Hereditary Guilt & the Bible, Part 1

So this has become a topic among Evangelicals (though, to be honest, I’m not sure that term is meaningful any more). I thought I should address it.

The Bible teaches that the sin of our first father condemned the entire human race. That is why the Bible can be interpreted of teaching some form of “hereditary guilt.” So I need to comment on what the Bible says about that. I plan to do so in these posts.

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The Peril & Promise of Self-Awareness, Self-Consciousness

Awhile back I preached a sermon and said the following:

 When Proverbs 17:22 says that “A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones” it’s not simply describing two states that people find themselves in. “Medicine” is an intervention you bring into someone’s life to end sickness and encourage health. Solomon is encouraging you to pursue a joyful heart and experience blessings from it rather than cultivate a crushed spirit and suffer the problems that it brings. A parallel text is Proverbs 14:30, “A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh, but envy makes the bones rot.” The point is to not nurture a crushed spirit, but to do something about it that demonstrates your faith in Jesus.  

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