Doctrine of Original Sin

[Jesus is my friend]

It seems to me that within the Modern church there is a lack of understanding reguarding what the Bible declares about our inherited guilt from Adam's sin in the Garden,I am trying very hard to articulate what I mean by this and having a hard time so please bear with me,Am I wrong in saying that understanding that we were declared gulity at this point in time is massively important?,It seems like the Doctrine of Total Depravity totally hinges on this.I bring this up because I believe if we take what the Bible says about our guilt in this one act seriously many theological problems would be much easier to deal with,so i need a starting point for resources to solidify my understanding of this Doctrine.Can anyone here offer any suggestions,older threads,teachings,books,anything that would help me understand and defend the Biblical teachings on these truths,
Thank you very much

 

[Contra_Mundum]

Romans 5.
Paul compares the two covenant-heads, Adam and the last Adam (Christ).
He works the parallel pretty thoroughly.
Dead in Adam, alive in Christ. Guilty in Adam, innocent in Christ.

Imputation--everyone loves it in the second instance, Christ obedient for me, and punished for me.
So, why are they so squeamish about being judged guilty on account of their representative, Adam?

Is the subject of Original Sin important? Yes.
We are guilty before we inherit anything.
We are guilty after we are conceived in iniquity, inheriting a sinful nature.
And third, we are guilty of all our actual transgressions.

 

[reformed trucker]

"Freedom of the Will" by Jonathan Edwards
"Bondage of the Will" by Martin Luther

Most non-reformed folks say they have a problem with "L" in TULIP, but I really think they have more of a problem with "T". All sorts of bad theology flows from an improper understanding of our depravity. I appreciate God's grace more knowing my true state, and I'm more patient with nonbelievers (it's not that I'm smart and they're just stupid for not "chosing" Jesus).

 

[Rev. Todd Ruddell]

Read the Westminster Confession, chapter 6, and Larger Catechism 22. If you have access, get a good commentary on the Confession, say, Robert Shaw, and read his comments on Chapter 6. This will be a good start.

Shaw is available at http://www.reformed.org/documents/shaw/

 

[Dearly Bought]

Amazon.com: The Imputation of Adam's Sin: John Murray: Books

 

[Jimmy the Greek]

If you don't have at least two good Reformed "Systematic Theologies" on your bookshelf to refer to for basic theology questions, you should make it top priority to get them.

I would suggest the classic one volume by Louis Berkhof and the recent one volume by Robert Reymond as good options.

 

[ExGentibus]

The lack of understanding of the doctrine of original sin is one of the main reasons why pelagianism and free-willism are so common today. It is not only at the root of the notion of total depravity, but also one of the pillars of Covenant theology as it includes the concepts of federal headship and imputation (of Adam's sin and of Christ's merits).

 

[Hippo]

Reformed theology makes absolutely no sense without original sin, when arminians decry the Reformed view of God it is because they either do not accept or do not undersatnd the consequenses of original sin.

 

[toddpedlar]

I was going to suggest Murray's Imputation of Adam's Sin, but Bryan beat me to it. It's an excellent read - somewhat technical, but gets at the heart of the matter. As Bruce has also rightly said, we are guilty before there was any "us" conceived, and before we were capable of inheiriting anything at all. Our covenant head, Adam, sinned, and cast all his progeny into that brokenness. Romans 5:12-21 is a passage worth studying carefully to see the comparison Paul makes between these covenant heads - the first and second Adams.