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Sermon #7504

Adam's Posterity and Original Sin

A Sermon on Original Sin

Originally preached March 12, 1953

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Sermon Description

Why is there so much sin in the world? In this sermon titled “Adam’s Posterity and Original Sin,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones examines the biblical teaching that Adam’s sin affects all. When Adam rebelled against God, he brought the whole human race into sin. Now everyone is born into a state of sin and alienation from God. Dr. Lloyd-Jones examines some different theories of exactly how it is that Adam’s first sin brought all of humankind into sin, but the important thing to remember is that the Bible teaches that all are affected by sin. Paul is clear that all are guilty before God, not only because they have broken the law of God, but also because of Adam’s actions. This doctrine explains why the world is full of sin and evil. But this doctrine is also important to understand in order to have a right view of what Jesus has done. Scripture says that Jesus is the new and better Adam who has come to reverse the evil actions of the first man.

Sermon Breakdown

  1. Last week we looked at the doctrine of the fall of man and saw the difference between man as created by God and man after the fall.
  2. We looked at Genesis 3 and the account of the first sin and its immediate consequences like the curse on the serpent, pain in childbirth for women, and the ground being cursed.
  3. We didn't finish looking at all the immediate consequences so we will look at more like the curse on the serpent in Genesis 3:14.
  4. God cursed the serpent, who would crawl on its belly and eat dust. There would be enmity between the serpent's seed and the woman's seed. The woman's seed would bruise the serpent's head and the serpent would bruise his heel.
  5. Consequences also fell on women, including increased pain in childbirth and being ruled over by her husband (Genesis 3:16).
  6. The ground was also cursed to produce thorns and thistles, requiring hard work to produce food (Genesis 3:17-18).
  7. The apostle Paul notes this in Romans 8:20, saying creation was subjected to futility by God.
  8. We now move on to look at the effect of the fall on Adam's posterity. Not just on Adam himself but all who came from him.
  9. We see the universality of sin - all people everywhere exhibit something wrong with human nature that causes misery. The Bible calls this the universality of sin.
  10. Many theories try to explain this like evolution (we're still developing), lack of knowledge, or lack of good conditions. But these are inadequate and contradictory. The Bible connects it to Adam's first sin.
  11. The question is how Adam's sin affected all his posterity. There are two main theories: the "realistic theory" that all human nature was in Adam so when he sinned, all human nature fell; and the "federal representative" theory that God made Adam the representative of all humanity, so when he sinned, all humanity fell.
  12. The realistic theory argues all humanity was in Adam, so when he fell, all humanity fell. All human nature comes from Adam's nature, so when his nature fell, all human nature fell. All humanity also fell in Adam at once, like Levi paying tithes in Abraham (Hebrews 7:9-10).
  13. Problems with this view: It implies the soul is physical/material since it's passed down. It's unclear why we're only responsible for Adam's first sin and not all the sins of our ancestors. It also seems to imply Christ's human nature was sinful.
  14. The federal representative theory says God made Adam the representative of all humanity, so when he sinned, all humanity fell under the consequences. This is like a member of parliament representing and voting for their constituents, or an ambassador representing a whole country.
  15. Advantages of this view: It explains why only Adam's first sin is imputed to us. It avoids implying Christ's human nature was sinful.
  16. It's hard to fully accept one view or the other. There are good arguments on both sides. Either way, the Bible teaches Adam's first sin led to the universality of sin.
  17. This is known as the doctrine of original sin. "Original" doesn't mean sin was part of human nature originally. It means sin derives from the original root of humanity, Adam. Sin doesn't come from imitating others but is inherent in human nature from birth. It's the inward root of all sins.
  18. Original sin has two parts: original guilt and original pollution. We inherit guilt and pollution from Adam's sin.
  19. Many reject original guilt, believing we inherit only pollution from Adam and are not guilty until we actually sin. But the Bible teaches we inherit guilt for Adam's actual sin.
  20. Romans 5:12-19 teaches this clearly. Through Adam's sin, death and condemnation came upon all people. All sinned in Adam and are made sinners through his disobedience.
  21. Paul draws a parallel between Adam's sin being imputed to all humanity and Christ's righteousness being imputed to believers, even though they did nothing. People from Adam to Moses died even though they didn't sin like Adam, showing they were guilty of Adam's sin.
  22. We must accept the doctrine of original guilt as well as pollution to have a biblical view of original sin.

Sermon Q&A

Understanding the Doctrine of the Fall of Man According to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

What is the biblical doctrine of the fall of man, and what were its immediate consequences?

According to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, the biblical doctrine of the fall of man is found in Genesis 3, which explains how mankind transitioned from a state of perfection in the Garden of Eden to our current fallen condition. The immediate consequences of this fall included:

  1. The curse upon the serpent (Genesis 3:14-15)
  2. Consequences for women: "I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception. In sorrow thou shalt bring forth children, and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee."
  3. The curse upon the ground: "Cursed is the ground for thy sake. In sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life. Thorns also, and thistles shall it bring forth to thee."
  4. The necessity of labor: "In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat thy bread."

Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that even creation itself was affected by the fall, referencing Romans 8:20 that "the creature was made subject of vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him that subjected the same in hope."

How does the Bible describe the universality of sin?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that the Bible consistently teaches the universality of sin - that sin affects all humanity without exception. He cites several key passages:

  1. Isaiah 53:6 - "All we, like sheep, have gone astray"
  2. Romans 3 - "There is none righteous, no, not one... All have sinned and come short of the glory of God"
  3. James 3:2 - "In many things we offend all"
  4. 1 John 1:8,10 - "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us."

Lloyd-Jones summarizes that according to the Bible, "the entire world is guilty of sin" and that sin has "affected the entire nature of men" - including body, soul, and spirit.

How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones define sin according to biblical teaching?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones provides a comprehensive biblical understanding of sin with these key characteristics:

  1. Sin is "moral or ethical evil" (not just evil in general)
  2. Sin means "missing the mark or deviating from the right way"
  3. Sin means "an absence or a want of integrity"
  4. Sin is "a revolt, a rebellion, a refusal to subject ourselves to rightful authority"
  5. Sin involves "guilt" and "unfaithfulness" and even "treason"
  6. Sin is "vanity" (referencing Ephesians 4)
  7. Sin is "a perversion or a distortion of nature"

He offers this comprehensive definition: "Sin is lack of conformity to the moral law of God, either in state disposition or act."

Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that sin has "an absolute character" (it's either good or evil with no gray area), is "directly related to God and his will and his law," is "in the heart of men" (not just on the surface), and "does not consist of actions only, but essentially in a condition."

What are the two main theories explaining how Adam's sin affected all humanity?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones presents two main theories explaining how Adam's sin affected all humanity:

  1. The Realistic Theory (Seminal Identity): This theory suggests that "the whole of human nature was in Adam" when he sinned. Like Levi who "paid tithes to Melchizedek" while still in Abraham's loins (Hebrews 7:9-10), all humanity was present in Adam's loins when he sinned. Lloyd-Jones notes some difficulties with this view: it tends to materialize the soul, doesn't explain why we're responsible only for Adam's first sin (not all his sins), and creates difficulties regarding Christ's human nature.

  2. The Federal Representative Theory: This theory proposes that God made a covenant with Adam as the appointed representative of all humanity. When Adam fell, we all suffered the consequences because he was our representative, similar to how an ambassador represents a country. This view explains why only Adam's first sin is imputed to us and avoids difficulties regarding Christ's nature.

Lloyd-Jones admits he finds it "difficult to be entirely on the one side or the other" and suggests both theories might have merit.

What is the doctrine of original sin and what are its two components?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that the doctrine of original sin does NOT mean sin was part of man's original constitution. Rather, it means:

  1. Sin is "derived from the original root of the human race, Adam"
  2. Sin "inheres in human nature from birth" (not merely from imitating others)
  3. Sin is "the inward root of all the sins that we actually commit"

Original sin has two critical components:

  1. Original Guilt: We have inherited actual guilt from Adam's transgression. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that Romans 5:12-19 clearly teaches this, though many people reject this doctrine. He points out that Paul's parallel between Adam and Christ is central to understanding salvation - just as Adam's sin is imputed to us without our action, so Christ's righteousness is imputed to believers without their action.

  2. Original Pollution: We have inherited a polluted nature (which Lloyd-Jones indicates he will discuss in more detail in his next lecture).

Lloyd-Jones concludes by stressing that both components are essential to properly understand the biblical doctrine of original sin and to appreciate "the greatness of God's grace and love in dealing with us as he does in Christ Jesus."

Great Biblical Doctrines

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.