Beech Tree News Network

The teaching that babies are born in sin is fairly common in the religious world. There are creed books and catechisms which state in so many words that babies have inherited the guilt of Adam’s sin. Is this what the Bible says, though? What does the Bible say about this subject?

 First, there is no place in the Bible that says a baby has inherited the guilt of Adam’s sin. In fact, after Adam and Eve sinned (Gen. 3:6), the Bible doesn’t even say that their own children had inherited Adam’s sin. When we study Genesis 4, we see nothing ever said or implied that would cause us to think Cain and Abel were born guilty of their daddy’s sin. After Cain’s sacrifice was rejected by God (Gen. 4:5), we see Cain being visibly upset. Yet, note what God says to Cain (v. 7). He tells Cain that if he does well he will be accepted, but if not, “sin lies at the door” for him. My question is how can this be so? Seeing that Cain is Adam’s son, shouldn’t God have said that sin was already within him and this is why he sinned, and he needed the operation of the Holy Spirit to make him righteous? This is the position of many in the religious world. Instead, God told Cain he had choices to make, and told him the consequences of those choices, just like He had instructed Adam and Eve (Gen. 2:16-17). If Cain, Abel, and the rest of Adam and Eve’s children had inherited the guilt of Adam’s sin, then this was the time to say so. Yet, God did not teach it.

    In the 18th chapter of Ezekiel, God tells His people, “Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: the soul who sins shall die” (Ezek. 18:20). I think that it is interesting to note that if these people had listened to God in Deuteronomy 24:16, perhaps God would not have had to devote an entire chapter to inherited sin in Ezekiel. Deuteronomy 24:16 says, “Fathers shall not be put to death because of their children, nor shall children be put to death because of their fathers. Each one shall be put to death for his own sin.” Please read Exodus 32:30-33 also.

    In the New Testament, we also see that man does not inherit the sins of his father. In Colossians 3:25, we read, “But he that does wrong shall receive for the wrong which he has done: and there is no respect of persons.” To say that infants inherit sin is to say something the Bible does not say. If a man is not forgiven of his own sin (Mk. 16:16), then he will stand guilty before God for his own sin, and not guilty of Adam’s sin!

    I am impressed with the words of Christ in Matthew 19:13-15. He spoke about little children and said, “of such is the kingdom of Heaven.” Does it make sense to think that Jesus would say that the kingdom is composed of those who are inherently sinful? The truth is that each person becomes guilty of sin when he/she satisfies his own lust and yields to temptation (Jas. 1:14-15). This is the way one becomes guilty of sin, and not through somehow inheriting Adam’s sin.

-- You are invited to visit with the Caneyville church of Christ. Times of services: Sun.: 10:00 am, 10:45 am, 5:00 pm; Wed.: 7:00 pm. Website: http://caneyvillechurchofchrist.com Tune in to our radio program 101.5 FM at 5:30 am, Mon-Fri. Questions? Call: (270) 589-4167