Series: Grace Beyond Ability – The Justice and Mercy of God Toward the Helpless and the Ignorant
1. Introduction
To understand why all people share the consequences of sin yet remain objects of divine mercy, one must grasp the biblical relationship between Adam and Christ. Adam stands as the head of fallen humanity; Christ, as the head of redeemed humanity. Through the first came corruption and death; through the second comes righteousness and life. Original sin explains humanity’s universal need for grace, but divine grace reveals that Christ’s obedience exceeds Adam’s disobedience (Romans 5:15–19).
2. The Meaning of Original Sin
The phrase original sin does not describe an individual act but a state of inherited corruption. After Adam’s disobedience, human nature became inclined toward sin and separated from divine life:
“Through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people.” (Romans 5:12)
Humanity thus inherits mortality and a predisposition toward rebellion. The psalmist recognised this tragic inheritance: “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.” (Psalm 51:5).
Yet this is not personal guilt consciously chosen; it is the condition into which every person is born.
3. The Two Adams – Representation and Headship
Paul’s comparison in 1 Corinthians 15:22 establishes a representative parallel:
| Head of Humanity | Nature | Result | Verse |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adam | Disobedience, corruption | Death and alienation | Genesis 3:6–19; Romans 5:12 |
| Christ | Obedience, righteousness | Life and reconciliation | Romans 5:18–19; 1 Corinthians 15:22 |
Just as Adam’s act affected all born “in Adam,” Christ’s obedience affects all who are “in Christ.” The first births us into mortality; the second, into life. The two headships demonstrate that grace is the divine answer to inherited ruin.
4. Inherited Corruption vs Personal Guilt
A vital theological distinction exists between the corruption we inherit and the sins we commit.
Ezekiel 18:20 declares, “The son will not share the guilt of the father.”
God holds individuals accountable for personal choices, not ancestral acts.
Therefore, infants and those without moral capacity share humanity’s fallen condition but not personal culpability. They need redemption, yet they are not judged as rebels.
This principle guards divine justice: no one is condemned for a sin they never chose. Instead, they are redeemed by grace through Christ’s work, which reaches even into inherited corruption.
5. Christ as the Second Adam
Christ’s obedience and sacrifice reverse Adam’s failure:
“As in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.” (1 Corinthians 15:22)
“Through the obedience of the one man, many will be made righteous.” (Romans 5:19)
In theological terms, Christ represents new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Where Adam brought disalignment and death, Christ brings alignment and life.
His resurrection is the decisive act that re-establishes divine order, restoring what the first Adam lost.
Thus, grace is not a patch on sin but a complete re-creation. Humanity’s story is rewritten in Christ.
6. Grace Extending to the Incapable
Because Christ’s redemption is universal in provision, it covers those unable to respond consciously. The atonement is sufficient for all; its benefits are applied to those who believe—and mercifully included for those who cannot believe.
Infants, the unborn, and the mentally incapable are therefore not exempt from sin’s effects (they die, which shows mortality’s reach) but are included within Christ’s victory over death. His righteousness operates where human response is impossible.
Calvin (1960) affirmed this when he wrote that “infants who die before they are capable of faith are saved, not because they are guiltless, but because God’s mercy covers them through Christ.”
7. Grace Surpassing Judgment
Paul’s declaration summarises the gospel’s triumph:
“Where sin increased, grace increased all the more.” (Romans 5:20)
The magnitude of divine grace outweighs inherited corruption. The Cross does not merely neutralise Adam’s sin; it overflows beyond it. Thus, even those who never act in faith benefit from a grace greater than the fall that enslaved them.
This truth confirms that God’s salvation is redemptive, not reactionary—it restores the design of creation to divine harmony.
8. Pastoral and Ethical Implications
- Humility before the Mystery: We acknowledge sin’s universality without despair, for grace remains greater.
- Hope for the Helpless: The second Adam’s obedience extends to those who never consciously sin but share the first Adam’s mortality.
- Moral Responsibility for the Able: Grace does not excuse rebellion; knowledge increases duty (Luke 12:48).
- Reverence for the Cross: Salvation is not achieved by innocence or ignorance but by Christ’s righteousness applied in mercy.
9. Conclusion
Original sin reveals the depth of humanity’s need; divine grace reveals the greater depth of God’s love. In Adam, all inherit corruption; in Christ, all are offered restoration. Those unable to respond consciously are not abandoned in Adam’s death but encompassed within Christ’s life.
The next part of this series, Part 4 – Faith, Repentance and Confession: Receiving What Grace Provides, will consider how individuals capable of moral choice respond personally to the grace already established through Christ’s finished work.
Key References
- Calvin, J. (1559/1960) Institutes of the Christian Religion, trans. H. Beveridge. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans.
- Augustine (397 AD/1998) Confessions, trans. H. Chadwick. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- Barth, K. (1956) Church Dogmatics II/1: The Doctrine of God. Edinburgh: T & T Clark.
- Piper, J. (2006) Spectacular Sins and Their Global Purpose in the Glory of Christ. Wheaton: Crossway.
- Sproul, R. C. (1996) The Holiness of God. Wheaton: Tyndale.
- Wright, N. T. (2007) Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church. London: SPCK.
- Holy Bible (2011) New International Version. London: Hodder & Stoughton.