Quote:
Originally Posted by North Jersey Baptist  Matthew, are you saying that a person cannot be convicted by the Holy Spirit, through the word of God, because of their sin? Must a person hear about the sin of Adam in order to understand their own sinfulness and the salvation Christ has purchased for all those who believe in Him by faith? |
As explained recently on another thread, "original sin" technically refers to the corruption of man's whole nature, and not to the first sin of Adam or its imputation. The sinner must be convicted of his total depravity and inability, otherwise the Saviour is reduced to a mere helper.
Experience shows that the universal nature of sin cannot really be explained except on the grounds of the imputation of Adam's guilt to all mankind. So it is best to follow the wisdom of our fathers, and present the story of the fall and redemption in its biblical balance.
This recurring idea, that we can reduce the gospel to a bare minimum knowledge necessary for salvation, is not wise. All truth is related in some way. If a person is deficient in one area, and he consistently acts on what he knows, then that deficiency will show itself in the development of the person's thought and actions. A builder does not ask what is the bare mimimum he can get away with in the laying of a foundation. He asks what is necessary in order that the building erected on the foundation might be firm and secure. A preacher needs to be "a wise masterbuilder" (1 Cor. 3:10), and seek to lay a solid foundation in the preaching of Jesus Christ which will bear the weight of all future teaching which builds on this foundation.