The work of the Holy Spirit - pagina 315

OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS

275

But maintaining the approved doctrine of Adam's original righteousness as inherent in his nature, and of the divine image as being of the in-created, the important question arises: Was the fellowship Holy Spirit enjoyed by Adam the same as that now possessed by the new-born soul?

The answer depends upon

one's opinion concerning the nature

Adam's righteousness was

of the original righteousness.

God

man ought

stood before

but

He rendered the Lord all that debt. how long is unimportant. One second

for

as

intrinsic.

He lacked nothing he owed momentarily;

to stand.

He

is

long enough to lose

one's soul forever, and equally long enough to get into the right Hence Adam possessed a perfect good for position before God. ;

righteousness implies holiness, and both were perfect. Even the least unholiness would have created an immediate deficiency in

Adam's returns

And when

to God.

that righteousness

that unholiness

was immediately damaged,

became a fact, and broken;

rent,

the least unholiness causes all at once the loss of all righteousness. Righteousness has no degrees. That which is not perfectly straight Right and perfectly right are exactly the same. Not is crooked. perfectly right is ?wt right.

The question

"

Bou>

Adam was perfectly good"

received clearest

light from the conflict of the Lutherans Flacius Illiricus and Victorinus Strigel. The former maintained that man was essentially

righteous.

One's opinion of sin necessarily depends upon his view of goodA realistic nature is inclined to conceive of ness, and vice versa. sin

and goodness as material

;

sin in his opinion is a sort of invisi-

ble bacterium, almost perceptible

by a powerful microscope.

And

virtue, goodness, and holiness have equally a tangible, independent This is not so. We may existence, measurable and apportionable.

compare the

The

spiritual to the material.

What

else is

symbolism?

Scripture sets the example, comparing sin to a running sore, to

and goodness to drops of water quenching thirst, becoming a fountain of living water in the soul. Let symbolism retain But symbolism is the compariits honorable place in this respect.

a

fire, etc.

;

son of things

something tially

fl'/jsimilar,

substantial,

hence their identity is excluded. Sin is not hence virtue and goodness are not essen-

independent.

And

yet Flacius Illiricus

felt that in this

difference between sin and virtue.

Evil

is

respect there was a

unsubstantial, because

it

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