I had some questions regarding the "doctrine" of original sin. As I read and learn your perspective (which by the way I find very convincing), it seems to me that the main point of your argument has to do with the seeming fact that God is the creator of both the body and soul. If God is the creator of these two fundamental components of what constitutes a person and He cannot create or have anything to do with evil, then it logically follows that they cannot be inherently evil. Please correct me if I've misstated your view. I have a few questions that maybe you can help me with. They are as follows:
If God is the creator of our physical being, how does this work in relation to natural generation?
Our natural generation is by genetic generation. All physicalities are made by cellular growth which is dictated by our genes.
God didn't make our bodies as He did Adam's, but He is the One who initiates it.
Our soul is who we are. It is the part of us that gives us animation to our bodies.
Our spirit is what maintains life (James 2:26) & it is that which unifies us with God (1Corinth 6:17)
A "nature" is that which is natural. Anything natural is innate such as our appetites, emotions, instinct & WHAT we are (human).
Human nature is that which humans do & have without volition.
Example: It is our nature to desire. Desire is called an an appetite. God has given us certain appetites; for food, comfort, love, safety...etc...
Appetites are not bad or wrong in & of themselves, in fact appetite is good unless it's used wrongly &/or not kept in check. The danger comes when the appetites becomes toward unlawful things and to be satisfied at any cost. Sin is realized when it is known to be wrong and willfully chosen to be continued in the knowledge of being wrong, thus becoming accountable.
Furthermore, it is our nature to have feelings &/or emotions. However, feelings are not sinful in & of themselves either; no one can help what they feel. If they are not kept in check by the parents, the infant will not learn how to control them. Sin comes when feelings rule &/or be the judge, also when the feelings are doing the controlling & not being controlled.
We are born with propensity to desire.
It is said that mankind has a propensity toward sin; this is called "sin nature". However, the correct way to understand human nature is that all mankind has a propensity toward what he wants; weather it may be good or bad.
You may consider this:
Our nature comes from what we are, which is human, and that is to mature and to bear fruit. Our fruit, weather sin or righteousness comes from what we love or what we put our affections on.
The reason that one bears the fruit of sin is because he continues on choosing to love &/or desire that which the law has shown to be unlawful more than the ONE who made the law.
If you Love the ONE who can deliver you from sin more than sin, you wouldn't choose to sin.
An example is this:
Do you try not to cheat on your wife?
No, there is no need to "try" because you naturally don't cheat on your wife because you love her.
You naturally sin because you love yourself, the world or sin, however, if you love the one who keeps you from sin and shows you the truth, you would naturally not sin.
However, just as one is thirsty, he does not have to drink, therefore, just because one loves himself, the world or even loves sin, he still does not have to sin, because sin must always be a choice. If sin is a necessity, it no longer remains to be sin.
Our own affections will only influence us, but they do not cause the individual choices that we make. We want to do what we have favor towards, in other words, decisions strongly tend toward our affections. However, the choice that we make usually follows our affections but its just that our affections do not necessitate the decision. Consequently, if you love yourself or the world more than God, you may not consistently do things that please Him.
Some may wonder, what is it that causes us to choose our affections toward either good or bad, right or wrong?
That which "influences" us to choose what we put our affections on are the values that we assembled as we mature, choosing to obey our conscience or choosing to ignoring our conscience.
There is a time when a child does not know to choose between good or evil (Isa 7:16); however, as we mature, our assessment of right & wrong becomes clearer; our conscience confirms what is right or wrong as we & it matures (Rom 2:14-15). Our conscience may be wrong in that what we thing is sin is actually not. Our conscience needs learning. It may be over scrupulous or under; either way, we are judged by it.
Our own choices among the options of right or wrong; obeying our conscience or ignoring it, play a great part in constructing our values.
That which makes our values are the things which we decide to be important to us. The things which become important to us are our evaluation of the Eternal compared to the temporal.
Our conscience is the evidence that our nature compels us not to sin, instead of what others say that our nature compels us to sin.
The Standard of it's judgments are the God given basis of justice
If we choose to live for this life only, well then...
However, if we are living for the next life, which is eternal, well then...
The knowledge of God is the beginning of wisdom (Psalm 111:10, Prov 1:7; 9:10).
People do not have a "sin nature" just as an apple tree does not have an apple nature.
All sin is fruit from what man is rooted in, which is of either three things. Rooted in Christ, the world or self.
If man is not grafted into Christ (Rom 11:16-24), he is selfish &/or worldly, because he has his own self as his root. Or he may also be worldly, for that is all he has (John 15:9, 1John 2:15)
This is the cause of all man’s wickedness, that man is of the world and may be selfish and not loving as Christ.
Therefore, the fruit does not make its nature, nor does the nature decide what its fruit is.
What makes its fruit is what kind of tree and what its root is of.
James 1:24 for he studied himself, and has gone away, and immediately he forgot of what kind he was.Whatever fruit it bears, the tree still has a nature of a plant, not an apple nature, orange nature or banana nature, we do not have "sin nature".
The kind of fruit obviously does not change what it is or what nature it has, it will always remain a plant, It will always have a plant nature no matter what kind of fruit it bears.
However, whatever it is grafted into does change its fruit, just as my analogy shows, which is of Scripture as I have shown.
Whatever fruit man bears, sin or righteousness, it is still human nature.
Just as a trees nature is to bear fruit, so is mans.