Why do you need a savior/What happened in the garden?

9-4-22

Are people completely evil? Are babies "vipers in diapers"? Were people chosen before creation?

There are many theologies that try to explain the state of mankind and salvation. One that I find to be unbiblical is Calvinism. Calvinism can be summed up in five points, TULIP. I will be writing a series of posts addressing TULIP and providing what I believe is a more biblical alternative. This is the first of those posts.

The first point, Total depravity, says that every part of a person has been corrupted to be evil, and people are so corrupt they can't respond to the gospel without God making them. Scripture isn't written this way. Moreover, while mankind has most definitely fallen into sin, it is not true that people are pure evil. People who don't know God do not commit evil every second of the day and telling them they do will hurt your testimony. They have sinned, and the law will show them that, but sometimes they do the right thing. The following I believe is a biblical description of the state of humans after the garden of Eden.

Eternal Relational Separation

When Adam and Eve sinned they separated themselves from God. This is the death that they received as a punishment. Everyone born from that point on is born into a broken, cursed world. Man cannot live sinless in this world. Sin is a moral choice, however everything we need to be whole is in and from God. Broken, damaged, and hurt people behave badly and without the full presence of God fulfilling your needs you will sin eventually. The conditions you need to live completely holy were removed when Adam sinned. The level of sin in your life merely reflects your level of separation from God. While there is a separation from God, He is still actively working in this world, and in all lives to reconcile us to Him. Jesus came in human form to reconcile us to God. God has graciously offered all people a way back. God will not allow people to continue existing in their sinful state of brokenness without Him. Sin is destructive and unloving to our creator. God is love and only through relationship with Him can His law be fulfilled. God wants to heal people from sin, both committed by them and towards them. While man's ability to do good is greatly diminished, he can still respond to the gospel by faith. Those who insist on rejecting God will not receive eternal life.

Genesis 3:17-24, Isaiah 59:2, Romans 3:23, 13:9-10, Ephesians 2:12, 2 Thessalonians 1:9, 1 John 4:16