Are We Born With A Sinful Nature
I have had the privilege of working with young children over the course of many years. No matter what home the kids grew up in or how different each child was from the other, they all showed sinful decisions. It could have been one baby getting angry and hitting another, stealing a toy, or simply being defiant to authority shouting, No! There is no doubt that every person is a sinner. Otherwise, we would have perfectly kind and obedient children who never fight with their siblings and never make mistakes. This is not realistic. Anyone who spends an hour with a kid knows that they are not perfect. However, is this learned, or is this nature?
There is a psychological study that we talked about when I was in college called Nature Versus Nurture. In essence, it is the study of whether a person is influenced more by his nature or how he was cared for when he was growing up.
According to Mick Serpell from the National Library of Medicine, The phrase ‘nature versus nurture’ was first coined in the mid-1800s by the English Victorian polymath Francis Galton in a discussion about the influence of heredity and environment on social advancement.
Christ Took Our Punishment
21 But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago.22 We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.
23 For everyone has sinned we all fall short of Gods glorious standard.24 Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.25 For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past,26 for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he makes sinners right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.
As For You You Were Dead In Your Transgressions And Sins In Which You Used To Live When You Followed The Ways Of This World And Of The Ruler Of The Kingdom Of The Air The Spirit Who Is Now At Work In Those Who Are Disobedient Ephesians : 1
Paul says they were by nature what they were, the word nature used in Ephesians 2:3, doesnt refer to an inherited character but rather to habit. In other words, sin became natural, or as some say, second nature to them by their long and industrious practice of it.
So, those are the three main Scriptures which some use to teach that babies are born sinners. Like I mentioned earlier when it comes to dealing with any Scripture, we must be careful, otherwise, well end up believing something which totally contradicts other Scriptures.
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What Does Psalm : 5 Mean
No matter which of the views above we adopt, the view that is most unlikely is the Calvinistic idea that David is making some sort of theological statement in Psalm 51:5 about the universal total depravity of all humans.
This sort of theologizing was not Davids intention and it does not fit the context of the chapter. There are numerous other explanations for this verse which make much better sense of the verse itself and the context as a whole.
Are We All Born Sinners
The Bible makes it clear that we are all born sinners. By nature, we are sinful with sinful desires. Every man and every woman has inherited the sin of Adam. This is why Scripture teaches us that by nature we are children of wrath.
1. Psalm 51:5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.
2. Ephesians 2:3 Among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.
3. Romans 5:19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
4. Romans 7:14 We know that the law is spiritual but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin.
5. Psalm 58:3 The wicked are estranged from the womb they go astray from birth, speaking lies.
6. Romans 3:11 There is no one who understands there is no one who seeks God.
Does God answer the prayers of sinners?
7. John 9:31 We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does his will.
8. Psalm 66:18 If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.
9. Proverbs 1:28-29 28 Then they will call to me but I will not answer they will look for me but will not find me, 29 since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the Lord.
Sinners deserve hell
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Original Sin In The Bible
Scripture says that we are born sinners and that we are by nature sinners.
Psalm 51:5 says that we all come into the world as sinners: Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me.
Ephesians 2:2 declares that all people who are not in Christ are sons of disobedience.
Ephesians 2:3 also establishes this, stating that we are all by nature children of wrath. If we are all by nature children of wrath, it can only be because we are all by nature sinners for God does not direct His wrath towards those who are not guilty. God did not create the human race sinful, but upright. But we fell into sin and became sinful due to the sin of Adam.
There are also verses which state that we are all sinful from the time that we are born.
Proverbs 22:15 says Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child.
Genesis 8:21 declares, the intent of mans heart is evil from his youth. Jonathan Edwards, in his classic work The Great Christian Doctrine of Original Sin Defended, remarks that on this verse: The word translated youth, signifies the whole of the former part of the age of man, which commences from the beginning of life. The word in its origin has reference to the birth or beginning of existence… so that the word here translated youth comprehends not only what we in English most commonly call the time of youth, but also childhood and infancy.
Are Babies Born Sinners
- The Sure WordBy Jonnie HutchisonGreen Plain church of Christ
One teaching that is widely embraced by many religious people is the idea of original sin popularized by John Calvin in the 16th century. This teaching states that every person born into this world has inherited the guilt of Adams sin. Thus, according to this teaching, every baby is born a sinner and is wholly inclined to do evil. Another term used to describe this is inherited depravity. Does the Bible teach the doctrine of original sin?
The Bible teaches that each person is accountable for the guilt of his/her own sin. The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself. . Since the son does not bear the guilt of the father then how would the guilt of sin be passed down from Adam to successive generations? The guilt of sin cannot be inherited or passed from one person to another. The son is not guilty of the sin of his father nor the father guilty of the sin of his son. Each one is guilty of sin when he or she commits sin which every accountable person has done .
Babies are not born sinners! No person is a sinner until he or she violates Gods spiritual law . Babies do not have the capability to commit sin.
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Are People Born In Sin
Psalm 51:5 is often used to defend the idea that humans are sinners before they are born.
Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me
In his commentary on this text, John Calvin wrote that this proves that David was a transgressor before he ever saw the light of the world .
This sort of idea is then used to prove that people are totally depraved, even from conception, not because of what they do but because depravity is part of who we are.
There are, however, several other ways of understanding this statement of David in Psalm 51:5.
The Wicked Are Estranged From The Womb
Psalms 58:3 The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies.
H2114 = Profane, Strange
This is an exaggeration. No infant is smart enough to make any action to break Gods law. If they were not circumcised on the 8th day, that was the parents choice, not the childs. When they go astray, its because theyve been taught to go astray by their parents or guardians who are wicked. People are only judged as guilty if they go astray.
THIS is what makes a person wicked. How can an infant child lie when they cant even speak?
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Born In Sin = Learn To Sin
First, David could be saying that since he was born as a human, he learned to sin, in the same way that infants and toddlers learn to talk. It is not uncommon for the Biblical authors to speak of being born into something in just this way.
For example, Acts 2:8 refers to people who were born into a language, but clearly, they were not born already knowing this language, but had to learn it just like everyone else. If this is how to understand Psalm 51:5, David is saying that since he was born in sin, he learned to sin just like everyone else.
Did Adams Sin Pass On To His Children
Even though large segments of the Christian world adhere to these ideas, thinking Christians should look at doctrines that arose years after the New Testament record with a critical eye and ask: Is this rooted in the BibleGods inspired Wordor in the ideas of men?
First, the phrase original sin is found nowhere in the Bible. It was coined years after the Bible had been completed. Though Adams choice in Genesis 3 was certainly a sin, nowhere does the Genesis account say that his children inherited his sin. In fact, the first time the word sin appears in the Bible is when God warned Adams son Cain that sin lies at the door because of Cains anger issue .
Certainly, Adams sin had consequences for his offspring. God proclaimed: Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forevertherefore the LORD God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken .
So we see:
- Adam and Eve chose to disobey Godto sinafter being tempted by the first sinner, Satan . Everyone since has made that same choice. Sin entered the human realm, and each person goes down that path
- Because sin and death entered the human realm, Adam and his family disconnected themselves from God. They could no longer enjoy the blessings and perfect environment of the Garden of Eden or have access to the opportunity to live forever .
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Shapen In Iniquity In Sin Did My Mother Conceive Me
Psalms 51 is Davids Psalm of confession after he had Bathshebas husband killed and committed adultery with her. Saying, I was born in sin was an exaggeration, and he only said that because of what he did. One verse before, he says, Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight .
Psalms 22:10I was cast upon thee from the womb: thou art my God from my mothers belly. Psalms 22 does refer to Jesus crucifixion, but this verse also applies to David. It doesnt make sense that David would say, you are my God from my mothers belly and I was in sin in my mothers belly.
Consequences Of Original Sin
According to Saint George Greek Orthodox Cathedral, one of the first consequences was that they became embarrassed that they were naked and they covered themselves with fig leaves. They were no longer focused on God but were now self-centered in their bodies. Their soul was no longer in communion with God, their bodily appetites took charge, and they became ashamed because of their lack of clothing. They began the passionate earthly life that we all now participate in.
Mankind still had the image of God, but it was now tarnished or dimmed. Their bodies became subject to sickness, corruption, and death. The Garden with the tree of life was no longer accessible for them. This is the status we inherit from Adam and Eve. This is what we call ancestral sin. We do not obtain the blame for the bad choice that Adam made, but we inherit the consequence of his sinfulness, the change in nature he underwent. Since we are all descendants of Adam and Eve we all acquire their sinful nature that resulted from the fall.
References
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Does Romans 5 Teach Original Sin
The scripture that is most often quoted by proponents of original sin is Romans 5:12. The beginning of that scripture reads, Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men
If you stop reading there, it could be interpreted to mean that death spread to all men because of the sin of the one man . But consider the last three words of the verse:
because all sinned .
Reading the last part as a whole makes it clear: Death spread to all men because all sinned. When Adam chose to sin, sin entered the human realm , and sins presence in the human realm resulted in the penalty of death . Death, as a consequence of sin, spread to all menbecause all sinned.
In other words, all of us have followed Adams example and sinned, therefore we all earned the same penalty he did. Paul wrote that clearly in Romans 3:23: All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Scriptures Which Suggest Were Born Sinners
When it comes to Scripture, we must always be careful how we understand them and more importantly, we must be extra careful not to read too much into them and make them mean something it was never meant to mean. Lets go ahead and deal with three of the main Scriptures which people use to teach that children are born sinners.
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Jesus Came To Save Sinners
If men were righteous, then there would be no need for the blood of Christ. However, there are none who are righteous. All have fallen short of Gods standard. Those who trust in their righteousness dont need the righteousness of Christ. Christ came to call sinners. Jesus came to call those who are conscious of their sins and those who see their need for a Savior. Through the blood of Christ sinners are saved and are set free.
How amazing is our God! That He would come down in the form of man to live the life that we couldnt and die the death that we deserve. Jesus satisfied the requirements of the Father and He took our place on the cross. He died, He was buried, and He was resurrected for our sins.
The gospel becomes so real and intimate when you realize that Jesus didnt just come to save us. He came specifically to save you. He knows you by name and He came to save you. Believe His death, burial, and resurrection on your behalf. Believe that all your sins have been atoned for. Believe that He has taken away your hell.
16. Mark 2:17 On hearing this, Jesus said to them, It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.
17. Luke 5:32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.
18. 1 Timothy 1:15 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinnersof whom I am the worst.
Are Christians sinners?
Bonus
The Iniquity Of The Fathers Upon The Children
Its true that children can benefit from good things that parents do or suffer from mistakes that parents make, but no sin that a father commits damns his son to Hell.
Ezekiel 18:20The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.
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