Original Sin: Original Guilt & Infant Depravity (Part 3)

Today we are going to look at 2 main things: 1) Does the Bible
say sin is transferable or inheritable? And  2) What does
the Bible say about the state of infants and children (are they
doomed from the womb?). Do they inherit Adam’s guilt.  


 


Does the Bible say Sin and Guilt are Transferable/Inheritable?


Deut 1:39





Sons punished for a Father’s sin?


Ezekiel 18:19-23


Deut 24:16 


2 Kings 14:6 


Exodus 32


John 9:1-3 


Exodus 34:6-7 





What about the nature of Infants and Children?


As we said in the first episode of this series; the Reformers who
inherited their doctrine from Augustine believed in the depravity
of infants and their damnation from birth without baptism to wash
off Original Sin. 


 


Johnathan Edwards (famous Reformed Puritan) sums up their beliefs
saying: 


 “It is most just, exceedingly just, that God should take
the soul of a new-born infant and cast it into eternal torments
[due to Adam’s sin]”





Isaiah 7:14-15


Psalms 22:9-10 





Jeremiah and Innocent Babies


Jer 19:4-6, 7:30-33, and 32:32-38 basically say the same thing:
The burning of INNOCENT babies never entered God’s mind. 


Notice: Babies are declared innocent (not sinful) by God. They
are not born guilty of Original Sin but become sinners when they
sin and can be held accountable for it. This has major
ramifications on the abortion debate, as we mentioned in the
first episode. If babies are born in Original Sin then why
advocate for human life? They are born under the hatred  and
wrath of God anyways!





Infant Depravity Proof texts


Psalm 58:3


Go astray means they weren’t already astray at birth. It was
something they had to leave to become astray. They become this
way “FROM” (or after) birth. Not IN birth. 





Psalm 51:5 


What is the context of the psalm? David’s sin with Bathsheba.
David is putting his sin with Bathsheba in parallel with his
mother’s sin in his conception. He is not talking about infant
depravity.





What about Job?


Job 15:14-16; Job 25:4-6; Job 14:4


Two of these are the false words of Job’s friends (See Job
42:7-9) and the 3rd is about ritual uncleanness and not about the
nature of man. 


Jesus and the Children 


Matt 18:3-6


Mark 10:13-16


Children are equated with innocence, purity, and trust. They are
the example of the Kingdom.





Conclusion/The Better Way 


Inherited Guilt


o   We saw that the Bible says that sins cannot be
transferred. 


o   Each will be accountable for their own sins


o   Thus when Original Sin says we inherit Adam’s guilt
it goes against God’s Law and all of the scriptures


Infant Depravity


As we can see in scripture babies and children are innocent
before the Lord. God does not hold them accountable until they
can truly know good from evil. 


o   Some call this the age of accountability or as the
Jews call it Bar mizpah (becoming a son of the commandments- age
13)


o   We are born with desires and we must learn how to
act upon them because they can be used for good or evil. 


o   We are not born doomed from the womb or as sinners
but rather become sinners when we sin knowingly. 


Jesus invites us into the kingdom to become innocent like
children and renewed into the state we were at the beginning in
order to bear his name in this world. 


 


The Take Aways


o   We need to be formed in Christlikeness from our
youth 


o   God has placed life in front of us and we must
choose it


o   He guides us by the Spirit to be able to walk in
this way


o   The discipleship of children is so important!


_________


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