One sin - 25 January 2010 |
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These are the questions for week 11 of the Guided Reading Course.
John Murray, The Imputation of Adam’s Sin, ch 1-2
Introduction; sections I and II
1. What ‘ancient conception’ underlies Paul’s argument in Romans 5?
2. What biblical data does the first part of Murray’s argument address? What does he regard as ‘the crux of the question’?
3. What is the Pelagian view? What is wrong with it? Which of Murray’s counter-arguments do you find most compelling?
4. According to the Council of Trent, what is transmitted to Adam’s descendants? What is not transmitted? What is wrong with this view?
5. What biblical evidence could be adduced to support or disprove the Roman Catholic view that concupiscence is ‘not itself truly and properly sin’?
6. How does Calvin’s view differ from that of Rome? In what respect(s) are the two positions similar?
7. What features of Paul’s argument are accounted for in what Murray calls the ‘Classical Protestant interpretation’? Do you agree with Murray’s exegetical reasoning here?
8. What conclusion does Murray draw from these features of Paul’s argument?
Section III
9. What question does Murray address in this section? How does it arise from the argument at the end of the previous section?
10. How does Murray summarise the ‘Realistic’ view of the imputation of Adam’s sin? What objection does Shedd raise against the ‘Representative’ view?
11. What, according to Murray, is the crux of the debate between realism and representation?
12. How would Murray respond if a realist claimed support from Calvin?
13. What support could a realist claim from Augustine?
14. According to Murray, what are the problems with realism? Are you convinced?
15. What aspects of the realist view does the representative view not deny?
16. What biblical data, unaccounted for by realism, does the representative view attempt to explain?
Additional reading: Calvin, Institutes, II.i
Here’s the bottom line:
God’s relations to men and the relations of men to one another are not exclusively individualistic; God deals with men in terms of these corporate relationships and men must reckon with their corporate relations and responsibilities. (John Murray, The Imputation of Adam’s Sin, section III)
Posted by Steve Jeffery · Topics: Guided Reading Course, Minister's Blog