As I started my journey with Christ I sometimes heard the message that it is always God’s will to heal every sickness or physical problem: flu, arthritis, cancer, multiple scleroses or a back ache. All these are outside of God’s plan or will and need to be removed.  The most important basis for this claim is Isaiah 53:4-5:

 Surely he took up our pain

    and bore our suffering,

yet we considered him punished by God,

    stricken by him, and afflicted.

But he was pierced for our transgressions,

    he was crushed for our iniquities;

the punishment that brought us peace was on him,

    and by his wounds we are healed.

Some claim that the healing of our bodies was achieved by Christ on the cross. Jesus not only bore our sin but our sickness. God not only made Christ to be sin (2 Corinthians 5:21) for us, but also made him to be sick for us. This means Jesus took on the flu, ulcers, cancer, tonsillitis, etc. in his death. One teacher of this perspective is Andrew Womack, who expresses this belief as follows:

The Lord redeemed us from sickness just as much as He redeemed us from sin. He would no more want us to be sick than He would want us to sin. Those are radical statements to many Christians because we’ve been taught that forgiveness of sins is what salvation is all about. Well that’s certainly a vital part of salvation, but that’s not all that Jesus accomplished. We were also healed by His stripes. Sickness is not of God just as sin is not of God. Thank You, Jesus!

Gloria Copeland echoes this idea in a similar way:

Jesus bore your sicknesses and carried your diseases at the same time and in the same manner that He bore your sins. You are just as free from sickness and disease as you are free from sin. You should be as quick to cease sickness and disease in your body as you are to cease sin.

What this means is that if you’re not healed, it is due to your lack of faith. Healing has been secured for us in the atonement—and is ours to claim and lay hold of in faith.  As Kenneth Copeland instructs: “God intends for every believer to live completely free from sickness and disease.  It is up to you to decide whether or not you will.”

What about this teaching and claim? I will make the case that sin was fully dealt with on the cross but the effects of sin–sickness–will not be completely dealt with until the return of Christ. It is not a question of whether God will heal all illness but when.

Did Christ die for our sickness?

Let’s be clear, Christ did not die for our sickness. Sickness is an effect of sin but is not a sin. There is no guilt in having diabetes, glaucoma, blindness, etc. It is our sin that sends us to hell not our sickness. Scripture tells us to “confess our sins,” but nowhere does it say we should seek forgiveness for arthritis. We are not instructed in any way to confess, “Lord, forgive me for this flu.” Jesus did not experience sickness during his atonement. Rather, he took the wrath of God against sin. (Romans 5:8-9) He carried our sin by becoming sin. He did not carry our sickness by becoming sickness.

So, what does it mean that “by his wounds we are healed?” Sin is the ultimate cause of many sources of pain, difficulty and destructiveness in the world: poverty, pain in child birth, natural disasters, illness etc. Jesus did not die for the effects of sin. Rather, he died for sin and as a result he will ultimately overcome those effects when he returns. By his death he has laid the foundation for the ultimate overthrow and annihilation of all disease (and other suffering), which will occur at his second coming.

²⁰ But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, ²¹ who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

Philippians 3:20-21

At that time death will be destroyed.

²⁵ For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. ²⁶ The last enemy to be destroyed is death.

1 Corinthians 15:25-26

Those who claim that Christians should never be sick because there is healing in the atonement should also claim that Christians should never die, because Jesus also conquered death in the atonement. He paid the price of sin in order that one day, when he returns to glorify his people, he will wholly do away with sickness. We experience forgiveness and fellowship with God now because of Christ’s atoning death, but we await all of the benefits of that blessed relationship when he returns.

Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies.

Romans 8:23

Healing Through Not In the Atonement

So, is there any healing in the atonement? The answer is YES. Were it not for Jesus making atonement for sin, we would have no hope of healing, either now or later. The redemptive suffering of Jesus is the foundation and source of every blessing, whether spiritual or physical. Because of this it is more accurate to say there is healing through the atonement rather than in the atonement. This way we avoid suggesting that because of Jesus’s death we are guaranteed healing in this life. It is not a question of whether our bodies are healed but when. There is physical healing through the atonement, but this isn’t guaranteed until the final resurrection.

So What About Matthew 8:16–17?

What, then, are we to make of Matthew 8:16–17? It reads:

¹⁶ When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. ¹⁷ This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:

“He took up our infirmities
    and bore our diseases.”

We’re told that Jesus “healed all who were sick,” and that “this was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: ‘He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.’” Are these healings, performed by Jesus, the result of the atonement? The answer would be yes. As Jesus brought forgiveness, healing and deliverance was based on credit through what would be given in the cross. But it doesn’t necessarily mean that healing will always occur now as a result of that work. But, even with this, was Christ’s healing ministry his end game? After all, the people he healed still died. Lazarus was raised from the dead, but he eventually died again. People were healed but the curse wasn’t completely reversed. Jesus died for the sins of men, but men still continued to sin. He defeated death but His followers continued to die. There is an ultimate fulfillment of Christ’s atoning work that will not be realized this side of eternity.

In summary, we do not see the New Testament church going around and confessing and claiming every illness into extinction. Paul left Trophimus behind during one of his missionary journeys because of illness (2 Timothy 4:20). He recommended wine to Timothy for his “stomach and [his] frequent illnesses” (1 Timothy 5:23). Epaphroditus got so sick he nearly died (Philippians 2:25–27). And sometimes God sent sickness to discipline members of his church (1 Corinthians 11:29–32). Paul had a “thorn in the flesh” (2 Corinthians 12:7) and asked God to take it away three times to which God responded, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9)

How Do We Handle Illness?

Realize the blessings of health when you become ill.  

We seldom celebrate health with the same intensity that we gripe about our illness. When sick take the opportunity to thank God for and remind yourself of the blessing of health. Even though in our sin the world is broken, health is a good gift of God.

Reach to be ultimately new. 

We don’t just want to get well, we want to be new. Everything from a head ache to strep to the flu should remind us that we are due for a serious remodeling. Don’t sell yourself short of what we ultimately have coming to us. Every ounce of hope is anchored to every second of Christ’s agony. Yes, by his wounds we are experience full healing.

Next post we will look at why God heals some people and not others.

Today’s article will be continuing our two-part Gospel series that began last week. To read the previous installment on this topic, click here.

Upon understanding the definition of the Gospel and its centrality to our faith, a new doorway of questions is opened up to us, namely these: what is the human response to the Gospel and what are its effects on our lives? After all, if it is such a pivotal part of what we believe (and indeed, it is the foundation of everything we believe), then should it not do great things in our day-to-day lives as believers striving to honor God? Yes, it should, and yes, it absolutely does.

Let’s investigate.

Human Response to the Gospel

An individual, upon receiving the Gospel message, may respond to it either positively or negatively. This means they may either receive it with open arms and joy for the wonderful gift they are about to receive, or they may harden their hearts and choose to reject it. The following paragraphs highlight these responses.

Rejection

God does not instill the Gospel with an irresistible power that overrides the free will of the individual and leaves them with no choice but to accept it. He is, of course, at work in their life behind the scenes, preparing them with the option to respond to the Gospel positively, but ultimately they must choose whether they accept or reject it by their volition.

There is no one reason a person might reject the Gospel, but every reason stems from the hard-hearted idea that they are self-sufficient on their own, in no need of forgiveness or a relationship with God. One person might reject it because they find the story too far-fetched. Another might reject it because it threatens their current lifestyle, and that makes them incredibly uncomfortable. Others might because they choose not to care, content to keep their life where it is without adding in something as life-changing and groundbreaking as Jesus Christ.

The point to remember here is that our response to the Gospel is our choice. In the end, believing it or rejecting it is up to us. God has given us free will. We can choose relationship and abundance with Him—or we can choose a life (and eternity) without him.

Acceptance

While accepting or rejecting the Gospel message is our choice, it is impossible to accept it without the prevenient grace of the Holy Spirit, which, as stated in Anthony’s article on the topic, “is a grace that prepares the soul to effectively hear the Gospel by lessening their spiritual blindness and strengthening their will to knowingly accept or reject revealed truth.”

“No one can come to me [Jesus] unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day.”

John 6:44

In other words, it is God who makes us aware of our sin, our need for a savior, and the redemption we may find in Jesus Christ. Without him, we would all die a slow, agonizing spiritual death here on earth and then suffer an eternal one in the next life.

Should a person, through the miracle of prevenient grace, accept the Gospel, then there are a few things that would go on before and during their initial response.

Read the words of Christ:

And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him. 21 For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22 coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

Mark 7:20-23

Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin.

John 8:34

The first part of this individual’s response would likely be one of conviction. They would begin to understand just how far down the black depths of their sin go. They would realize they have fallen utterly short of a holy and just God; because of their wickedness, they have disobeyed them, and in so doing they have separated themselves from him. The Gospel would convict them by bringing them to knowledge of their fallen state apart from Jesus.

The second part of their response takes form in a desire for the saving grace of Jesus Christ and the subsequent relationship with God that opens up to them. They see their life now, and as they read about the life of Christ and the purpose/meaning he offers, they see what their life could be. And they want it. This desire culminates in them placing their faith in Christ and beginning a life of following Jesus—something that is entirely their choice, but impossible to do without the work of the Holy Spirit.

Effects of the Gospel

The Gospel message is the lifeblood of our faith. It completely and miraculously transforms the life of the believer in many wonderful and tangible ways. We will start with the most obvious, but nonetheless pivotally important, of these.

Salvation

After hearing the Gospel message and accepting the gift Jesus Christ gave us on the cross, we receive the indescribably and monumentally joy-filling gift of salvation. We are saved from our sins—saved from an eternity separated from God. We are provided with the peace that passes understanding as Jesus lifts the burden of our sin-stained life from our shoulders.

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 6:23

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

Romans 1:16

This newfound peace and joy changes the way we perceive the world, causing us to cast off our old senses of hopelessness and despair in exchange for life-sustaining purpose and hope.

It Shifts our Morality

Along with the Gospel’s life-sustaining purpose and hope comes a lifelong shift in our conduct and our thoughts. You may have heard of the regeneration and sanctification of the Holy Spirit before. Regeneration happens the instant the believer accepts the Gospel message and places their faith in Christ; in that moment, they become a new creation of God. Sanctification is then  the gradual process in which their behavior becomes more and more aligned with the will of God.

We would also do well not to forget the part the Gospel plays in shaping the believer’s shift to a more God-honoring set of values and behaviors, for within the pages of the four Gospels are God’s instructions on how to live rightly.

It is from the Gospel we learn that we must always, without exception, put God first and honor him with every action we do—every thought on which we dwell…every breath we take.

And he [Jesus] said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment.“

Matthew 22:37-38

It is the Gospel encouraging us to treat our neighbors with the love of Christ:

‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’

Mark 12:31

It instructs us not to lust after worldly treasures:

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰ But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Matthew 6:19-21

It tells us to lower ourselves to servant status so that God’s Kingdom may be spread:

And he [Jesus] sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, “If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.”

Mark 9:35

It commands us to leave the judgement of others to God, for we are fallen, sinful creatures unworthy of judging without hypocrisy:

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. ² For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

Matthew 7:1-2

These are just a handful of many, many life instructions found in the Gospel. The most amazing part is: the believer, as they progress in their faith, desires more and more to act the way Jesus instructs them to. More and more as God’s love fills them and they continue to follow Christ, they desire to model Jesus—to be as much like him as a human being can be.

Why is this? It’s because the Gospel has yet another powerful effect in the life of the believer.

Joy and Meaning from Mission

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is not something we passively receive. It is something we actively live out every day as the Church. At the end of Matthew, Jesus gives us all an important mission.

¹⁶ Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. ¹⁷ When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. ¹⁸ Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Matthew 28:16-20

What you have just read is the life-goal of every Christian, new or old. We must go out and make disciples, growing the Kingdom of God so that as many may enter into eternal community with him as possible.

This great commission gives new purpose and meaning in the life of the believer. It is the lens through which they see the world, so much so that it affects something as mundane as their vocational life. In the past, they may have worked as a carpenter, but now they work as a carpenter for the glory of God! Others, upon seeing their diligent and cheerful work, will perhaps be drawn to them, opening up avenues for discipling relationships. In this same way, a Christ-following college English major may study to the glory of God, showing others there is something different about them and entering into potential discipling relationships as a result. The Gospel, when applied correctly, positively changes every aspect of our life so that it is oriented towards honoring the Lord with all our hearts.

Winding Down…

If you are to take anything away from this two-week study of the Gospel, I hope it is this: the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the foundation of everything we do as Christians. We receive from it the hope of salvation, instructions on how to live, and our purpose here on this earth.

There is a reason it has transformed countless lives throughout thousands of years. There is a reason it skyrocketed the Church across the globe two thousand years ago. The Gospel has power. And significance. And hope beyond measure.

Let it transform your life.

Imagine you are going out to lunch with someone God is calling you to disciple or a friend who knows you follow Jesus.

For the first half-hour, things are going great. Your chemistry is more than adequate. Productive conversation is flowing. Your food is even a step above the quality you would expect from a typical diner. Then, out of nowhere, your lunch partner asks you a question.

“So what’s the deal on this whole Gospel thing? Why is it so important?”

Your fork, hallway up its ascent to your mouth, freezes in place. You instantly recognize this as one of those “important questions” to which you absolutely must have a comprehensive, satisfying answer.

Your mind races a bit as you stiffen up, and you begin to stutter out some form of a response. This, you think, is exactly what Peter was talking about when he instructed us to “always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.”

So far, you are failing in that endeavor. You know deep down why the Gospel is significant, but the task of putting the why into words is proving to be a challenge.  

We have likely all experienced a time where we were tasked with explaining a pivotal concept or doctrine in our faith, only to find it had become such a familiar, second-nature part of our lives that we had a hard time explaining why we believe what we believe.

When it comes to the Gospel and its importance to our faith, this simply cannot happen.

With that said, the purpose of this article is to hone in on a concrete definition of the Gospel as well as explore why it is central to everything we believe and do as Christians.

First Things First

We will not get far in our understanding of the Gospel or our ability to articulate its purpose-giving brilliance to others if we do not know exactly what it is at its core. An algebra teacher cannot teach a mathematical expression he does not understand. A sociologist cannot lecture on a societal ill with which he is unfamiliar. The same principle applies to teaching the Gospel. We must know its definition. Some of you may find this woefully basic, but it is important to grasp walking before one learns to run.

We will start with the literal translation of the word “gospel,” which comes from the Anglo-Saxon word “god-spell,” which means “good story.” That word in turn derives from a Latin word meaning something akin to the phrase “good news.” One verb form of the Latin word even means “to bring or usher in good tidings.”

This makes sense. The Gospel of Jesus Christ, at its core, is the good news of God’s unconditional and grace-instilled love for humanity: it details the story of God sending his fully divine and fully human son Jesus Christ to earth to be the perfect sacrifice for humanity’s sin, taking on God’s wrath in our place and then beating death three days later by rising again and offering all who place their faith in him eternal life.  Just about every Christian of every denomination and every biblical scholar of every background will agree to this. That, however, by no means suggests there is universal agreement on the precise definition of the Gospel.

As it goes with most theological topics, researching “what is the Gospel?” into your Google search bar or even asking biblical scholars and seminary professors will not return to you a unified answer. Now, it is likely none of the answers would contain radically different “good news” stories, but their presentation of the same “good news” story may vary.

The Gospel Coalition, which is a great resource for those researching biblical topics, presents three different viewpoints on the definition of the Gospel, with the major change between them being a difference in emphasis. Some of them emphasize certain elements more than others. Let’s explore this.

One viewpoint, which is tailored to the person receiving the story, focuses on what it means for the individual: we have all sinned against a perfect and altogether just God, and we deserve due punishment for our wickedness—but God so loved us that he sent his son Jesus to die for our transgressions and reconcile humanity with God. Three days later, he rose again, conquering death and offering eternal life to all who follow him.

The next shift in emphasis laser-focuses on Jesus’ story. It details Christ’s mission, his love for humanity, his sacrifice, and his resurrection to paint a vivid picture of who Jesus is and what it means that he would do something of this magnitude for us.

The third notable variance in defining the Gospel focuses on what it means for all of creation. It starts from the fall of humanity in the garden of Eden, which brought forth sin/decay into the world and subsequently launched creation’s descent into brokenness. It climaxes with Jesus’ sacrifice and resurrection, which offers humanity salvation and promises eternal life in the New Heaven and New Earth, where creation is made new and freed from the brokenness of sin.

None of these are bad definitions of the Gospel. Their shifts in emphasis can even be practical and useful, depending on the personality of the person you are presenting the Gospel to (as well as the setting you are presenting in).

However, I think there is a way to take the content of each point of view and condense it into a singular, more complete, all-purpose definition and presentation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We may take the strong call for personal response and conviction of the first, the revelation of Jesus’ Christ perfect love and character in the second, and the effects of the Christ Redemption on a cosmic/eternal scale found in the third viewpoint to compile the following statement:

The Gospel is the story of God’s mission to restore the brokenness of creation, which was brought on by the sin of humanity, through sending his son Jesus Christ to earth as a fully human, fully divine person. This Jesus lived the perfect life no human ever could and then died as the ultimate sacrifice for the wickedness of mankind, taking the fullness of God’s wrath upon him so that whoever places their faith in him does not have to, instead receiving eternal life with God because their sin is no longer held against them. He conquered death three days after by rising again and later returned to the Father. He will one day return to judge evil once and for all, as well as enjoy eternal community with God’s children in a wholly restored and revitalized creation free from sin and death: the New Heaven and the New Earth.

Why Is the Gospel Central to our Faith?

Now we know exactly what is meant by the term “Gospel.” This allows us to have a coherent discussion on why it is central to what we believe and what we do as Christians. In other words, we can now explore why it is the foundation of our faith and, as a result, our lives.

It is the Culmination of God’s Plan to Redeem Us

The events that unfolded in the Gospel were the most important in human history. They are the centerpiece of the entire Bible. They are the culmination of God’s plan to restore the brokenness of creation.

None of this is hyperbole. Starting from the first sin in the Garden of Eden and the chaos that followed shortly thereafter, God put into motion a beautiful plan to bring us back to him through Jesus Christ. We recognize it as the defining moment of the Bible because every major biblical event preceding it is building up to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

We see this when God slays an animal to clothe the naked shame of Adam and Eve, pointing to how the slaying of Jesus would cover our shame thousands of years later (Genesis 3:21).

We see this when God makes a covenant with Abraham that he will father a great nation, which will later turn out to be the nation of Israel: God’s chosen people who will be set apart from the rest of civilization by reflecting his love and glory to the rest of the world—the chosen people from whom the Messiah will be born (Genesis 15).

We see this when the book of Leviticus shows the sacrifices and ceremonial laws the Israelites had to undergo in order to address their sin against a holy and just God, demonstrating humanity’s fallen nature and our desperate need for a lasting atonement with our creator.

We see this in the books of first and second Kings and Chronicles, in which Israel demonstrates its need for a divine, perfect Christ-King because its sinful human kings bring them toward dysfunction and death. As these generations of rulers pass by, we see the lineage of David continue to grow, eventually leading to the birth of Christ.

We see this in the books leading to as well as during the Babylonian Exile, where prophets such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, or Daniel tell of a coming savior who will right all wrongs in the world and atone for the world’s sin.

We even see the centrality of the Gospel after Jesus’ death and resurrection take place. The rest of the Bible is dedicated to the response his atoning sacrifice creates: we see his disciples follow the great commission to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” We see the Church of Jesus Christ grow in the book of Acts, and we see Paul and other apostles spread the Gospel across the entire world.

Those are just brief snapshots of the centrality of the Gospel. There are many more. It is intricately woven throughout the biblical story.

The Gospel Leads Us to Salvation

It is because of Jesus’ atoning work in the Gospel that we can have salvation. That is the only way we may be reconciled to God and enjoy a relationship of love and abundance with him. It is because of the Gospel message that we realize we have fallen short of God’s glory, recognize our need for forgiveness, and discover the path to eternal life. Without it, we would still be enemies of God, lost in our wickedness and fleshly desires.

Read what Paul has to say concerning the Gospel and salvation.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

Romans 1:16

Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures…

1 Corinthians 15:4

Without the blood of Jesus as detailed in the Gospel, we would all be lost, with no access to relationship with God and no joyful future to which we could look forward.

The Gospel Drives Us Onward

It doesn’t stop at just hearing the Gospel. It’s not a one-time deal in which you place your faith in what Jesus did and then never stop to think about it again.

It is quite the opposite, actually. The events in the Gospel define the life and actions of the Christ-follower. Upon hearing the indescribably, unfathomably good news of salvation and accepting Christ’s free gift, you are not to just sit back and keep that to yourself. Why would you? An unconditionally loving God has just given you eternal life and a purposeful existence!

The primary goal of the Jesus-follower, then, is to tell others the good news of the Gospel and make disciples. We are to use the unique gifting with which God has lovingly designed us and share with others the same message that changed our own life.

This is not optional, either. It is a command. Look no further than the Gospel itself. I mentioned the Great Commission earlier. Let’s read it in its entirety now.

¹⁶ Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. ¹⁷ When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. ¹⁸ Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Matthew 28:16-20

The Gospel is not just the source of salvation for the Christian; it is the source of mission as well. It is the reason for everything we do as Christians.

A Closing Reflection on God’s Redemptive Love

Yes, the Gospel is what brings us infinite joy. Yes, the Gospel calls us to mission. Those are concepts worth talking about, and furthermore, they are worth cherishing.

But I want to close today by proposing this: the Gospel is the most vivid and powerful glimpse at the glorious love of God we have, and that is as equally important an aspect in its centrality to our faith as all the other reasons are. I suppose nobody, regardless of their theological insight or the depth of their faith, can fully comprehend what it is that has actually occurred in the Gospel story.

I do not mean that we cannot understand what Christ did and how we are to respond to it. That much is clear. I mean I do not think the finite human mind can grasp the boundless act of love that has taken place in the life of Christ.

God, the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe, who exists shrouded in glory outside of time—God, who is beautiful in every way imaginable and unimaginable, capable of holding the whole of the expanding universe in his hands as all its brightly lit galaxies stretch forever onward—is mindful of his lowly, rebellious creation. I am not the first person to wonder at this; even now a famous Psalm of David might come to your mind.

When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, ⁴ what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?

Psalm 8:3-4

We see this profound observation demonstrated most powerfully in the Gospel. God was not just mindful of us. He wasn’t just aware that we were alive. He, an infinitely glorious and majestic being, came down to us as Jesus Christ in all the confinements of mortality and finitude. He lowered himself to servant status so that he might save the very people who met him with scorn, hate, and derision.

This act of selfless love came to its apex in the crucifixion, where Jesus died to eternally save those who spat upon him. Those who beat him. Those who tortured him relentlessly with smiles on their faces.

I do not know that we even have a category of love to place this in. Likely not, as we (or I, at the very least) do not have the mental faculty to fully process this.

It is just another marvelous mystery about the life-sustaining, purpose-giving God we serve. He is all that is worth living for and fully deserving of our awe. That is yet another lesson the Gospel teaches us.

Adam sinned a long time ago, yet I am born a sinner today because of him. How could this possibly be fair? Is it just and righteous for God to have the entire human race to be born in a sinful state simply because some naked guy ate from a forbidden tree? The doctrine of original sin faces two common objections: First, where is the fairness for everyone being so severely punished or condemned for two people’s sin. Second, why would God create a perfect world only to see it become cursed when Adam sinned?

In this article we will address these two common objections and then respond to three common questions regarding original sin. The questions are:

• Are We Punished for Adam’s sin?
• What about infants and children?
• Isn’t the doctrine of original sin unhealthy for society?

Objection # 1: It is unfair that we are punished for Adam’s sin.

The short answer is that we are not punished for Adam’s sin. Punishment would mean that we suffer the guilt and condemnation for what he did. We do not. We suffer from the effects of the original sin but not the guilt. When our first parents, Adam and Eve, disobeyed God, they lost the gift of God’s favor that protected them from death and suffering. They experienced a diminished goodness. This diminished goodness was extensive. Yet, it was caused by God removing his direct closeness and presence. After losing this, the rest of the human race was born in a state separate from this complete favor from God.

Let’s be clear, only Adam and Eve suffered the guilt from their sin. Everyone born since has suffered the effects of their criminal act but not the guilt. Trent Horn says that a way to think about this is to imagine a man is given an inheritance that makes him rich, but in his greed he steals more money from the estate of his deceased relative. The man’s wife and children, who didn’t know he did this, are thrilled about never having to worry about money again—until the police arrive and arrest the man, and the courts take back all the money he inherited. The courts don’t punish the man’s family members, because they did nothing wrong. However, the man’s family members still suffer because they would have been blessed with riches if he had not stolen more money. This is the best illustration of how many people can suffer the effects but not the guilt of one person’s sin.

Objection # 2: God was stupid to create a world that could be so easily corrupted.

The world we live in is one where future generations either benefit or suffer from the actions or conditions of those who have gone before them. We don’t normally find fault with that kind of system. (Though certain very flawed political systems are built on reversing this and making everything equal in result through force of law.) It is, still, impossible to imagine the world any other way. Genetic science has shown that of all the billions of people in the world today, we all have a common ancestry from one man (Acts 17:26), and the differences among us add up to about 1/10^th of 1%. It is lower than miniscule. That means that what makes us human consists of a 99.9% commonality–one human race. We are all in this together, both the good and the bad.

A person can contract a disease which has been passed down from their ancestors. Another can inherit genes which makes him very athletic. This is just the way it is. In both cases, this is neither “fair” nor “unfair” that they received something from their ancestors because everyone does–good and bad. If Adam and Eve (and others after them) had not sinned, we would not say, “It’s not fair I am born into such a good condition, because I did nothing to earn it!” If you believe in the concept of inheritance, be it financial, genetic, or spiritual, then you have to accept that human beings are capable of leaving either good or bad inheritances for their children. That is just the way it is. This is the way God designed the world starting in the original creation.

Common Questions

Are We Punished for Adam’s Sin?

If we are punished for Adam’s sin then that would be unfair. We are condemned or punished for for our own sin. None of us will stand in judgement for what Adam or anyone else has done. Further, none of us are forgiven for the sin of Adam or anyone else because we are not guilty of it.

Parents are not to be put to death for their children, nor children put to death for their parents; each will die for their own sin.

Deuteronomy 24:16

The one who sins is the one who will die. The child will not share the guilt of the parent, nor will the parent share the guilt of the child. The righteousness of the righteous will be credited to them, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against them.

Ezekiel 18:20

Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand.

Romans 14:4

 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

2 Corinthians 5:10

Paul expresses this very point when it comes to understanding our sin in relation to Adam’s sin. Paul triumphantly declares:

Romans 5:12

Consequently, jut as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people.

Romans 5:18

God in his majestic providence took humanity’s greatest defeat and turned it into an opportunity to show us his greatest victory. As one Easter song, the Exultet, declares:

“O truly necessary sin of Adam, destroyed completely by the death of Christ! O happy fault that earned so great, so glorious a Redeemer!”

What about infants and children?

While all infants have inherited a sin nature from Adam (the absence of God’s direct blessing), God extends special grace to these infants and young children. R.C. Sproul explains that “infants who die are given a special dispensation of the grace of God; it is not by their innocence but by God’s grace that they are received into heaven.” Sinful nature, then, is not sufficient reason for God to condemn the child, for where salvation is by grace, condemnation is by works–not contracted sin but committed sin.

Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

John 3:18

⁴ For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.

Jude 4

Those who have not had opportunity to do works which explicitly and willfully reject God are not condemned. It is unscriptural to see condemnation for those who have no willful rebellion or unbelief; they have never suppressed the truth; they have no understanding of sin’s impact or consequences; and they have no ability to choose salvation.

John MacArthur writes:

“…there is no place in Scripture in which a person suffers the judgment of damnation on the basis of anything other than sinful deeds, including the sinful deed of disbelief–a conscious, willful, intentional choice to disbelieve. Furthermore, God does not charge people with sins until sins are committed.”

John Piper commenting on Romans 1:18-19, writes in relation to infant/children and accountability:

“God only executes this judgment on those who have the natural capacity to see his glory and understand his will, and refuse to embrace it as their treasure. Infants, I believe, do not yet have that capacity; and therefore, in God’s inscrutable way, he brings them under the forgiving blood of his Son.”

For added comfort and assurance, we remember that King David had a child who was sick at infancy and then died. After his time of praying and grieving, he made this declaration:

 “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept. I thought, ‘Who knows? The Lord may be gracious to me and let the child live.’ But now that he is dead, why should I go on fasting? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him…”

2 Samuel 12:22-23

Isn’t the doctrine of original sin unhealthy for society?

In a recent interview, Alain de Botton, a famous British atheist, said, “I love the concept of original sin, the idea that we’re all fundamentally broken and fundamentally incomplete.” When asked why de Botton explained:

Because [original sin] seems to be such a useful starting point … Imagine a relationship in which two people think they’re great—you know, perfect—that’s going to lead to intolerance and terrible disappointment when they realize that they’re not … perfect. Whereas imagine a relationship that begins under the idea that two people are quite broken and therefore they need forgiveness …

When asked to define “broken” he replied:

By broken I mean “not quite right” … So that’s why the concept of original sin seems so plausible and applicable and also kind, because it basically says, “Look, when you meet someone new … just assume that something major has gone wrong here.” Treat everybody you meet as though they were laboring under some really big problem, basically. That’s the starting point of any encounter.

The source of meeting us at this starting point is the grace which is given in Jesus Christ.