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BY THE AUTHOR
Dr. W. Robert Cook, Th.D
What a chimera then is man! What a novelty!
What a monster, what a chaos, what a contradiction,
What a prodigy! Judge of all things, but an vile worm of the earth.
Depository of truth,
yet a cesspool of uncertainty and error.
The glory and the rubbish of the universe!
Blaise Pascal (1623-1662)
I. A Tabular Representation
|
KIND OF SIN |
FACT |
PENALTY |
TRANSMISSION |
REMEDY |
|
Inherited Sin |
Ps. 51:5 Eph. 2:3 |
Spiritual Death |
Mediate |
Redemption; Indwelling Holy Spirit |
|
Imputed Sin |
Rom. 5:12 |
Physical Death |
Immediate |
Imputed Righteousness |
|
Personal, Unbeliever |
Rom. 1:18-32 |
Wrath of God |
None |
Justification |
|
Personal, Believer |
1 John 1:9 |
Breach of Fellowship |
None |
Forgiveness |
II. Man's Estate under Sin Romans 3:9; 11:32; Galatians 3:22
To the previously noted categories of sin L. S. Chafer adds a fourth namely, "Man's Estate Under Sin." He hold s that" all—both Jew and Gentile--are now placed by divine decree [into this estate] and… every human merit is disregarded to the end that the uncompromised saving grace of God may be exercised toward those who believe." [i] He suggests that in the preceding age one race, God's chosen people Israel, sustained a unique relationship to God through his covenant with them but today all men alike stand in the same relationship before him.
It would appear that another explanation of these passages is more likely. Perhaps the significance of such statements as these is to be found in viewing them more as summary and conclusive. In light of the fact that man is a sinner by nature, by imputation, and by habit God's evaluation and official pronouncement is that all are under sin. All are imprisoned (sunkleio) with no hope of escape except by the God-provided route.
