Watchman Magazine

When Paul wrote to the Galatians, he spoke of the unity of believers in a powerful manner: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). Ideally, the barriers which are present in society will not continue to exist within the church of God. Former divisions based upon nationality, race or economic differences would become irrelevant when faced with the knowledge that God has created everyone and that God gave His Son for the souls of all people. When speaking to the Athenians, Paul unified all humanity by saying: “He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on the face of the earth” (Acts 17:26). None of the distinctions between the races

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Proposition: The Scriptures teach that, as a result of Adam’s fall, all men are born sinners.

• Affirm: R.L. Vaughn
• Deny: Steven Deaton

Second Negative

Regarding the questions:

1. Adam was made in the image of God, free of sin, which God called “good” (Gen. 1:26-27, 31). Yet, Adam sinned. The same is true today–we are created free of sin, “good,” then chose to willfully disobey.

2. Read again Hebrews 2:14-17. We wonder if Mr. Vaughn thinks a person does not exist until they are born and how that may affect his view on abortion?

3. If both, then all babies are born alienated from God and doomed if they die in infancy. Jesus redeemed us by his physical death–sacrificing his body and shedding his blood (Matt. 26:26-28; Heb. 10:5-7).

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Proposition: The Scriptures teach that, as a result of Adam’s fall, all men are born sinners.

• Affirm: R.L. Vaughn
• Deny: Steven Deaton

Second Affirmative

Answers to Mr. Deaton’s Questions

1. The serpent deceived Eve, but Adam willfully disobeyed (Gen. 3:1-6; 1 Tim. 2:14).
2. No. His body was created in the womb of Mary by the Holy Ghost. He existed BEFORE He was born.
3. Both physical and spiritual death. By what death did Jesus redeem us? Physical or spiritual?
4. They are born sinners before they sin. However, being born sinners, they immediately begin to transgress God’s law. They lie “AS SOON AS they are born” (Psalm 58:3).
5. All are saved from Adamic sin; this is not universal salvation because all who do not believe on the Son of God are condemned.

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Proposition: The Scriptures teach that, as a result of Adam’s fall, all men are born sinners.

• Affirm: R.L. Vaughn
• Deny: Steven Deaton

First Negative

Mr. Vaughn states at the beginning that this is about the NATURE of man. So, this discussion is NOT about whether or not man sins, and it is NOT about whether or not men die a physical death as the result of Adam’s fall. It is about whether or not men are born with a depraved, sinful nature inherited from Adam.

Re: Romans 5:12, 18: These verses do not say, “All men have sinned in Adam.” They give a comparison and contrast of the actions and results of Adam and those of Christ. Adam introduced sin into the world, like AS Christ introduced a way of escape from sin. Notice 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.” Consider: Thomas Paine MADE many infidels, but was his infidelity transferred to them? No, by his actions he influenced many to reject the belief of God. Likewise, by the actions of Adam, many have been influenced to commit sin because he introduced it into the world.

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Proposition: The Scriptures teach that, as a result of Adam’s fall, all men are born sinners.

• Affirm: R.L. Vaughn
• Deny: Steven Deaton

First Affirmative

ARE YOU BORN IN SIN? Or are you born without sin? Mr. Steven Deaton and I invite you to consider the following proposition:

The Scriptures teach that, as a result of Adam’s fall, all men are born sinners.

DEFINITION OF THE PROPOSITION

• The Scriptures - 66 books inspired by God, often called the Holy Bible [quotations are from the King James Version].
• Teach - cause to know
• Result - something that arises as a consequence of
• Adam’s fall - Adam’s disobedience to God’s command (Genesis 2:16,17) and his subsequent separation from God (Gen. 3).
• All men - the whole number of the human race.
• Born - having certain characteristics from birth.
• Sinner - one that sins.

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Some issues are so taken for granted that common acceptance belies their intrinsic value and native importance. Such an issue is the subject of free will. Among brethren, until fairly recent dates, free will has been an accepted doctrine, figuring unobtrusively in conclusions drawn from Biblical principles. Events of recent date in which some have taught that man has a corrupted nature have led to the recognition that we may have taken too much for granted, in fact. Theologians have debated God’s sovereignty and man’s free will for centuries, churning out volumes of commentaries from Augustine onward. Since most of us do not pretend to be theologians, we have allowed simple Bible exegesis to determine our approach to the subject more than philosophical reasoning. Most have done little preaching on free will as a separate topic, choosing rather to include it by reference in related matters. But free will has far-reaching implications relating to human nature, ethics, moral responsibility, social issues and theology, including the question of man’s ability to respond to his Creator’s will so as to exercise choice among moral contingencies. The particular view one espouses will determine attitudes and actions in “every issue of life” (Prov. 4:23).

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Text: (Luke 11:37-54)

37 And as He spoke, a certain Pharisee asked Him to dine with him. So He went in and sat down to eat.
38 When the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that He had not first washed before dinner.
39 Then the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees make the outside of the cup and dish clean, but your inward part is full of greed and wickedness.
40 “Foolish ones! Did not He who made the outside make the inside also?
41 “But rather give alms of such things as you have; then indeed all things are clean to you.
42 “But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass by justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.
43 “Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces.
44 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like graves which are not seen, and the men who walk over them are not aware of them.”
45 Then one of the lawyers answered and said to Him, “Teacher, by saying these things You reproach us also.”
46 And He said, “Woe to you also, lawyers! For you load men with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers.
47 “Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them.
48 “In fact, you bear witness that you approve the deeds of your fathers; for they indeed killed them, and you build their tombs.
49 “Therefore the wisdom of God also said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and persecute,’
50 “that the blood of all the prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation,
51 “from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who perished between the altar and the temple. Yes, I say to you, it shall be required of this generation.
52 “Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered.”
53 And as He said these things to them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to assail Him vehemently, and to cross-examine Him about many things,
54 lying in wait for Him, and seeking to catch Him in something He might say, that they might accuse Him. (NKJV)

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Bible Banner, August 1938

For this opportunity of writing to this paper regularly in defense of the truth I am grateful. While I am not an experienced writer, I shall always try to be clear in my articles, that there may be no misunderstandings concerning any position taken by me. I shall at all times be glad to make myself understood regarding those questions that have to do with the peace and progress of the brotherhood.

The question I have chosen to discuss in this article is that of “defending the truth.” It seems to me that in certain sections that we have grown into a condition that is rather alarming and that bids fair to take the church into sectarianism, to accept and fellowship “creeds,” and to bid God’s speed to the human churches about us. I do not know which constitutes the greater danger–fellowshipping the creeds or making the creeds.

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What would a farmer say is more important, planting the seeds in the spring or watering them during the time they are growing? Obviously one could argue that it is important that you get the crops planted while another could say that sowing was meaningless activity without the important work of watering and nurturing.

What is more important in our work of preaching the Gospel? Converting people to Christ or working with them to put off the old man and put on the new? (Col. 3:5-10) If a person is baptized and then not taught “to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you” (Matt. 28:20), what does it profit him? By contrast, our denominational friends show the uselessness of nurturing unsaved people when they teach error on how one is saved and then work to cause their “converts” to grow. What profit is there in such nurturing if their students never obeyed the true Gospel in the first place? (Matt. 23:23) Indeed, both works are equally important.

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