No - people are not sinners because of their actions; they are sinners because they are born in Adam.
Les Feldick teaches that people who think they are not sinners are judging themselves by outward behavior and their own moral standards. This misses the biblical diagnosis that every person is born a child of Adam with a sin nature. We are not sinners because we do bad things; we do bad things because we are already sinners.
Romans 5:12 — This verse explains that sin entered the human race through Adam and death passed to all, so every person's standing as a sinner comes from being in Adam, not from personal behavior alone.
The Bible is clear that all people are sinners. Romans 3:23 says, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." This is not limited to criminals or notoriously immoral people; it includes everyone. Romans 5:12 explains why: "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." The 'one man' is Adam. Death and sin entered through him and passed to all because all are his descendants. This is why the Bible does not base the verdict of being a sinner on a person's opinion of their own life. The outward behaviour may look clean, but the biblical diagnosis is universal. 1 Corinthians 15:22 says, "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." The contrast is not between good people and bad people; it is between being in Adam and being in Christ.
Les Feldick says the common assumption is backwards. People almost universally think we are sinners because we break God's law - because we have committed adultery, stolen, cheated, or done something bad. Les says the opposite: we do not sin because we break the law; we break the law because we are already sinners. He illustrates that millions of people around us are genuinely good by outward standards - good homes, good families, never cheated anyone - yet they are still lost because they have never seen their need of salvation. Their problem is not their behavior; it is their Adamic nature. Everyone is born a child of Adam, and old Adam's nature rebels against everything God has said. Les also points out that religious people can be just as lost. He references Lydia in Acts 16, who worshipped God but was still lost until the Lord opened her heart. The first step for any 'good' person is to believe what God has said about them: that they are a sinner, and that the remedy is the work of the cross.
Les says this is exactly the thinking that keeps people lost. They point to their lifestyle: no adultery, no stealing, no cheating. Some have beautiful homes, well-behaved children, faithful marriages, and have never taken a dime from anyone. They reason, 'I'm not that bad,' and therefore do not believe God's verdict that they are sinners. Les is emphatic that the problem is not that these people are lying about their behavior; it is that they are measuring the wrong thing. The real issue is not what we have done but what we are.
Both Scripture and Les's teaching point back to Adam. Les reminds people that Adam was created perfect, with not an ounce of sin or a sinful thought, but that state did not last. After Adam's fall, every person is born as a child of Adam. That Adamic nature knows only one thing: to rebel against what God has said. So we do not become sinners by sinning; we sin because we are already sinners. Romans 5:12 makes the same point: sin entered through one man, and death passed to all. Romans 3:23 then states plainly that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
Les says the first step for the 'good' person is to believe what God has said about them. Until they accept that they are sinners, they will never see their need of salvation. He points to good people who are headed for eternal doom just as much as a murderer or an inhabitant of Skid Row, because they refuse the diagnosis. He also points to Lydia: she worshipped God, but was still lost until the Lord opened her heart to believe the gospel. The lost are not lost because of bad deeds; they are lost because of unbelief and because they are born in sin and refuse the remedy of the cross.
Religious People Can Still Be Lost
Lydia worshipped God and was religious, but she was still lost until the Lord opened her heart; being religious or morally good does not mean a person is not a sinner.
Good Candidates Can't Find a Flaw
Les says a person is not a sinner because of performing a sinful act, but because they are a child of Adam; even people with flawless outward lifestyles still have Adamic nature.
The Inner Desire to Break the Law
The problem is not just breaking the law; it is something within us that constantly wants to break the law. That desire traces all the way back to Adam, who was created perfect.
The Order Is Reversed
Les reverses the common thinking: we are not sinners because we break the law; we break the law because we are already sinners.
We Sin Because We Are Sinners
People are lost not because of their deeds but because of unbelief; the biblical formula is that we are not sinners because of what we have done, but we sin because we are sinners.
Good People Who Never See Their Need
Many people are so good they never see their need of salvation, yet they are headed for eternal doom because they do not believe God has said they are sinners.
Children of Adam Rebel
We are born with an Adamic nature whose only trait is rebellion against God's rules; the lost are lost because they are born in sin and refuse the remedy of the cross.
Sons of Adam Are Born Sinners
We are not sinners because we've broken the law; as sons of Adam we are basically born sinners, and justification is being declared just as if nothing had happened.
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 connects the universal death sentence to Adam, showing that sin entered through one man and spread to all.
Romans 3:23: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
This verse settles that 'all' have sinned regardless of outward morality or good behavior.
1 Corinthians 15:22: For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
This contrast between Adam and Christ reinforces that our condition as sinners comes from being in Adam.
Yes, according to Les Feldick. He says we are not sinners because of what we have done; we sin because we are sinners, born in Adam.
Yes. Les says there are many good people who never see their need and are headed for eternal doom because they do not believe God has said they are sinners.
Every person is physically descended from Adam and inherits an Adamic nature. That nature rebels against God, so even before committing acts of sin, the person is a sinner.
Watch the Teaching: What Does "Justified by Faith" Really Mean? Romans 5