Brother Bill:
Originally posted by Brother Bill:
This is the verse I was refering to about the law being a "tutor." Ga. 3:23 But before faith came, we were kept in ward under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. 24 So that the law is become our tutor [to bring us] unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25 But now faith that is come, we are no longer under a tutor. 26 For ye are all sons of God, through faith, in Christ Jesus.
there is a difference with Paul's approach in Roman as against Galatians. yup, in Galatians he said that the law was our schoolmaster (or tutor in other versions). but in Romans he explains that the law was given to make certain things sin.
in the Galatians Paul said that the law was our schoolmaster to lead us to Christ. what this means is that the law was given to prove to man that he is not right with God. if God will give a law, definitely there will be more chances for man to sin and thus know that he is not acceptable to God. this is what the law teaches as a tutor/schoolmaster.
the law was not given to clear things up for man so that man will know that certain deeds are worthy of spiritual death! but without any law there will be no disobedience and there will be no sin. in effect, the law was given to make certain deeds sin. this lead to man committing more sins. and this had a purpose of getting each man realize that he is not worthy of salvation. with this, he tries to find grace, which he does in Christ. this is the concept of the law being a tutor/schoolmaster - the realization!
in Romans: Paul established that the law made certain things sin - it made sin possible.
in Galatians: Paul explained that the law was to teach man his depravity - he stated the purpose of the law.
Originally posted by Brother Bill:
This says, "From Adam to Moses" correct? ... I'm not understanding how the Adam's sinfulness is not imputed on those between Adam and Moses simply because the law hasn't been given.
actually, the people from Adam to Moses had the sin nature with them. they also had the original sin imputed to them. thus, they are worthy of spiritual death. this is why even without the law, even without anythig to break, they are under the curse of death. i think that when the scriptures said that when there was no law between Adam to Moses, you interpreted it as that the sin nature was not passed from Adam to Moses. but it isn't the case. what it means is that there was nothing to disobey, since there is no law. yet with this, people at that time are subject to death. why? it's because of the sin they did not do, but Adam did, and that was sovereignly imputed by God to each born child without consideration of their volition. this, then, resulted to the death (both spiritual and physical) of each person even at that time when there was no law.
Originally posted by Brother Bill:
They can't read or understand the law until they are old enough to comprehend anyway, so why would the giving of the law cause sin imputation to all infants fromt that point forward?
when a child is born, he is imputed of the sin of Adam. this caused him his spiritual death. it was not the giving of the law that cause imputation of Adam's sin to each born person. rather it is the sovereign act of God. it may sound cruel, but it is only cruel for the non-elect if you are a Calvinist, since the non-elect had no choice but to accept God's sovereign decision to impute Adam's sin/guilt to him, without any choice to be saved, since his ability to accept God was also taken away due also to something which he is not to be blamed for.