Austin Bible Church
Adam was created spiritually alive and had fellowship with God. When Adam decided to willfully sin against God's single mandate in the Garden and eat of the fruit, he died spiritually and was in a state of sin. Since perfect God cannot have contact with sin, so he lost his fellowship with God. He then had only relative righteousness (-R) for the first time.
After the Fall, Adam also acquired or brought into existence an old sin nature. Because Adam willfully sinned, part of God's punishment was that he would pass this now genetically-formed old sin nature on to his children. Thus, all human beings (except for the Lord Jesus Christ) are born with this old sin nature in their DNA. The other part of Adam’s divine discipline is that Adam’s Original Sin would also be imputed to all human beings at birth. This imputation at birth is done by God the Father just after He imputes soul life to the emerging baby at physical birth. This is imputed sin.
Members of the human race (of Adam’s seed) are born sinners and spiritually dead because of the genetically-inherited old sin nature (inherent sin) and the imputation of Adam’s Original Sin (imputed sin) at birth. Adam’s willful sin in the Garden is the basis for all of mankind being born with an old sin nature (inherent sin) and Adam’s Original Sin (imputed sin) being imputed to all by God the Father at birth. 1 Cor. 15:22; Rom. 5:12.
“For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.” (1 Corinthians 15:22, NASB)
“Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned—” (Romans 5:12, NASB)
A doctrinal clarification of Romans 5:12 is, “Therefore, just as through one man (Adam) sin (first old sin nature) entered into the world, and death (spiritual death) through sin (negative volition), and so death (spiritual death) spread to all men, because all sinned when Adam sinned (imputed sin or Adam’s Original Sin).”
The old sin nature is the internal source of temptation to sin. Sin comes from our free will as negative volition in the soul whether tempted internally or from external sources. Personal sin causes temporal spiritual death (no fellowship with God) while living on earth.
The condition of the human race is that relative righteousness (-R) cannot have fellowship with God's absolute righteousness (+R). We are all born with no human spirit and, therefore, have no ability to understand spiritual information. 1 Cor. 2:14.
“But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.” (1 Corinthians 2:14, NASB)
Our position in Adam means that we are all born physically alive, but spiritually dead. The unbeliever is spiritually dead (under imputed Adam’s Original Sin), has an old sin nature (is a sinner) and is condemned. John 3:18.
“"He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (John 3:18, NASB)
Through our free will faith in the work of Jesus Christ on the Cross for our sins, we become spiritually alive in Christ. As believers, our new position is now in Christ. 1 Cor. 15:22.
“For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.” (1 Corinthians 15:22, NASB)
As believers, our condition is that God imputed His very own perfect righteousness (+R) to us at salvation. Our ability to understand spiritual information was also given through regeneration where we gained a human spirit. Rom. 8:16.
“The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,” (Romans 8:16, NASB)
The believer is spiritually alive (under imputed +R), also has an old sin nature (still a sinner but saved), but is no longer condemned. John 3:18. However, the old sin nature is under condemnation per Romans 8:3.
“For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh,” (Romans 8:3, NASB)
The remedy for the old sin nature for the believer is spiritual growth whereby the believer’s soul and thinking becomes renovated by Bible doctrine in the right lobe of the soul. By growing spiritually, the believer uses 1 John 1:9 consistently to name their known sins to God the Father and thereby regain the filling of the Holy Spirit (fellowship with God) and thus being empowered to learn and apply the promises and mandates of the Word of God.
The old sin nature in control of the soul causes temporal spiritual death – being out of fellowship with God. The Holy Spirit in control of the soul (in fellowship) through the use of confession of sin causes the restoration of spirituality. 1 John 1:9.
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9, NASB)