God holds us accountable for Adam's sin because Adam was the federal head of the entire human race, so all of us fell in him and inherited his sin nature.
Scripture says 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" (Romans 5:12). Les Feldick teaches that every human being is born a son of Adam with the old sin nature, not because we repeated Adam's act but because we are his offspring. God sovereignly set this order, and while the full reason is not explained, He makes no mistakes.
Romans 5:12 — This verse directly explains that Adam's one sin brought sin and death upon every person, answering why all are held accountable.
Romans 5:14 — Paul clarifies that death reigned over people who did not commit the same kind of act as Adam, showing condemnation is inherited, not based on our own copying of Adam.
Romans 5:19 — This verse states plainly that by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, giving the scriptural basis for why Adam's act affects all people.
Romans 5:12 says, "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 shows that the human race did not become sinful through each person's individual actions; rather, sin and death entered through the one man, Adam, and death spread to all people. In Romans 5:14 the Apostle Paul adds, "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." This indicates that even those who did not personally violate the same command as Adam still experienced death, proving that Adam's fall accounted for humanity's condition. Romans 5:19 then gives the decisive conclusion: "For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous." Just as Adam's disobedience made many sinners, so Christ's obedience makes many righteous.
Les Feldick explains that the answer lies in God's sovereign design: Adam was the federal head of the whole human race. He notes that "the first man Adam... plunged the whole human race into condemnation," so that every human being is a fallen creature by virtue of Adam's act of rebellion. Adam was a deliberately choosing being; God gave him the alternative of obedience or disobedience, because without that choice the human race would have been like robots. Les also emphasizes that the sin nature is inherited, not earned. As he puts it, "We are not sinners because we break the law but we break the law because we're sinners, and we're sinners because we are sons of Adam." That sin nature is present from birth and makes every person an enemy of God. Les is careful to point out that we are not guilty of Adam's particular act of eating the forbidden fruit. Instead, we inherit the results. As he says, "We inherited it. We're sons of Adam... and we are immediately born into this world spiritually dead, spiritually destitute, spiritually an enemy of God." He admits that this is hard to explain, but "that's God's business, and He doesn't make any mistakes." The reason God set it up this way is rooted in His sovereignty, and Les says we have to take it by faith.
Les explains that Scripture makes it clear the human race did not come under sin through Eve, even though she ate first. Eve was created out of Adam, so Adam had to be the federal head of the human race. God insulated Eve from the curse of her own act because she ate in ignorance, but she still inherited the sin nature, not from her own eating, but because she was in Adam. Every human being since, including Eve, has come from Adam's line and inherited the sin nature through him.
Les teaches that Adam represented the entire human race. His act of rebellion plunged every one of his descendants into condemnation. Because everyone was in Adam when he sinned, his sin nature became theirs. This is the foundation for why Christ is called the second Man — as Adam's act condemned all, Christ's act in redemption makes it possible for the sons of Adam to become sons of God.
Les says it was in the sovereign workings of God that man should be left with the alternative to sin. Without that alternative there would be no choice and no exercise of the will, and the human race would have been like robots. God created Adam innocent, sinless, and perfect, but He also gave him the capacity to choose. That choice was part of how God set the whole of human history in motion.
Why Every Believer Still Struggles With Sin — Romans 7:15-25
And now, here is Les Feldick. Okay, once again we'll come right back into Romans chapter 7, and just a possibility we might finish Romans 7 and start chapter 8 in this program, but again we never know. But Once again, for those of you watching on television, in case you're just a first time listener, we're just an informal Bible study.
God's Sovereign Reason for Allowing Sin
Les explains that God sovereignly allowed Adam to have the choice to sin, because without choice the human race would be robots. This directly addresses why God would set up a system where Adam's sin would affect everyone.
Adam as Federal Head of the Race
Les teaches that Adam, by his disobedience, plunged the whole human race into condemnation, and that the second Man, Christ, came to restore fallen sons of Adam to God.
Eve's Sin Nature Came Through Adam
Les explains that Eve was insulated from the curse of her own act but still inherited the sin nature because she was in Adam, showing that Adam's headship brought the fall to everyone.
Sinners Because We Are Sons of Adam
Les clarifies that we do not become sinners by breaking the law; we break the law because we are sinners, and we are sinners because we are sons of Adam.
Sin Nature Inherited from Adam
Les teaches that we are sinners by virtue of being Adam's offspring, and that the inherited sin nature makes the human race enemies of God.
Adam, Not Eve, Brought Sin Into the Race
Les explains that although Eve ate first, sin came through Adam because he was the federal head and Eve came from his line; thus the whole race, including Eve, inherits through Adam.
Inherited Condemnation, Not Guilt for Adam's Act
Les says that we are not guilty of eating the forbidden fruit like Adam; we inherit the condemnation, being born spiritually dead and enemies of God, which is God's sovereign arrangement we must accept by faith.
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 showing Adam's sin brought sin and death to all people.
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 proves that people who did not personally commit Adam's act still died, showing inherited condemnation.
Romans 5:19: For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
This directly states that Adam's disobedience made many sinners, and Christ's obedience makes many righteous.
Les Feldick teaches that we do not commit Adam's act of eating the forbidden fruit, so we are not guilty of that specific sin. But as sons of Adam we inherit the sin nature and the condemnation that came with the fall. We are born spiritually dead, destitute, and enemies of God.
Les says this is the way God sovereignly set the whole thing in motion. Adam was the federal head of the human race, so his act affected everyone. The full explanation belongs to God; Les says God doesn't make mistakes and we take it by faith.
Because Eve was in Adam. God had made Adam the federal head, and the whole human race, including Eve, comes from Adam's line. So even though Eve ate first, the sin nature and condemnation came through Adam.
Watch the Teaching: Why Every Believer Still Struggles With Sin — Romans 7:15-25