Adam's sin is the origin of the inherited sin nature—the 'old Adam'—that makes every human being a sinner before any personal act of sin.
Les Feldick, teaching Romans, explains that the singular word 'sin' in Paul's letters stands for the old Adamic nature passed down from Adam. Human beings are not sinners because they commit wrongful acts; they commit those acts because they are already sinners as children of Adam. This inherited condition is why Adam's sin matters for everyone.
Romans 5:12 — It explicitly connects the one man Adam with sin entering the world and death passing to all people.
Romans 5:14 — It shows Adam as the one through whom death reigned before the law, connecting him to all humanity.
Romans 6:14 — It uses 'sin' as a singular power that does not have dominion over believers, background for Paul's sin-versus-sins distinction.
Romans 5:12 states, "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." This is the key New Testament declaration that Adam's sin affects the human race. Romans 5:14 goes on to say, "Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come." In Romans 6:14 Paul writes, "For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace." The context treats sin as a condition that can rule over a person. Romans 3:20 adds, "Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin."
Les Feldick teaches that in the Book of Romans the singular word 'sin' can almost always be replaced with 'old Adam' or 'old sin nature'—the sin nature every person is born with. He puts it bluntly: "We are not sinners because we break the law... we break the law because we are sinners." Adam was the federal head of the human race, and it is in Adam that all people inherit their sin nature. Even an outwardly moral person who says, "I've never really sinned," still has the problem that began with Adam. According to Les, the old Adamic nature knows only one thing: to rebel against what God has laid down. That is why the human race is by nature contrary to God. Being lost, then, is not finally because of particular bad acts such as drunkenness, cheating, theft, or immorality; it is because a person is born in sin as a child of Adam and refuses the remedy of the cross. When Adam sinned, his whole personality became what Paul calls a 'sin nature'—bent to sinning and dead toward communication with God. The singular 'sin' is the internal factory; 'sins' plural are the acts that the old nature produces.
Les Feldick says the order is reversed from what most people think: "We are not sinners because we break the law... we break the law because we are sinners." The old Adamic nature is already present, and it was Adam's sin that brought that nature into the human race.
In Romans, whenever Paul uses 'sin' in the singular, Les says to replace it with 'old Adam' or 'old sin nature' unless the context forbids. Sin, singular, is the fallen nature inherited from Adam—the internal factory. Sins, plural, are the outward acts that this nature produces, such as theft or adultery.
Les says Adam was the federal head of the human race. In Adam all people inherited their sin nature, and we are sinners first and foremost because we are sons of Adam. As a result, the natural tendency is to listen to old Adam and rebel against what God has laid down.
Les says people are not lost because they got drunk, cheated, stole, or committed immorality. They are lost because they are born in sin as children of Adam and have refused the remedy of the cross. Even someone who says, "I've never really sinned," needs to understand that their sin problem began with Adam.
Sin as the Old Adam
Les replaces the word 'sin' in Romans with 'old Adam,' showing that the law does not make people sinners—it reveals that they already have a sin nature.
Inherited Sin Nature
Les teaches that a person is a sinner by being Adam's offspring, and the singular sin nature can think nothing but what is contrary to the revealed will of God.
Born Lost in Adam
Les explains that people are not lost because of individual misdeeds like drunkenness or theft—they are lost because they are born in sin as children of Adam and have refused the cross.
The 'I'm Not That Bad' Misunderstanding
Les tells of a young woman who thought she had never really sinned because she had not committed obvious misdeeds, showing that the real issue goes back to Adam.
Adam's Nature After the Fall
When Adam sinned, his personality immediately became sin-natured, bent to sinning, and his communication with God became dead.
Federal Head of the Human Race
Les stresses that Adam was the federal head of humanity; all people inherit their sin nature in Adam and are sinners first because they are sons of Adam.
Sin vs. Sins
Les distinguishes the singular sin—the old sin nature inherited from Adam—from plural sins, the acts promoted by that old nature.
Sin Nature Revealed Early
Les reminds his audience that a child's old Adamic nature shows itself just as soon as the child is able, even in childhood.
Romans 5:12: Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
This verse is the biblical anchor for Adam's sin affecting all humanity.
Romans 5:14: Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.
It shows that Adam's transgression had consequences even for those without a direct law, and it points to Christ.
Romans 6:14: For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
It shows Paul speaking of sin as a ruling condition rather than only individual acts.
Romans 3:20: Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
This is the verse Les uses when he tells readers to substitute 'old Adam' for the word 'sin' in Romans.
Yes. Les Feldick teaches that Adam was the federal head of the human race and that all people inherited their sin nature in Adam. We are sinners first and foremost because we are sons of Adam, not because of what we have personally done.
According to Les, when Paul uses 'sin' in the singular in Romans, he is speaking of the old Adamic nature—the fallen nature inherited from Adam. This is different from 'sins' in the plural, which are the acts produced by that nature.
Les says the opposite: "We are not sinners because we break the law... we break the law because we are sinners." Sin is the internal condition; sins are the outward acts that flow from it.
Les explains that lost people are those who are born in sin as children of Adam and have refused the remedy, which is the work of the cross. The cross, according to Les, has completed everything needed for salvation.
Watch the Teaching: Why the Law Can't Save You — Romans 3:19-20 Explained