Matthew1344
Puritan Board Sophomore
12. Why was this doctrine expressed technically as the imputa- tion o/tJie guilt of Adams apostatizing act? and state the meaning of the terms.
At the Council of Trent Albertus Pighius and Ambrosius Catherinus (F. Paul's " Hist. Con. Trent," Lib. ii., s., 65) main- tained that the imputed guilt of Adam's first sin constituted the only ground of the condemnation which rests upon men at birth. The Council did not allow this heresy, but neverthe- less maintained a rather negative than positive view of man's inherent guilty corruption. Consequently Calvin and all the first Reformers and Creeds were principally concerned in em- phasizing the fact that original sin inherent, as distinguished from original sin imputed, is intrinsically and justly, as moral corruption, worthy of God's wrath and curse. It is the reason why the salvation of infants is referred to the sovereign grace of God, and the expiatory merits of Christ, and it continues in adults the source of all actual sin and the main ground of condemnation to eternal death. Infants and adults suffer, and adults are damned on account of the guilt of inherent sin, but never on account of Adam's sin imputed.
But when the question is asked why God, either directly or indirectly, brings us into existence thus corrupt, the whole church answered as above shown, because God has thereby justly punished usfor Adams apostasy.
This is technically expressed as the " imputation to us of the guilt of Adam's act."
"Guilt" is just liability to punishment. The recognition of guilt is a judicial and not sovereign act of God.
"Imputation" (the Hebrew 2&n and the Greek Xoyi^onai frequently occurring and translated "to count," "to reckon," "to impute," etc.) is simply to lay to one's charge as a just ground of legal procedure, whether the thing imputed antecedently belonged to the person to whom it is charged, or for any other adequate reason he is justly responsible for it. Thus not to im- pute sin to the doer of it, is of course graciously to refrain from charging the guilt of his own act or state upon him as a ground of punishment; while to impute righteousness without works is graciously to credit the believer with a righteousness which
—Rom. iv. 6, 8; 2 Cor. v. 19; see Num. xxx. 15; xviii. 22-27, 30; Lev. v. 17, 18; vii. 18; xvi. 22;
is not personally his own.
Rom. ii. 26; 2 Tim. iv. 16, etc.
The imputation, i. e., judicial charging of Adam's sin to us,is rather to be considered as contemplating the race as a whole, as one moral body, than as a series of individuals. The race was condemned as a whole, and hence each individual comes into existence in a state of just antenatal forfeiture. Turretin calls it "commune peccatum, communis citljoa" L. 9, Q. 9. This and this alone is what the church has meant by this doctrine. Afterwards in our own persons God condemns us only and most justly because of our inherent moral corruption and our actual transgressions. The imputation of the guilt of Adam's aposta- tizing act to us in common leads judicially to spiritual desertion in particular, and spiritual desertion leads by necessary conse- quencetoinherentdepravity. Theimputationofoursinsin common to Christ leads to his desertion (Matt, xxvii. 46), but his temporary desertion leads to no tendency to inherent sin, becausehewastheGod-man. TheimputationofChrist'sright- eousness to us is the condition of the restoration of the Holy Ghost, and that restoration leads by necessary consequence to regeneration and sanctification. " It is only when justificatio forensis maintains its Reformation position at the head of the process of salvation, that it has any firm or secure standing at all."—Dr. J. A. Dorner's " Hist. Prot. Theo.," Vol. II., p. 160.
Anyone have a clue what A.A. Hodge is talking about in "Outlines of Theology pg 357-358"?
Im asking because my understanding of infants that die is all the elect ones go to heaven, and all might not be elect. If they are elect, Jesus died for them on the cross and the Holy Spirit gives them the gifts (regeneration, faith, repentance, etc) of that before they die.
A lot of my friends believe that all infants that die, go to be with God, but i don't understand it. So, I'm thinking maybe this is the thing i don't understand that they do.
Any help will be greatly appreciated. thanks to anyone who even gave this a read to attempt to help me. And thanks to anyone who feels brave enough to write.