Condemnation of the Human Race in Adam

2007-02-01

Many question the fairness of God’s condemning the whole human race because of Adam’s sin. The answer is multifaceted. Biblically speaking, people are born in the image of their father; Adam was created in God’s image, and after the Fall, his son Seth was born in Adam’s marred image (Genesis 5:1; cf. Genesis 5:3). Also, it is said of Levi that he paid homage to Melchizedek before he was born while in the body of his great-grandfather Abraham (Hebrews 7:9-10), therefore making Levi responsible for something before he was born. The Biblical fact that we are like our fathers is confirmed in nature, for we physically resemble them. Genetically, the copying mistakes from generation to generation become apparent, and diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and alcoholism get passed down from generation. Now this much greater sickness, sin, which is the precursor of all disease and evil in a fallen world, also is passing from generation to generation.