Cottrell: Original Sin or Original Grace?

Note: This is part one of a series on Dr. Jack Cottrell's teachings on total depravity. The author does not agree nor disagree with Cottrell but is simply giving you one Arminians opinion on the doctrine.

Part One: Defining Terms

What do we mean when we refer to original sin? The term, according to Jack Cottrell, does not mean the first or original act of sin but to the state of being or the condition in which every natural descendant of Adam is born (The Faith Once For All, p.179). But what effect does the first act of sin have upon the human race? From Genesis 3:16-19 we see that Adam's sin led to three curses: laborious toil, pain in childbirth, and physical death. Every human being in one way or another feels the pains of Adam's sin physically.

But what about spiritually? Cottrell asks, "Is a child born guilty as a result of Adam's sin? Is he born depraved or sinful in any sense, because of what Adam did?" (TFOFA, ibid). Cotrell then looks to the early church fathers. The debate, writes Cottrell, began in the late second century with Irenaeus who concluded that infants do indeed inherit from Adam a sinful state or spiritual sickness but not a state of guilt and not total depravity. Irenaeus declared that all are "born in sinlessness." Tertullian, continues Cottrell, declared that "every soul by reason of its birth, has its nature in Adam" and is therefore unclean and actually evil "until it is born again in Christ." Nevertheless, Tertullian taught that infancy is "the innocent period of life." "No one is free from defilement, not even the day old child" wrote Origen in the early third century (TFOFA, ibid.).

This view of partial depravity prevailed until the late fourth and early fifth centuries when the controversy between Pelagius and Augustine polarized Christianity. Pelagius taught that Adam's sin had no hereditary consequences for humans, not even partial depravity. Pelagius further taught that man was born into the world without sin and while sinless perfection was possible, because of free will man is prone to sin because of the inclination toward sin within the fallen world. In this sense, Adam's sin brought sin into the world with its negative effects listed in Genesis 3:16-19 but spiritually it did not bring even partial depravity into the human soul. Only sinful ways and temptation.

Augustine went the other way of Pelagius. In Augustine we find the term "original sin" as often used by both Arminians and Calvinist today. Bear in mind that Calvin relied upon Augustine greatly and while Calvin modified some of Augustine's views (such as Calvin's rejection of Purgatory, the authority of the Pope, and Calvin differed with Augustine over who is the true Church of God), Calvin did fully embrace Augustine's doctrine of original sin. Augustine taught that human were not born with partial depravity (as had been the common view up to this point in the Church) but with total and complete depravity meaning that infants were born not only under the curses of Genesis 3:16-19 but also bear the guilt of Adam's sin. This radical view of original sin would become Martin Luther's The Bondage of the Will citing Augustine's views.

Therefore, after Augustine's defeat of Pelagius views, the dominate doctrine over the next several centuries would be that espoused by Augustine: that all humans are born totally depraved not only bearing the curses of Genesis 3:16-19 but also inheriting Adam's guilt. This would lead to the Calvinist teaching of election (since even babies are born totally corrupt), predestination, and effectual calling. Arminius himself would adopt Augustine's view to a degree but he agreed with Augustine that man still had a free will, a teaching rejected by Luther and Calvin.

The view of parital depravity, as taught until Augustine, would become known as semi-Pelagian and is often attachted to the Arminian view. Some Arminians of recent find no problem with being called "semi-Pelagian" if by this you mean that they reject the Calvinist understanding of total depravity. Others, such as Roger Olson in his book Arminian Theology, rejects being called semi-Pelagian and seeks to prove that Arminians are much in line with Calvinist on depravity.

A Comparison of Views

Cottrell cites four main views in TFOFA concerning man's depravity.

1. Pelagian - Every baby is born in a state of spiritual purity, without any depravity or corruption and with free will intact. Babies are also born with complete innocence without any guilt from Adam's sin. The only effect, again, of Adam's sin is that our sin-filled environment influences us to imitate his sin. Pelagius rejected the term "original sin" as applied to the offspring of Adam.

An example of an Arminian view of Pelagius is one writer, Moses Lard, who wrote, "There is no proof that Adam's sin ever touched or in any way affected the spirit of one of his posterity. In fact, the spirit is free from its influence as though the sin had never been committed."

2. Semi-Pelagian - Every baby born is born partially depraved, having a soul that is corrupted with spiritual sickness or weakness with a bent or inclination toward sinning. While born with this spiritual depravity, babies are still born with free will intact and free from the guilt of Adam's sin. All humans, therefore, by use of their own free will either give in to their sinful nature and die for their own sins but not because of Adam's guilt but their own.

This milder approach, writes Cottrell, is the view that was held from Irenaeus to Augustine though, of course, it was not called semi-Pelagian until after the Pelagius-Augustine conflict. After the Refomation, the persecuted Anabaptist held such a view as did many of the followers of John Wesley. The semi-Pelagian view held that while we are all "greatly fallen and depraved in our whole moral constitution, in consequences of the sin of Adam" this does not involve, however, "an invincible necessity to sin" thus there is still freedom of the will nor does anyone suffer guilt and everlasting punishment as a result of Adam's sin but their own (TFOFA, p.180).

3. The Roman Catholic View - The official Roman Catholic view adopted in the wake of the Reformation was that babies are born partially depraved and thus have freedom of the will but differs with the semi-Pelagian view in that it also taught that babies inherit a state of guilt and condemnation from Adam. Therefore, an infant dying in this condemned state is excluded from heaven but is also not assigned to hell but the soul is in limbo. This teaching, however, was recently rejected by the Catholic Church. I believe now the Roman Catholics teach that the soul is assigned to purgatory until admitted into heaven through the prayers of the saints.

4. Total Depravity - The doctrine as taught by Augustine then Martin Luther and John Calvin has become the dominate teaching concerning original sin in the evangelical church. In essence, Adam's sin had two devastating spiritual consequences for the entire human race. First, every baby is born in a state of total depravity or bondage of the will, writes Luther. His corruption is so deep that the baby is born corrupt and total inability to come to faith and repentance in response to the gospel. Second, every child is born guilty and condemned to hell apart from the grace of God that sovereignly intervenes for the elect alone.

I remember one of my professors lecturing on this in college and at the end of this rather depressing lecture he looked out at the students and said, "So if a baby dies where do they go?" His answer: "If they are part of the elect then they go to heave but if they are not part of the elect then they go to hell. So I would encourage you to pray and make sure that you are part of the elect." This concept of "double predestination" is not completely accepted by all Calvinist but seems to be the teaching of John Calvin and especially his student, Theodore Beza, who later would teach James Arminius. This is often known today as "hyper Calvinism."

Some Calvinist, such as Dr. John MacArthur, teach that infants go to heaven because of God's goodness and grace. But if anyone holds to a strong doctrine of election, this issue of infants is troublesome. Why do infants get to go to heaven but adults go to hell apart from election? Where does the age of election begin?

The total depraved view as taught by Augustine can best be summed up by Calvinist J.O. Buswell, "I became a wicked guilty sinner in the garden of Eden."

Up Next: Dr. Jack Cotrell examines the biblical basis for original sin.