The Fall, Satan and Sin
Sitting in Kevin Vanhoozer's Systematic Theology III class, listening to a lecture on Eschatology, comparing the various millennial views. I'm halfway through Millard Erickson's Basic Guide to Eschatology, outside of class. These, in addition to a book I recently finished on hell, have sparked some thinking about a number of issues concerning the Fall, sin, and Satan.
1. What does it mean to be "fallen" versus "finite"? The former, i.e. that humanity (and to some degree, all of creation) became "depraved" or inherently and thoroughly sinful, is a result of the "original sin" of Adam. The latter was ours by virtue of God's perfect design in creation. Both involve the limitation of humanity on a number of fronts (if not all fronts), for God is all-superior to us.
2. If sin inherently (and totally?) infects all of humankind by virtue of their descendance from Adam, what role do Satan and his cronies play in the Cosmic Drama between Creation and Consummation? I.e., What is there left for them to do if humans are "totally depraved" already?
I see both these issues presenting challenges to Calvinist determinism, including the Calvinist construal of the doctrine of original sin.
Agree or disagree?
1. What does it mean to be "fallen" versus "finite"? The former, i.e. that humanity (and to some degree, all of creation) became "depraved" or inherently and thoroughly sinful, is a result of the "original sin" of Adam. The latter was ours by virtue of God's perfect design in creation. Both involve the limitation of humanity on a number of fronts (if not all fronts), for God is all-superior to us.
2. If sin inherently (and totally?) infects all of humankind by virtue of their descendance from Adam, what role do Satan and his cronies play in the Cosmic Drama between Creation and Consummation? I.e., What is there left for them to do if humans are "totally depraved" already?
I see both these issues presenting challenges to Calvinist determinism, including the Calvinist construal of the doctrine of original sin.
Agree or disagree?
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