| Letter#39 Original
Sin: Baptism
|
|
| My dear Mr. Isaacs: |
|
| Before telling
of the happy ending of the grievous fault of our first parents, it seems advisable to say,
what you very likely know, that much idle talk comes from doubters when discussing
original sin. They want to know "Why did not God make man so he could not be
tempted?" "Why did God make such a vicious creature as a serpent?"
"Why do the innocent have to suffer for the guilt of Adam?" "Why was Adam
so severely punished for merely eating an apple?" All such queries are off the main
issue, as God does what He wills to do, doing all things perfectly, as He is Perfection.
His creatures have no right to question the judgment or justice of the Creator, though
they may speculate about the reason for this, that, and everything else. It is easy to prove that such querulous interrogators are usually mentally deficient in things of a religious nature, even the history of them. For instance, they know not that the Book of Genesis does not say that Adam ate an apple, it is called "fruit." Hence they may believe that Adam ate an apple, a peach, or a banana, or any other kind of fruit, even going so far as to say Eve gave Adam a lemon. Moses emphasized the principle Adam violated rather than the way he did it, for Adam had already disobeyed God the minute he assented to disobey God's command. The "offense" of Adam was "disobedience," doing what was positively forbidden, as we are told in the Epistle to the Romans (5:19). It was "pride" that caused the disobedience, says Ecclesiasticus (10:14). It was Adam's inordinate ambition to "be as gods, knowing good and evil" (Gen. 3:5), that caused his downfall. A tradition in Israel says that "the Torah (the Law given to Moses) was to be bestowed upon Adam, but he forfeited it through disobedience." It is a universal religious principle that atonement, reparation for sin, must be made in accordance with the moral and intellectual status of the person sinning, the gravity of the offense committed, and the dignity of the person offended. Having that in mind, let us look at the blessings conferred by God upon Adam, before applying the principle. His home was the Garden of Paradise; he was given dominion over all animal creation and natural resources; his mind was illumined with spiritual insight such as no other man has since possessed, save the God-man, Jesus. Adam was in a state of innocence; he had complete mastery over his senses; and was free from pain and death. His only subjection was to the will of God, whose command he was obligated to obey as a condition of continuing the enjoyment of these sublime gifts. Adam violated the one command, that he eat not of "the tree of knowledge of good and evil." He disobeyed, his "eyes were opened," self-consciousness of sin entered his mind; henceforth he could no longer go about naked like an innocent child, as shame and terror entered his heart. He brought a curse upon himself and deprived his descendants of the gifts they would have inherited had their first parents been obedient. With all this in mind, just consider the infinite holiness, the great munificence of the personage Adam offended, the Infinite God. Neither Adam, nor the holiest of holy men could make adequate atonement for such a gross offense. Someone had to make amends if ever the supernatural status, God's grace, was to be restored that Adam had robbed man of by taking what did not belong to him. Though God punished Adam, He did not end his existence or forsake him. God, in His infinite mercy, paved the way for the personage who alone could come and atone for Adam's transgression, when He made the solemn promise that the head of Satan would be crushed by the "seed of a woman" (Gen. 3:15). That Seed was to be the Second Adam, who was to make the amends that would restore supernatural life to the soul that the first Adam had deprived man of through sin. He was to come from the Second Eve, who, instead of being beguiled into violating the command of God, as was the first Eve, would triumph over the spiritual enemy by crushing Satan's head. There was only one person born of the "seed of a woman," as Moses said he would be born, instead of the seed of man. He is Jesus, the Second Person of the Triune God, the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who is called the Redeemer because He became a substitutional victim through whom atonement was to be made for the sin of Adam, and the stain thereof wiped from the soul of man. He is true God as well as true man. Thus God alone could and did make an adequate atonement for the sin of Adam; and thus brought back to man the gift of supernatural life, the grace that alone can give spiritual life to the soul. Isaiah said that "God himself would come and save you" (Isa. 35:4). "The Lord Himself shall give you a sign. Behold a virgin shall bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel, God with us" (Isa. 7:14). Isaiah calls Him "God the Mighty...the Prince of Peace" (Isa. 9:6). Rabbi S.... was right, "the starting point of Christian belief is original sin," though he failed to recognize the fact that the end of original sin is the Messiah, Jesus. St. Augustine said, over fifteen centuries ago, that
Jesus instituted the sacrament of Baptism for the
purpose of washing away the stain of original sin. Jesus came, as he told us, "that
men may have life and have it more abundantly" (St. John 10:10). The thing
"lost" that Jesus promised to restore, sanctifying grace, being as much needed
for supernatural life, union of the soul with God, as natural life is dependent upon the
union of the soul with the body.
By natural birth we become children of our parents; by
rebirth through baptism, we become adopted children of God.
In the presence of Elias with the Messiah, the Jews of
the world were told, inferentially, that they would no longer play the mystical role of
inducting descendants of Israel through the "laver of blood" into the exclusive
sonship of the Abrahamic Covenant. If Elias were on earth today, he would no doubt re-echo
the words of God, intended first for the Jews, "This is the `beloved Son' of God,
`hear Him,' be regenerated through the `laver of water,' listen to your Messiah, who said,
`Amen, amen, unless a man be born again of water and the spirit, he shall not enter the
kingdom of God' (St. John 3:5)." |
|
|
|
|
|