A Great Sin Solution

As we saw in yesterday’s study, Augustine believed that man, while retaining free will, is bound to his own wicked desires. His theological opponent, Pelagius, had a vastly different view. He said every human being has the power at any time to obey God without the assistance of God’s grace. Yes, he said, the grace of God is helpful in obedience, but it is not necessary. He believed it is a simple matter to resist sin, and he held that some people are able to earn their way into heaven by living in a way that conforms closely to the law of God. He thought it is possible to help people become righteous simply by teaching them the difference between right and wrong. He could say all of this because he believed that Adam’s sin affected only Adam; no sin nature is passed to Adam’s posterity.

Augustine disagreed with every one of these assertions. He said Adam’s sin affected the whole human race (Rom. 5:12), leaving every person dead in sin (Eph. 2:1) and with no desire whatsoever for Christ (Rom. 1:30). He said no one could be justified by the works of the law (Rom. 3:20). With the authority of Scripture on his side, he won his battle with Pelagius, who eventually was condemned as a heretic. But the war goes on today as men play down the seriousness of sin.

We have seen that God created man and gave him dominion over creation, but that man fell into a life of rebellion, disobedience, estrangement, and alienation from God. Christianity exists to deal with the resulting gap between God and man. But men prefer other options. They deny that they are imperfect, rationalizing or minimizing their sin. They assume God is completely forgiving, and hence He will not quibble over a “few” imperfections in His creatures. They remake Him in their own image, stripping Him of His troublesome aspects, such as holiness. Or they deny His existence altogether. But the Christian message remains clear—man is a sinner, lost and dead, and without hope except through the grace of God. We need redemption. We need God to enter the human condition and acquire for us what we desperately need—righteousness. And we need Him to take away our sin and guilt. No other world religion teaches a deeper sin problem than Christianity. But no other teaches an atonement, either. Man is a great sinner, but God has provided a great salvation.