Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!rutgers!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!christian From: johnw@stew.ssl.berkeley.edu (John Warren) Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian Subject: Re: Original Sin Message-ID: Date: 2 Sep 90 04:13:05 GMT Sender: hedrick@athos.rutgers.edu Organization: University of California, Berkeley Lines: 27 Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu [I'm a bit unclear who wrote what in the following, but it appears that Terry Coatta asked about the degree to which the downfall of man affected the rest of creation, and Tom Albrecht replied with comments about original sin. Tom (if it is Tom) said that Adam was created holy, and in order to continue in this holy estate he had to keep God's commandments perfectly. This he calls a covenant of works. In response to Adam's fall, God instituted a covenant of grace. All the OT covenants are expressions of this covenant of grace. The new covenant of Christ is its final expression. --clh] The relationship between God and Adam was a covenant of faith, not works. Doesn't matter that it was in the Old Testament. Adam and Eve trusted God until that day that Satan convinced them to eat from the tree. Satan convinced them that God didn't mean what He said about dying after eating of the tree of knowledge; subsequently, they died. >What is sin? Any want of conformity to, or transgression of, the law of >God. Sin is the opposite of holiness. Sin is not only acts of the will, >but also states of moral propensity and habit. It is not merely the >intentional acts of will contrary to law, but also the native disposition >to those acts, and the desires to do them not yet formed into volitions >(Matt. 5:21,22,27,28). > That which is not of faith is sin. John Warren "...into the narrow lanes, I can't stumble or stay put..." --Dylan