How does 1 Corinthians 15:21 relate to the doctrine of original sin? Scriptural Text “For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man.” — 1 Corinthians 15:21 Immediate Context in 1 Corinthians 15 Paul is defending bodily resurrection. Verses 20–22 set up Adam-Christ typology: Adam brings death, Christ brings life. The parallelism is deliberate, forging a tight theological bridge between humanity’s fall and its redemption. Canonical Interlink: Romans 5:12-19 Paul’s earlier letter explicitly ties sin’s entrance into the world to Adam and universal death to all people “because all sinned.” Romans 5 expands what 1 Corinthians 15 states in shorthand, anchoring original sin in federal headship and imputed guilt. Historical Adam and the Doctrine of Original Sin 1 Corinthians 15:21 presupposes a real first man whose disobedience introduced death. Genesis 2–3 is treated as historical narrative, not myth. Paul’s entire resurrection argument collapses if Adam is only symbolic; the logic demands two literal men: the first Adam and the “last Adam.” Sin, Death, and Human Nature 1 Corinthians 15:21 frames death as the judicial consequence of Adam’s sin (Genesis 3:19). Humanity inherits: 1. Guilt—Adam’s federal failure legally reckoned to his progeny (Romans 5:16-18). 2. Corruption—an inward bent toward sin (Psalm 51:5). 3. Mortality—physical decay culminating in death (Hebrews 9:27). Transmission Mechanism While Scripture is silent on biological details, it consistently portrays sin nature passing “in Adam” (1 Corinthians 15:22). The propagation is spiritual and legal, not merely imitational (contrast Pelagian views). Genetic Corroborations • “Mitochondrial Eve” and “Y-chromosome Adam” studies show a recent, single-generation ancestry node, consistent with a bottleneck at Noah and ultimately a single first couple. • Genetic entropy (measured mutational load increasing each generation) challenges deep evolutionary timescales but aligns with a recent Fall that introduced decay (Romans 8:20-22). Early Church Reception • Irenaeus, Against Heresies 3.22.3, quotes 1 Corinthians 15:21 to argue for Adam’s historical fall and Christ’s restorative work. • Augustine develops the doctrine of original sin directly from this text in On the Merits and Forgiveness of Sins 1. Resurrection as Reversal of Original Sin 1 Cor 15:21 does not merely diagnose the problem; it prescribes the cure: the same federal framework that condemns in Adam saves in Christ. Christ’s bodily resurrection is “firstfruits” (v. 20), guaranteeing the physical defeat of death introduced in Genesis 3. Without a real, historical Fall, the need for a bodily resurrection evaporates. Pastoral Application Believers confront mortality daily; 1 Corinthians 15:21 replaces despair with hope. Evangelistically, the verse frames the gospel narrative within a comprehensive worldview: creation, Fall, redemption, restoration. Conclusion 1 Corinthians 15:21 encapsulates original sin’s essence: death’s entry point and its only exit. A literal Adam inaugurates universal death; the risen Christ inaugurates universal resurrection potential. The verse stands as a linchpin linking Genesis history to eschatological destiny, affirming both the grim reality of inherited sin and the triumphant certainty of salvation in the last Adam. |
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