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Subject: Re: [CHRISTIA] Question:

On 08/03/98 16:24:35 you wrote:
>
>A pastor-friend emailed me with this question. Your helpful responses?
>
>> A young lady asked me this question the other day, and I wondered what
>> your response to would be.  She was quite serious and genuine.
>> Question:
>> Why is the sin of Adam our fault?
>> Why are we punished for his sin even before our very existance?  His
>> sin was his choice not mine.  How can the concept of justice and
>> free-will be applied to this situation?
>> And most important, how are we to be convicted by issues like our own
>> sin and God's forgiveness if we do not understand the reasons behind
>> what appears to be a wrongful conviction of us by a so-called just and
>> loving God?

Rowland,

This is Tom Sathre.

Here's my best speculation. 

1. Adam's relation to us is a little like an earthly father's relationship to his kids. That's 
an aside to the monologue of Romans 5. I've never yet heard a kid say, "Because dad is short and 
fat, I'm being treated unfairly." But the plain truth is that we earthly fathers make lots of 
choices for our kids, that the kids have no voice in.

2. The idea that we, ourselves, carry all the responsibility for our choices is near the heart 
of the Christian message. (The rest of the message is that Christ died for our sins, not that 
He said that we have the only responsibility for our sins.) We think we do, but we are not 
actually free to make all our own choices. Sorry - but that idea is similar to "... all men are 
created equal", which must have sounded rather hollow to the slaves at the time that was 
written.

Let me/us know how your correspondent is doing.