The Three Theories
Three theories are trying to advocate for original sin, and within the original sin camp everyone defeats the other’s views. They are:
- The Augustinian Theory (also called the Theory of Adam’s Natural Headship or Realistic Theory),
- The Federal Theory (also called Federal Headship Theory),
- The Theory of Mediate Imputation (also called Adam’s Imputed Sinfulness).
God warns us twice about adding and taking from scripture (Deut 4:2; Rev 22:18–19), and there’s something suspicious about these theories. If they were to be true, we’d expect certain phrases in scripture, such as “All existed in Adam,” “Adam’s will was our will,” “Adam was our federal head,” or “God made a covenant with Adam that would bless or penalize all of mankind,” or “Every man is born depraved and justly condemned by nature.” These phrases are foreign to the text, and it’s a terrible thing to quote the 1689 London Baptist Confession or The Westminster Confession instead of scripture. If your view is rooted in scripture, you should quote scripture—if your view is rooted in man-made philosophy or tradition, quote the same.
Because these theories are not rooted in scripture, people who hold to one theory argue the other theories to falsity, and thorough responses cannot be found. Scripture and fact must stand, and when they are critically examined, every theory falls apart. Also, note that because these theories are based on philosophy and didn’t exist in biblical times, scripture doesn’t say “The Augustinian theory is false.” We have to force consistency in the philosophical views they advocate for and check whether scripture supports their claims, as well as whether they are consistent with themselves.
The Augustinian Theory (Adam’s Natural Headship/Realistic Theory)
Alfred T. Overstreet explains the theory best, “This theory was formulated by Augustine in the fifth century A.D. The Augustinian Theory affirms that, by virtue of organic unity, the whole human race existed in Adam at the time of his transgression. It says that Adam’s will was the will of the species, so that in Adam’s free act, that will of the race revolted God, and the nature of the race corrupted itself. All men existed as one moral person in Adam, so that in Adam’s sin we sinned, we corrupted ourselves, and we brought guilt and merited condemnation upon ourselves.”
Augustine of Hippo confesses the he cannot read Greek, and he instead read from the Latin vulgate. The phrase “in quo omnes peccaverunt” appears in Romans 5:12, which can be translated two ways: 1) “In which all have sinned,” or 2) “in whom all have sinned.” The traditional interpretation of this passage is that everyone had sinned since Adam, following his likeness, but Augustine read “in whom all have sinned” into the passage, which is where he originated this idea that all sinned in Adam.
This doctrine supposes we’re guilty because of what we did in Adam. It supposed that we all pre-existed in Adam, but it doesn’t go on to explain a series of things. Why are we not guilty for every sin he committed? Why are we not guilty of all our ancestor’s sins? Did we not exist in them as well? To prove this theory, some people turn to Hebrews 7:10: “For he [Levi] was yet in the loins of his father [Abraham], when Melchisedec met him.”
The purpose of this passage is to show that Christ is a descendant of Melchisedec’s priesthood to show that Christ is the high priest. There was tension among some people, because Jesus was the high priest that sacrificed for our sins, because he wasn’t after the tribe of Levi (which was the priestly tribe). How could Jesus be the high priest if he was not from the tribe? The author explains Abraham (father of all the tribes) gave tribute to Melchisedec, and Jesus was a priest after Melchisedec’s order. Because the Levites descended from Abraham, and Abraham gave payment to Melchisedec, the Levites were not the highest priest order—Melchisedec was, and Jesus came from his order. Thus, Jesus was the high priest. The author writes in the previous verse: “And as I may so say, Levi also, who receiveth tithes, payed tithes in Abraham” (Heb 7:9). The phrase “as I may so say” indicates the author is using figurative speech, not literal. There is no indication in the passage that Levi literally paid tribute in Abraham’s loins, and the fact stands that the author himself signifies that this is a metaphor.
God declares, “All souls are mine” (Eze 18:4), and Solomon writes, “the spirit shall return unto God who gave it,” (Ecc 12:7) indicating that God gives us our souls. There’s no idea in scripture that we existed in Adam’s loins, and that our soul descends from generation to generation. Instead, all souls belong to God—he gives them at birth, and takes them at death. There is no preexisting soul in anyone. God gives children a new soul at conception. The Augustinian Theory must be rejected.
The Federal Theory (Adam’s Federal Headship)
Alfred T. Overstreet also writes, “It (The Federal Theory) has its origin with in the 17th century A.D. According to this theory, God made a covenant with Adam, agreeing to bestow upon all his descendants eternal life for his obedience to be the condemnation of all his descendants. Since our legal representative or federal head did sin, God imputes his sin, guilt, and condemnation to all his descendants.”
The Federal Theory recognizes the issues raised by Augustine’s theory. Claiming that we are just responsible for Adam’s first sin is ridiculous, and so the Federal Theory theory attempts to reconcile original sin again with this problem, and it turns to this covenant (which does not appear in scripture) that God made with Adam. Besides the obvious first problem, this fails for numerous reasons. It compromises God’s justice firstly by holding men accountable for a covenant that they had no part in establishing. Is God counting men who are not sinners as sinners? Again, we find inconstancy. Non-existent people are guilty for a sin they did not commit, and Scripture does not speak about a covenant made with Adam. There is no indication of this “Adamic Covenant” that God had made. Historically speaking, this doctrine’s invention in the 17th century should warn us—why did no one else teach this? God is a just God, and each man will give an account for himself, not for a broken non-existent covenant that he had no part in establishing and breaking.
The Theory of Mediate Imputation
Alfred T. Overstreet finishes his definitions by saying, “This is the theory formulated by Placeus in the 17th century A.D. Placeus originally denied that Adam’s sin was in any way imputed to his posterity. But when his first view was condemned by the Synod of the French Reformed Church 1644, he published this later view. According to this view, all men are born with a depraved nature and are guilty and condemnable for that nature. They are not not viewed as being guilty because of the sin of Adam, as in the Federal Theory. Instead it is the corrupted nature which they inherit from Adam that is sufficient cause and legal group for God to condemn them.”
Let’s break this down. We are not born sinful because we pre-exist in Adam, nor because we inherit his guilt. Instead, we are guilty for a nature we have inherited from Adam. Is this what scripture teaches? God has created us fearfully and wonderfully with a sin nature by which he condemns us? If a child were born with blue eyes, would he be condemned for it? Surely not. If a man is born black, would he be condemned for it? Surely not. If a man is born with a sinful nature, would he be condemned for it? People have no control over their skin, eye, or hair color, nor do they have control over being born with a sinful nature, yet God condemns them for it? Furthermore, as discussed earlier we are fearfully and wonderfully made. Does God create us with this nature so that he may condemn us? This theory seems to be a desperado on Original Sin’s behalf to prove we are born sinful.