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A Compendium of Christian Theology

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A Compendium of Christian Theology A Compendium of Christian Theology By William Burt Pope, D.D., Volume Two Table of Contents Title Page Volume One Volume Two Sin Origin of Sin in the Universe and on Earth Nature of Sin Sin and Redemption Original Sin The Mediatorial Ministry The Divine Purpose of Redemption The Redemptional or Economical Trinity The Person of Christ The Mediatorial Work in its Process Historical Manifestation of the Redeemer Names of the Redeemer The Finished Work The Atonement in its Results The Administration of Redemption The Holy Spirit The Gospel Vocation The Preliminaries of Salvation Historical The State of Salvation Christian Righteousness Volume Three A Compendium of Christian Theology ANALYTICAL OUTLINES OF A COURSE OF THEOLOGICAL STUDY, BIBLICAL, DOGMATIC, HISTORICAL. In Three Volumes By William Burt Pope, D.D., THEOLOGICAL TUTOR, DIDSBURY COLL A Compendium of Christian Theology By William Burt Pope, D.D., Volume Three Table of Contents Title Page Volume One Preliminaries Definition of Theology The Divine Rule of Faith Revelation or the Faith Inspiration The Canon: The Divine Rule of Faith God The Existence and Notion of God The Divine Essence and Perfections The Triune Name The Attributes of God God and the Creature Creation Providence Volume Two Volume Three A Compendium of Christian Theology By William Burt Pope, D.D., Volume Two Origin of Sin in the Universe and on Earth SIN. ORIGIN OF SIN IN THE UNIVERSE AND ON EARTH IN THE UNIVERSE: the Original Sin IN THE WORLD: the Fall of Man interpretation of the Narrative Theories The Probation and Fall Fall Active and Passive THEORIES OF ORIGIN AND NATURE OF SIN Dualism or Necessary Principle of Evil Finite Limitation Sensuous Nature Free Personality THE discussion of Providence has exhibited Sin, the destruction of which was the object of the redeeming counsel, as contemplated from eternity in connection with the origin, development, and destiny of mankind. It is therefore as a doctrine interwoven with all the subsequent stages of theology, being in fact one centre from which the whole may be viewed. But it has its own range of independent topics, making it a distinct study. We ascend first to the mystery of its Origin, in the universe and on earth, this leading of necessity to the consideration of its Nature in itself and of the Theories devised to account for it: then follows the relation between Sin and Redemption, or rather the mitigating effect that the coming redemption throws back upon the evolution of evil; thus introducing, finally, its universality in mankind, or Original Sin, the sin adhering to the race as such and to every member of it naturally born into the world From hamartia, the general New-Testament denomination of sin as subjective or in the soul, has been derived the term HAMARHOLOGY, occasionally used for this entire department. It appears in some systems as PONEROLOGY, from ponhron or ponhria, which indicates rather the objective character of sin or evil in its manifold relations and consequences. It is useful to note these terms, though they are not much used in English theology THE ORIGIN OF SIN By a necessity of thought we commence with the origin of sin. The sacred record declares that it began in the universe with the fall of free intelligences, failing in their probation: and that it began on earth with the disobedience of our first parents, which brought them the knowledge of evil as guilt and as punishment uniting in death. The history of the first transgression, whether of angels or of men, is so presented in Scripture as to show that the origination of evil is with the creature itself. Whatever differences there are in the two Falls, and however much of mystery remains in both, they unite in one thing: they preclude every theory that seeks the principle of sin in any other source than the freedom of the spirit created in the Divine image IN THE UNIVERSE The Scriptural account of the origin of sin in the external universe is very brief, but very distinct; and what it lacks is supplied by the fuller history of the fall of mankind. One Original Sinner is indicated, who was the cause of sin to his fellows, and the instrument of its introduction into this world 1. The absolute beginning of evil, and of sin as the cause of evil, is directly traced to the fall of the Devil and those who are called his angels. Satan is the representative of evil as it had its beginning in him. There are passages of Scripture which in a marked manner make him the father of all iniquity. It is true that many of these refer to his connection with sin in this world: for instance, the testimony that he was a murderer from the beginning, 1 which sends us to the history of the human Fall. He was the instrumental cause of death to the first man; and therefore in one sense first in the transgression, 2 behind Eve who was first in another sense. But there are some which intimate darkly that the first spirit separated from God was his. Our Lord, who came into the world as the Antagonist of the evil one, gave His disciples on a memorable occasion a single hint of large meaning: I beheld Satan fallen as lightning from heaven. 3 While we must understand these words as condensing into one flash of revelation the whole history of the conflict with the powers of darkness, so far as it concerns this earth, we must also regard them as giving testimony to the fact of the primal fall of one intelligence, so essentially the first and most prominent that he stands for the whole company who followed him. He was the head of those angels who kept not their first estate, 4 of those angels that sinned. 5 Of him our Lord, who knew what was in devils as well as what is in man, said: he abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. 6 This absolute negation of any element of truth in Satan is made more emphatically positive: when he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. The lie is here essential evil, the denial of the truth of a creature's relation to God: he is the father of the universal lie, the father of evil and sin. And this is made more probable by the allusions to the Devil and his angels, 7 as comprising all the beings for whom final and irreversible judgment waits, having been prepared 8 for them alone. Always there is assigned to one Power a pre-eminence over a multitude of others who owed their sin to him: not, however, through the inheritance of a propagated bias to evil, but by each one independently yielding to his temptation or following his example. On this subject we can say but little; suffice, that the Devil is both directly and indirectly regarded as the Prince or archon of iniquity in the universe as well as in this world. His was the original sin; it was the misuse of freedom; it was the mysterious birth in his nature of an ambition to rival God, or the Son of God, an ambition which was transferred to this world after his exclusion from heaven; it was imitated by many others; it was irreparable, at least we hear of no redemption or hope; and, lastly, it was the fountain of temptation to our race 1 John 8:44; 2 1 Tim. 2:14; 3 Luke 10:18: 4 Jude 6; 5 2 Pet. 2:4; 6 John 8:44; 7 Mat. 25:41; 8 Jude 6 2. Of Satan's relation to other worlds we know nothing. But the introduction of evil into the world of mankind, and its history through all our generations, are in a special manner bound up with his first apostasy, the Original Sin. The link between the pride which caused his ruin and the transgression of our first parents, was this: ye shall be as gods!1 Our sin is, so to speak, a reflection or continuation of his. Hence he retains his empire and headship as the lord and representative of the principle of evil. He has set up a kingdom of which he and not Adam is the head. Of this more hereafter; for the present it will be enough to enumerate the names of the original sinner, whose relation to the lapse of mankind is his aggravated condemnation, but not the excuse of human depravity. (1) As the representative of evil or sin in itself he is called That Wicked One, 2 absolutely; and of the propagation of all the innumerable seeds of sin it is said: the enemy that sowed them is the Devil 3 (2) As the representative and lord of the empire of sin, he is the God of this world, 4 the Prince of this world,5 the Prince of the power of the air, 6 the Spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience; 6 a collocation which places him in solemn antithesis to the Persons of the Holy Trinity respectively, the first with the Father, the second with the Son, and the third with the Holy Ghost; especially when his kingdom 7 is taken into the account. (3) As the representative of the spirit of enmity to goodness he is Satan, or the Adversary, the Devil, and the Tempter. 8 (4) The tenor of the New Testament makes him generally the embodiment of sin: its origin, lord, promoter, witness, and executioner.
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