I'm not sure how your first sentence can work unless you believe that Jesus was born with the sinful nature. Is that what you hold? If so, then doesn't that mean that the man Adam was born in a superior state to that of the man Jesus?
I suppose it depends on what you mean by "could". :) Do you allow for the possibility that Adam "would" have chosen not to sin? I do not. Otherwise, there would have been no need for Jesus, and no need for Christianity. God ordained what God ordained.
This is certainly a Calvinist innovation and corruption of God's Word. We are supposed to believe that "God is Love" who creates and willfully condemns men to eternal hell for absolutely no responsibility that man has, since they cannot choose but evil?
Well, I do believe that God passes over some, and does not give the grace they would need to be saved. But I place no duty on God to give such grace to anyone. He is the potter, and I'm just thankful that He chose to give it to some.
If Adam had no choice but to do what he did, it is not a sin, FK. If I force you to do something you don't want to, then it is not your fault. Choice requires freedom to choose. No freedom, no choice; no choice, no sin. Choice cannot be ordained.
You got is exactly backwards: if God compelled Adam to sin by not giving him a choice, then Adam was forced to disobey and therefore he did not commit sin. In fact, his "disobedience" actually becomes obedience. Thus your theology turns everything upside down! Man is guilty of obeying God! Man gest punished for being unable to resists what God pre-programmed him to do. Man gets "redeemed" by God for having obeyed God. If Judas obeyed God, then you must believe Judas to be a righteous man who only did what God ordained him to do.
Jesus took on human nature AS GOD INTENDED. In other words, it did not LACK anything. OUR own selves were born WITHOUT something. This lack of grace has wounded us, much like a disease. This disease is not our original selves, but something that results because we lack God's orignal Grace. Adam and Jesus were not born lacking anything of human nature. Thus, Adam COULD certainly have REFUSED. We believe (if I may speak for my Orthodox brother) that Adam was equipped to resist the tempter - which Jesus DID. Not because of His supernatural self, but His human self was missing nothing...
Do you allow for the possibility that Adam "would" have chosen not to sin? I do not. Otherwise, there would have been no need for Jesus, and no need for Christianity. God ordained what God ordained.
chuckle...God did not wait with baited breath to see the results of what Adam would do. He certainly KNEW what Adam would do - AND, working within Adam's free will, made something of incredible evil - the wounding of all future mankind - into something of incredible goodness - the Incarnation of our Lord and Savior. Why would God have to force anything? He knew what Adam would do and provided accordingly for all human kind.
Well, I do believe that God passes over some, and does not give the grace they would need to be saved. But I place no duty on God to give such grace to anyone. He is the potter, and I'm just thankful that He chose to give it to some.
This denies the responsibility that MEN have for their own evil actions. The Church has always taught that men have been given the power to obey God's commands. Everyone. That some don't proves that God allows free will of men to co-exist with His sovereign will. Yes, we are very thankful that He has chosen to reach down to us.
Regards
"Do you allow for the possibility that Adam "would" have chosen not to sin? I do not. Otherwise, there would have been no need for Jesus, and no need for Christianity."
Your reasoning is flawed. What possible reason would there have been for the Incarnation if there had never been a Fall?
I'm beginning to agree with my more perceptive fellow members of The Church. You guys really do believe God set us up!