We are considered sinners because we are born sinners as children of Adam — not merely because of the wrong things we do.
Romans 5:12 shows that sin entered the world through one man and death passed upon all men. Les Feldick explains the biblical order: people do not become sinners by breaking the law; they break the law because they are already sinners, having inherited the old Adamic sin nature. The law's role is to make the whole world guilty before God, since it cannot justify anyone.
Romans 5:12 — Shows that sin entered through one man, Adam, and death passed upon all men — the biblical foundation for why every person is a sinner.
Romans 3:19 — Declares that every mouth is stopped and all the world becomes guilty before God.
Romans 3:20 — Proves that keeping the law cannot justify anyone; the law only gives the knowledge of sin.
The Bible traces the entrance of sin to one man. In Romans 5:12, the Apostle Paul writes that 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 foundational statement explaining why every human being is considered a sinner — sin entered through Adam and spread to the entire human race. Scripture also shows that the law does not make anyone righteous. Romans 3:19 says that whatever the law speaks, it speaks to those under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped and all the world may become guilty before God. Romans 3:20 declares that by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. The law's purpose is to expose sin and declare the whole world guilty, not to justify anyone. Romans 5:20 adds that the law entered that the offense might abound, yet where sin abounded, grace did much more abound. And Romans 3:24 reveals the remedy — being justified freely by God's grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
Les Feldick teaches that the Bible presents the exact opposite of what most people assume about sin. He says, 'We are not sinners because we've broken the law. We are basically born sinners.' The reason is that every person is a son of Adam. As offspring of Adam, every human being has inherited the old Adamic sin nature — the 'old Adam' — which knows only one thing: to rebel against what God has laid down. That nature is why people become sinners; it is not because of what we have done but because of what we are. Les applies this to why people are lost. They are not lost because they went out and got drunk one night, or because they cheated, stole, or committed immorality. They are lost because they are born in sin as children of Adam and have refused the remedy — the work of the cross. He also clarifies that our whole sin problem began in Adam, and that so far as God is concerned, every one of us was in Adam at the beginning. The law only came in afterward to show man how sinful he really was; it was never able to justify anyone.
Most people believe a person becomes a sinner by doing sinful things — stealing, cheating, lying, or immorality. Les Feldick teaches the opposite: 'We break the law because we're sons of Adam. We are not sinners because we've broken the law. We are basically born sinners.' He says plainly, 'We are not sinners because we sin. We sin because we are sinners, and we are sinners because we are born of Adam.' The Bible confirms in Romans 5:12 that sin entered through one man and death passed to all men. The order is: we sin because we are sinners, and we are sinners because we are born of Adam.
Les describes the inherited condition as the 'old Adam' or the 'old sin nature.' This nature knows only one thing — to rebel against the things God has laid down. The human natural tendency is to listen to the old Adam, and that is what makes the human race enemies of God. As Les explains, the sin nature can think nothing but contrary to the revealed will of God. People are not lost because they went out and got drunk one night; they are lost because they are born in sin as children of Adam and have refused the remedy — the work of the cross.
The law was never given to make anyone righteous. Romans 3:19 shows that the law stops every mouth and makes all the world guilty before God. Romans 3:20 declares that by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. Les Feldick adds that when the law came in, all it could do was show man how sinful he really was. The law entered that the offense might abound — it exposed the sin nature that was already there.
Les Feldick traces the entire sin problem back to Adam. He states, 'Our whole sin problem began with Adam. We've inherited it.' Every person, so far as God is concerned, was in Adam. Les shares an account of a young lady who insisted she had never done anything immoral or stolen from anyone, and he had to go all the way back to Genesis to show her that it all began with Adam. The Bible says in Romans 5:12 that by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin.
The Law Makes the Whole World Guilty
The law's real purpose is to stop every mouth and make the whole world guilty before God — not to give anyone a way to be righteous by keeping it.
Born Sinners as Sons of Adam
A person breaks the law because he is already a sinner as a son of Adam — we are basically born sinners, and that is why the law cannot justify anyone.
The Adamic Nature Rebels Against God
The old Adamic nature knows only one thing — rebellion against God — so people become sinners because of what they are, not because of what they have done.
Sinner by Birth, Then Commits Sins
Every person is a sinner by virtue of being Adam's offspring; the sin nature thinks nothing but what is contrary to the revealed will of God.
All Were in Adam
The whole sin problem began in Adam, and every one of us was in Adam — so our sin trouble does not start with our own actions but with our position in Adam.
People Misunderstand the Order
Most people, like the young lady Les encountered, think they are not sinners because they have not committed stealing or immorality — but they broke God's law because they are sinners, and that began with Adam.
Inherited Sin and the Law's Purpose
We have inherited sin from Adam, and that is why the law could only show man how sinful he really was — it could not fix the problem.
The Clear Reversal: We Sin Because We Are Sinners
Les states the reversal plainly: we are not sinners because we sin; we sin because we are sinners, and we are sinners because we are born of Adam.
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 is the foundational verse for why every human is a sinner — sin entered through Adam and death passed to everyone.
Romans 3:19: Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.
The law stops every mouth and declares the entire world guilty before God.
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.
Keeping the law cannot justify anyone; the law only provides the knowledge of sin.
Romans 3:24: Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
God's answer to universal guilt — justification is freely given by grace through Christ.
Romans 5:20: Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:
The law came in to make the offense abound, but grace overflows wherever sin is present.
Romans 9:19: Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will?
Paul answers the objection that if we are sinners by birth, God cannot find fault with us.
To be born a sinner means every person enters the world as a child of Adam with an old sin nature that rebels against God's will. Les Feldick says we are basically born sinners, and that we break God's law because of that inherited nature, not the other way around. Romans 5:12 shows that sin entered through one man and death passed upon all men.
No. Romans 3:20 says that by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in God's sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. Les teaches that the law was given to make the whole world guilty before God, not to make anyone righteous.
Because the sin problem is already present from birth. As Les states, we are not sinners because we sin; we sin because we are sinners, and we are sinners because we are born of Adam. Sinful acts are the result of the inherited Adamic nature, not the cause of our fallen condition.
Les addresses this with the example of Pharaoh. God's sovereignty did not mean Pharaoh had no choice — when God put him on the spot, Pharaoh hardened his own heart. Being born in Adam does not remove personal responsibility for the choices a person makes.
Watch the Teaching: Why the Law Can't Save You — Romans 3:19-20 Explained