to speak of him as such! (b) A moral character which deserves praise because, so far from breaking the Law, it goes the "second mile."

"(a)2" is the condition of the sinner when saved; he is "freed from the Law." But God wants him to live so that he becomes "(b)" and is "saved with glory." (II Tim. 2:10, I Peter 1:17, Heb. 2:10.)

4. It is not true that God is angry with us, for our "fallen nature", and would be justified in condemning us to Hell for it. Out of this slander upon the justice of God has arisen the erroneous practice of Infant Baptism, which is an attempt to counter the supposed danger by means of Baptismal regeneration. If it were true that we were so born that sin is inevitable, not only would repentance be impossible, but we should have a perfect excuse for our sin, and could not possibly feel guilty. Historically and practically the doctrine that sin is inevitable always leads to this very frame of mind, an acquiescence in it as a regrettable necessity: humanum est errare! God, of course, could not and does not, condemn us for what we cannot avoid; neither could men repent of actions which were forced

— end of page 11 —

upon them by their nature. They could only grieve over the fact that they were so badly created: and for that they would of necessity blame, not themselves, but their Creator. Gen. 18:23-25, Rom. 3:5-6, Rom. 5:13.

N.B.l. The fact that all men do as a matter of fact sin is not due to some taint of "original" sin in their nature which makes sin inevitable; but as the Bible says, to the fact that "all like sheep go astray." It is the herd instinct and the fear of standing alone which operates so powerfully. We are to confess Christ before men.

Sin is not due to some flaw in the soul, but simply to the possession of free will. Both Adam and Eve sinned, though from different motives, in spite of the fact that they were created completely perfect in body, soul and spirit. Lucifer also sinned, though perfect in all his ways from the Creation. Perfection of creation is no safeguard against sin! (Eccl. 7:29, Ezekiel 28:12-15, Is. 53:6, Gen. 2:5-25.)

Neither is perfection of surroundings a preventative. The first sins both in Heaven and Earth were committed under ideal conditions.

N.B.2. Even perfect flesh, such as Adam and Eve possessed, was endowed by God with desires, which unless curbed by the soul would lead it to sin. The realisation that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasant to look at is put first in the motives that led to Eve's sin! The stronger the bodily instinct, the greater the danger of misuse. The strongest and most lovely of all physical instincts implanted by God, the sexual, is also the most dangerous unless ruled by the soul. The perfect flesh of the perfect man contained within it the possibility of temptation and sin just as inevitably as did the fallen flesh of Adam! The only safety of the most perfect flesh lies in its control by a wise and loving soul. (Gen. 3:6, Mt. 4:2-4, Mt. 26:41, I Cor. 9:27.)

N.B.3. While it is true that Cain and Abel came into the world with smaller opportunities than Adam and Eve, since God no longer visited them intimately in the garden, it is also true (a) that God did not again ask so high a standard and (b) that Enoch walked with God and that Noah pleased Him. It is true that the fall of Adam brought the whole race down to a lower level of possibilities; it is also true that the lower level

— end of page 12 —

was capable of achievement, and that God could still be pleased with men. From Adam justification was no longer by works but by faith; and the rite of blood-sacrifice for sin was well known from Abel, who was the first of a long line of men who have pleased God by their faith. (Acts 10:35, Ezekiel 14:14, II Chron. 20:7, Heb. 11:1-40, Hab. 2:4.)

5. "As in Adam all die even so in Christ shall all be made alive" (I Cor. 15:22), does not refer to our souls, but to our bodies. If it did refer to our souls, it would be a powerful argument for Universalism! Adam died physically not because he sinned, but because God drove him from the Tree of Life; otherwise in spite of his sin he would have lived for ever. For the same reason all men suffer physical death. Hence all, including the wicked, will be raised from death by Christ. The death of this resurrection body in the Lake of Fire, which is the second time a man loses his body, i.e., his second death, will be for a man's own unrepented and hence unforgivable sin: and will be eternal, leaving the soul in hopeless impotence and anguish. (Acts 24:15, John 5:28-29, Rev. 20:11-15, Rom. 2:1-9, Mark 9:43-50, Gen. 3:22-24.)

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