How is original sin conveyed from our first parents unto their posterity?
Original sin is conveyed from our first parents unto their posterity by natural generation, so as all that proceed from them in that way are conceived and born in sin.
Like it or not we (humanity) are all connected to our past in more ways than we care to admit. Not just to our immediate past but more so to our ancient past. Despite all the idealistic future unity humanity desires to achieve, we more vociferously deny the ancient unity we have in Adam. This denied ancient unity has been far more impactful and directive than any future goal of unity of mankind could achieve on its own.
As descendants of Adam we share in his humanity. His humanity was sorely corrupted in his rebellion against God by refusing to heed the one command, “You shall not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil”. The curse of God was promised in the giving of the command and it came to bear upon Adam and Eve –AND– all who come from them by natural generation.
Calvin says, “…although we grant that the image of God was not utterly effaced and destroyed in him {Adam}, it was, however, so corrupted, that any thing which remains is fearful deformity; and, therefore, our deliverance begins with that renovation which we obtain from Christ, who is, therefore, called the second Adam, because he restores us to true and substantial integrity.”
John Calvin, ICR Book 1 chapter 15
The integrity and righteousness of our parents, Adam and Eve was deformed in totality (extent). Such that David says of his own birth, “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.” (Psalms 51:5) Similarly Job says, “Who can make the clean out of the unclean? No one!” (Job 14:4) “What is man, that he should be pure, Or he who is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?” (Job 15:14)
The historic Canons of Dort report Scripture’s teaching,
“Man after the fall begat children in his own likeness. A corrupt stock produced a corrupt offspring. Hence all the posterity of Adam, Christ only excepted, have derived corruption from their original parent, not by imitation, as the Pelagians of old asserted, but by the propagation of a vicious nature, in consequence of the just judgment of God.”
Canons of Dort: Third and fourth heads of doctrine, ARTICLE 2
This is an important distinction. Adam and Eve were not just poor examples of humanity, as if their children learned from their poor example. No, the problem is much worse. The fountain of humanity was spoiled. Certainly the fall produced a poor example but it isn’t the poor example (symptom) that is the problem, the corrupt nature is the problem.
The problem is far worse than skin deep or behavior deep. The nature of mankind was corrupted.
John the Apostle reports Jesus’ words, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” (John 3:6) Herman Ridderbos gives significant insight into these categories of thought. The Flesh and Spirit are related to similar designations of old man and new man which are in turn related to the federal headships of Adam and Christ. Christ as the Seed of promise from Abraham is the important linkage,
“In that sense Christ and believers can be spoken of as the one seed of Abraham (Gal. 3:16), and it can be said of them that they, although many, are one body in Christ (Rom. 12:5), indeed that they are one in Christ (Gal. 3:28). In close connection with the above there is another point still to be indicated in which in an oblique fashion the Adam-Christ parallel comes to still further elaboration. It is the manner in which not only Christ as the second man, but also in a more general sense the old and the new man are spoken of.
The following pronouncements are of particular importance here:
… knowing this, that our old man was also crucified, that the body of sin might be rendered powerless (Rom. 6:6). But they who are of Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts (Gal. 5:24; cf. Col. 2:11).
… that you put away, as concerning your former manner of life, the old man … and put on the new man, that has been created in accordance with God (Eph. 4:22ff.).
… seeing that you have put off the old man with his desires, and have put on the new man, that is being renewed … in accordance with the image of his Creator (Col. 3:9f.).”
– Herman Ridderbos, Paul: An outline of his theology.
Although we may not like the fact that God has reconciled all humanity under the curse levied upon our parents Adam and Eve, He does so in preparation for a redemption by grace alone.
The representative headship of both Adam and Christ is an essential doctrine of Scripture which must not be neglected. It is to our benefit that we understand these important doctrinal teachings as the framework around which all of Scripture was given. Everything from the beginning to the end is about two men in history. Adam and Christ (the 2nd Adam). All the covenant men and women in between these two are pictures of one or the other.
It quite figuratively is the doctrinal elephant in the room that must not be ignored. Adam kills us all and Christ gains eternal life for all whom the Father has given Him.
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