The sin of parents is transmitted to their children. All people without exception are originally depraved. The beginning of this depravity will not be located until we acknowledge that Adam was the “head,” or begin ning, of all people. Adam did not merely begin the human race by propagation. He was, in a sense, the “root” of humanity. Due to his corruption, he corrupted the whole human race. The designation of Adam as the head of humanity is demonstrated from the contrast between Adam and Christ, “For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous. ²⁰ The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, ²¹ so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 5:19-21).

How do the Pelagians try to wiggle out of these verses? Well, they claim that the sin of Adam was passed down by imitation. But I counter: Is the righteousness of Christ available for us only as an example of something to imitate? Can any real Christian tolerate such blasphemy?

The reality is that the righteousness of Christ—and consequently life—comes to us through connection with Christ. Both righteousness and life were lost in Adam so that they might be recovered in Christ. Adam brought sin and death into the world so that they might be abolished in Christ. There is no ambiguity in the verse, “For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous” (Romans 5:19).

The relationship between Adam and Christ can be described this way: Just as Adam, by his ruin, involved and ruined us, so Christ, by his grace, restored us to salvation. In light of this clear truth, I don’t really know why we need to provide more proof. Paul shows that the life recovered in Christ was lost in Adam (1 Corinthians 15:22). Having already declared that all people die in Adam, Paul now openly testifies that all people are imbued with the taint of sin. Indeed, those who are altogether free from blame cannot be condemned. His meaning can be made even clearer in the other part of the sentence, where he shows that the hope of life is restored in Christ. Life comes to us only through a wondrous connection to Christ whereby he imparts to us the power of his own righteousness. As it says in Scripture, “The Spirit is life because of righteousness” (Romans 8:10). Therefore, the only proper explanation fo the phrase, “in all Adam all died,” is that, through his sin, Adam brought disaster and ruin not only upon himself but also plunged all of human nature in similar destruction. Adam infected all of his descendants with sin through his one sin even though it was in a matter not pertaining to the propagation of humanity. Paul could have never said that we are “by nature children of wrath” if we had not been cursed from the womb. Obviously, the “nature” referenced in that verse does not refer to the original human nature God created but the nature corrupted in Adam. God is not the author of death. Therefore, when Adam corrupted himself, he transmitted the contagion of sin to all his descendants. Even Jesus himself declares that all who are born are vicious and depraved because he says, “that which is born of the flesh is flesh” (John 3:6). Therefore, the gate of life is closed against all until they have been regenerated.

“Blogging the Institutes” is my on-going attempt to paraphrase John Calvin’s work, the Institutes of the Christian Religion. You can find out more about the series in the Introduction. For all the posts in this series, check out the Master List.