Raising Lazarus

We don't need to get involved in discussions of whether children receive their souls from their parents to understand the transmission of sin. Adam received all the good things that God wanted to pass on to humanity. Unfortunately, when Adam lost what he received from God, he lost it not only for himself but for…

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…

Since Adam derived his spiritual life from his union with God, his separation from the Lord meant death. Moreover, since Adam destroyed the natural order with his sin, it shouldn't surprise us that his sin would also deteriorate the whole human race. "The whole creation groans," says the apostle Paul, "being subject to futility, but…

When God punished Adam for his sin, it wasn't over some trivial fault but a heinous crime. So we're going to look into the nature of Adam's sin and why God inflicted such a dreadful punishment upon all humanity. Some theologians believe Adam's sin was merely giving into bodily urges. Such a view seems lackluster…

Some non-Christian writers will admit the limits of human reason due to their own experiences. They might have at one time failed to resist the lure of temptation, or have been duped by some false religion, or have been controlled by their emotions instead of rational thoughts. For this reason, Cicero says that the sparks…