Next we will look at what is said at Romans 5:12-21 and examine the interpretation of those verses by those who hold to the teaching of "Original Sin." Of upmost importance in this discussion is determining "how" people die spiritually. According to those who teach "Original Sin" all men are born spiritually dead as a result of the sins of Adam and Eve:

"They (Adam & Eve) being the root of mankind, the guilt of this sin was imputed, and the same death in sin and corrupted nature conveyed to all their posterity, descending from them by original generation" [emphasis added] (The Westminster Confession of Faith; VI/3).

Here Paul says that death comes to all men because all have sinned:

"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for (epi) that all have sinned" (Ro.5:12).

Here the Greek word epi is translated "for" and in this instance that Greek word means "because of, because...Ro. v. 12" (Thayer's Greek English Lexicon).

From this we can understand that Paul is saying that spiritual death comes to all men because all men have sinned. That is why we see the following translations of the same verse:

"Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned" (NIV).

"Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned" (NASB).

Despite the fact that Paul says that all people die spiritually because they all sin those who adhere to the teaching of Original Sin say that we must understand that Paul is saying that death passed upon all men because all have sinned "in Adam":

"Sin entered into the world by Adam, for in him we all sinned" (Matthew Henry, Commentary on Romans 5:12).

"This sounds odd to our individualistic ears, but Paul clearly teaches that we all sinned 'in' Adam. Adam is the common father of every person on the earth; every human who has ever lived was 'in' Adam's genetic makeup. Therefore, all mankind actually sinned in Adam" (David Guzik, Commentary on Romans 5:12).

Guzik is indeed right when he says that it sounds odd to think that Paul is saying that we all sinned "in Adam." If that is what Paul meant then why did he not add the words "in Adam" to his statement? We can know that he did not add those words because men do not die spiritually "in Adam," and what he said in the seventh chapter of the same epistle proves it.

In the following passage the Apostle Paul speaks of being "alive" once and when the commandment came he "died":

"For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died. And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death. For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me" (Ro.7:9-11).

Paul is not speaking of "physical" death because he was alive physically when he wrote those words. He is speaking about breaking one of the Ten Commandments (v.7) and it was that which resulted in his "spiritual death."

In a commentary written by the faculty of Dallas Theological Seminary John A. Witmer writes, "As a result Paul 'died' spiritually (cf. 6:23a) under the sentence of judgment by the Law he had broken...so this sin deceived him...and 'put' him 'to death' (lit., 'killed' him), not physically but spiritually" (The Bible Knowledge Commentary; New Testament [Colorado Springs: Chariot Victor Publishing, 1983], 467).

"Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away" (2 Cor.3:6-7).

Here the Apostle Paul is contrasting the New Testament with the Ten Commandments (written and engraved in stones). In regard to the New Testament he says that "the spirit giveth life" so this is obviously referring to "spiritual life."

We are told to compare "spiritual things with spiritual" (1 Cor.2:13) so in order to maintain a logical consistency we must understand that the "ministration of death" refers to "spiritual" death. This idea is reinforced by the words of Paul ar Romans 7:9-11 where he states that he died when he broke one of the Ten Commandments. There are many places in the Scriptures where we can see that it is our own sins which bring death:

"But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death" (Jas.1:14-15).

"What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death...For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Ro.6:21,23).

From all of this we can understand that a person does not emerge from the womb in a state described as being spiritually dead. If a person is born spirtually dead as a result of Adam's sin then it would be impossible for him to die spiritually as a result of his own sin. That is because a person must be alive spiritually before he can die spiritually. The very definition of "death" demands that a person must be alive spiritually before he can die spiritually: "the end of life" (Merriam-Webster.com.).

With this in mind we can know that Adam's spiritual death does not descend to all men as a result of original generation:

"They (Adam & Eve) being the root of mankind, the guilt of this sin was imputed, and the same death in sin and corrupted nature conveyed to all their posterity, descending from them by original generation" [emphasis added] (The Westminster Confession of Faith; VI/3).

Next