Sin Nature

I'm sorry you forfeited your round 3 argument. In keeping with the stipulated format for this debate, I will now give a defense of my arguments despite the lack of rebuttals against them. Adam, Eve and Lucifer Almost every sin nature proponent agrees that Adam and Eve had no sinful nature since everything God had made was declared to be "very good" (Genesis 1:31). How then were they able to sin against God, transgressing the command He gave them concerning the tree of the knowledge of good and evil? The answer is that they did so volitionally by their own willful choice. They were tempted by the Devil and, giving in to said temptation, transgressed the eternal law of God written on their hearts; they desired the high and lofty position of Godhood (Genesis 3:5). This should remind the Bible-reading Christian of Lucifer's fall. Ezekiel 28 and Isaiah 14 contain allusions to the fall of Satan in which we find the cause of his willful act of rebellion: he desired to be as God. Notice Isaiah 14:13-14, "For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High." Here we see that the initial act of sin began in his heart (v. 13). He consciously desired to be like the most High God (v. 14). Notice also his desire expressed four times as "I will;" clearly Lucifer had a God-given will of which he exercised in rebelling against God. Did Lucifer have a sinful nature from his creation? Of course not, all things God had made were very good! Likewise, Adam and Eve had no "nature" which compelled them to sin or which left them in a state of depravity in which they could do nothing else but sin. This too is how every sentient man or angel is created---with an unguided will which can be used to do good or evil. The Justice of God's Judgment The Bible makes it clear that sin is a willful act or thought of disobedience. In order for an act or thought to be considered sinful, it is required that the sentient person be conscious and accountable (i.e. they must know that what they are doing or thinking is wrong). Clearly, if a person did not know an action or thought was wrong, they could not be justly held accountable. This is very much like the plea of "insanity" in the court of law. If it could be proven beyond reasonable doubt that the defendant did not have the capacity to understand right from wrong, his or her verdict would be "not guilty." This is in following with the simple logic that a wrong action can only be labelled as such when the person carrying out said action is aware of its "wrongness." Consider a mentally handicapped person who's brain activity renders him or her in a state of infancy their entire life. If that person were to pick up a knife, throw it, and kill someone, would they be guilty of sin? Of course not. Why is a lion not held accountable as a guilty sinner for breaking the commandment of God, "thou shall not kill?" We understand that an animal cannot be held guilty because it does not posses the cognitive capacity for understanding God's moral laws and is therefore not accountable to God. Likewise, a child cannot be held as a sinner since it does not posses the knowledge of right and wrong. And less you think an infants non-compliance, crying or fussing are examples of its sinfulness, consider that all mammalian babies exhibit similar behavior, it is how God programmed them. God created all creatures with a will to survive, and the survival of baby depends on mom hearing its cries, seeing its fussing, etc. Now in considering God's justice, one cannot rightfully call God just if He condemns the ignorant to hell. Notice that at the white throne judgment, men are judged according to their works (Revelation 2:11-13). Clearly they must be accountable in order to be judged by their actions. Allow me to give you one more example to really drive this home. Imagine I allowed my dog to sleep in bed with me for 10 years. Then one day I become filled with wrath and hit the dog repeatedly, killing it, for getting on the bed. Is that just? The dog did not know any better so of course that is unjust. In conclusion, I must plea with the prospective reader as well as my opponent to recognize the blasphemy of this doctrine which accuses God of injustice. Besides the fact that there is not one verse of scripture describing a sin nature or inherited guilt, and many to the contrary, it is clear that ascribing guilt to infants from conception is an abomination! The Bible is clear, though man has been made upright with the ability to be righteous, "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way;" thank God for our Lord Jesus Christ who was, "wounded for our transgressions" and on whom the "inequities of us all" were laid upon" (Isaiah 53:5-6)! Zephaniah 3:5 - The Just Lord!