PERSONAL SINFULNESS AND THE UNBELIEVER
Since the
Reformation, the principle of universal sin in humanity has displaced the idea
of considering the effect of personal sinfulness among the unconverted.
Many times we may
have listened that there is no point in warning people of their everyday sins if
they are in a lost condition regardless, due to original sin, but instead we
only should speak to them of Jesus and procure their conversion.
Even though the whole
human race is in a legal state of sin from birth, Paul says that this condition
we acquired by being descendants from Adam (Ro 5:12) gets manifested through
our everyday acts of sinfulness, and they will be counted in our judgement day:
“And since they
did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do
what ought not to be done. 29They were filled with all manner of
unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder,
strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30slanderers, haters of God,
insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents,
31foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32Though they know God’s righteous
decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do
them but give approval to those who practice them.”
Romans 1:28-32 –
See also Revelation 20:12
Even though every human
is born into a condemned state, this legal status can be cleaned by the imputation
of Jesus’s merits if they die before the age of personal responsibility based in
the fact that Jesus paid for all the sins of humanity (Ro 5:8; 1Jn 2:2; 1Ti 2:6);
but the moment a human commits evil willingly, he becomes liable of that sin,
added to his natural fallen condition. This is the reason why Paul describes each
of the sins men commit and warns them about being judged by them:
“We know that
the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things.” (Romans
2:2).
Another wrong idea
that somehow has crept into reformed theology, is that the ultimate punishment
will be the same for everyone, based on the verse that says that ‘if you brake
a command, you are guilty of braking all of them’ (Jm 2:10). This however does
not speak of the degrees of punishment for the condemned but only about the
fact that every breaking of God’s will carry eternal condemnation as if you
break the whole of his commands (Jm 2: 11). On the contrary, Jesus leaves clear
this notion by saying that everyone who sins will be punished, but the
punishment will vary according to their guilt:
“47 That servant
who knows his master’s will but does not get ready or follow his instructions
will be beaten with many blows. 48But the one who unknowingly does things worthy
of punishment will be beaten with few blows” (Luke 12:74-48)
Even though we carry
the consequences of Adam’s sin in us from conception, God can forgive that as
He did to many in the past (Lk 1:15; Jr 1:5; Jg 13:5) in basis of Christ’s
atonement; but this imputation becomes impossible once a human has committed
deliberate sin, which will require necessary faith in Jesus and repentance.
The accrual of sinful
acts in a person’s life will affect the type of punishment he or she will
receive in Hell, even though ends up condemned together with all the
unbelievers, but will be subjected to a different type of punishment. It won’t
be the same for a youth that died in fornication, than for a man who was a
serial killer. (Ps 62:12; Pr
24:12; Jr 17:10; Mt 16:27).
Finally, the practice
of sin hardens the human heart, making it more resistant to the influence of
the Holy Spirit (Mt 13:15; Ro 2:5; He 3:13; Jn 3:19-20) and contaminates our
planet because their actions are intrinsically and not just legally, ‘evil’.
(Is 24:5; Nm 35:34; Jr 2:7; Ho
4:1-3; Rv 11:18).
IT IS TRUE that all
unbelievers, unless they convert, will be sent to the Lake of Fire (Rv 20:15)
and we need to preach Jesus to them; but by preventing them of their particular
sinful conduct, even in state of unbelief, we are fighting sin, its global
corruption, and the spiritual hardening and physical deterioration it causes on
those who live doing sin.
Even if a person does
not convert, we will have prevented him at least, of getting a bigger
punishment in the Day of Judgement.
Omar Flores.
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