Several weeks ago I was attending a biblical
counseling conference of which one of the topics was about raising children.
The speaker made the comment that “Children are born already shaking
their fist at God”. He went on to say, “Children are born sinners”. Does the bible support these claims? Are we really born already guilty of sin or
with a polluted and corrupt evil nature or are we fearfully and wonderfully
made in the image and likeness of God?
Whatever your past belief on this topic has been, I hope you will
approach the following with an open mind.
I intend to demonstrate through biblical text
that the heart of this debate centers on the idea of “choice”, man’s choice to
be specific. In the end, is sin itself
something we inherit like a birth defect from our parents originating from the
first man, Adam, or are we born sinless and later become a sinner through a
volitional act performed against God’s law?
Though scripture is clear that all have sinned and fallen short of the
Glory of God, the difference between these two views on the origin of sin in each
man is monumental. Your belief on this
point will knowingly or unknowingly, shape your understanding of the nature of
God & man and will be a lens that either distorts or magnifies the truth of
God’s word.
WHAT IS SIN?
The Greek word for sin is hamartia, which
means the act or state of missing the mark.
Probably the most widely accepted verse in the bible that captures a
definition for sin would be 1 John 3:4 which states “Whoever commits sin also
commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness”. The first word that stands out to me is the
word “commits” as this implies an intentional action. The
web defines the word “commits” as carry out or perpetrate, engage in, execute,
etc. The second word of interest is
“lawlessness” and it is defined as a state of disorder due to a disregard of
the law. From this passage, I’m left
with a clear understanding that someone who is a sinner is a person who
intentionally crosses a known boundary. Said
another way, it could be stated that a sinner transgresses the law of God. To support these definitions, let us consider
the first account of man becoming a sinner described in the Garden of Eden told
in Genesis 2:15 through 3:24.
MAN’S FIRST
SIN
In the second chapter of Genesis, we find Adam
and Eve living in a garden with complete transparency and an unashamed
composure before God. God speaks into
their life with a command declaring their total freedom and a singular warning
against what would bring about their death |Law|. As the third chapter opens, we find an
immediate external assault designed to undermine God’s goodness in the eyes of
man |Temptation|. Deceived and side tracked, man is drawn in by
his desire to consume what is pleasant to the eyes and for gaining wisdom |Desire|. The
culmination of the tempter’s seduction and man’s own desire leads to a decision
to act in disobedience towards God |Sin| by
consuming the fruit. The law and its
consequences begin to play out in a spiritual death resulting in blame, shame,
nakedness, hiding and fear |Death|. Man, previously innocent and unashamed, has
now become a sinner.
LAW >
TEMPTATION > DESIRE > SIN > DEATH
Genesis 2:15-17, 25 Then the Lord God took the man
and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. And
the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden
you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you
shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” |Law|
And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not
ashamed.
Genesis 3:1-11 Now the serpent was more cunning than any
beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, |Temptation| “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat
of every tree of the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may
eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree
which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat
it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’” Then the serpent said to the woman,
|Temptation| “You will not surely die. For
God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will
be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw |Desire| that the tree was good for food,
that it was pleasant |Desire| to the
eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise |Desire|,
she took of its fruit and ate |Sin|. She also
gave to her husband with her, and he ate |Sin|. 7 Then
the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that
they were naked |Death|; and they
sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings. And they heard the
sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day,
and Adam and his wife hid |Death| themselves
from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. Then
the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?”
So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid |Death| because I was naked; and I hid myself.”
WHAT WERE
THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE FALL?
In summary of the fall, we see that man was
created in the image and likeness of God, he was unashamed, he received the
law, was tempted, looked and desired, acted out in sin, and finally died a
spiritual death. After man turns away
from God in pride and selfishness, God moves quickly to respond in judgement
against Adam, Eve, the serpent and the earth itself (Genesis 3:14-24). He curses the serpent and the ground and
causes lifelong pain and hardship for man and woman. It is important to note that the curse (a
supernatural power to inflict harm or punishment) is only reserved for the
serpent and the ground and God DOES NOT use this language when dealing with the
man and woman. The following summarizes
God’s judgement:
Serpent Cursed
more than every beast of the field; Reduced to craw on belly and shall eat dust
all the days of its life (Gen 3:14)
Ground Cursed
for man’s sake (Gen 3:17)
Woman Multiplication
of sorrow and conception; Pain in bringing forth children; Desire for her
husband, who will rule over her (Gen 3:16)
Man His
sustenance will come from a “cursed” ground through extremely hard work; it
will oppose him with thorns and thistles causing sweat upon his face all the
days of his life (Gen 3:17-19)
Humanity Enmity
(active opposition and hostility) between Satan & mankind; Physical death;
Physical removal from God’s presence & garden (Gen 3:15, 19, 23)
So as we revisit the original question, based
on what scripture says, what would we expect Adam’s children to inherit? Will they inherit sin itself or the
consequences of sin? By the end of Genesis
chapter 3, Adam and Eve are, thrown out of the garden, separated from God, left
to scratch out a living from a cursed ground, burdened with magnified pain in
bringing forth children, and living daily against the opposition of Satan. This daily fight with Satan should never be
underestimated as we see multiple references throughout the New Testament
acknowledging Satan’s earthly rule. He
is the prince of the power of the air (Eph 2:2), the god of this age (2 Cor
4:4), is here only to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10), and he walks about
like a lion, seeking whom he may devour (1 Pet 5:8). Adam’s children will be born into a fallen
world, raised by sinful parents and will draw their first breath in an
environment where Satan has been allowed to have earthly reign and hell bent
towards the destruction of their relationship with their Creator. In the first 3 chapters of Genesis, I find
nothing in scripture to support the belief that sin will be handed down to
future generations but what we do see is the overwhelming evidence that they
will be born into an environment absolutely marred by the consequence of
sin.
Thus far, we have observed the pattern for
man’s original sin (law > temptation >
desire > sin > death) and through that
example we saw a deliberate transgression of the law of God. Adam is forced to make a choice between what
God has declared for his goodness and what the serpent (Satan) has tempted him
for evil. In that decision, through his
flesh, man’s desire is aroused and he chooses to sin. It is important to note that the position of
sin in this pattern is not until after the law is given. In addition, to be fair, Adam was also warned
what the consequence would be should he choose to disobey.
For Adam’s children and all following generations, can the label or accusation of "sinner", or one who sins, be given before the law is received? In other words, can a baby be born a sinner
before it knows what right and wrong is, good and evil, before it can receive
and understand the law and make a conscience decision to disregard it? Would it seem just for a holy and perfect God
to condemn before telling us what good and evil is (the law)? What about our justice system? Could a judge declare us guilty of a moving
violation where no law exists – say driving down the same road more than twice
in a 5-hour period? Off course not! If it did happen we would say there is no
justice. I’m thankful for the wealth of
scripture that exclaims God’s justice for we see that:
Isa 30:18 The
Lord is a God of justice
Isa 51:4 For
the law will proceed from me and I will make My justice rest
Isa 61:8 For
I, the Lord, love justice
Zech 7:9 Thus
says the Lord of hosts: Execute true justice
Psa 25:9 The
humble He guides in justice
Psa 33:5 And
He loves righteousness and justice
WHAT DOES
THE REST OF THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT LAW, MAN, AND SIN?
What does the rest of scripture say about law,
man and sin and how does it compare to the fall? Do we see a marked shift in the order of how
man becomes a sinner?
Rom 3:19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it
says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all
the world may become guilty before God.
“And
all the world may become guilty before God” – it is understood that the
opposite is true also, that before the law, man was not guilty before God. Man is not born already knowing the law nor
with the capacity to even understand law.
The opposite of guilty is innocent and therefore a child is born
innocent.
Rom 3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh
will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
Sin
can only be understood by man through knowledge of the law.
Rom 4:15 because the law brings about wrath; for where
there is no law there is no transgression.
A
man can’t be called a transgressor where there is no law
Rom 5:13-14 To be sure, sin was in the world before the
law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone’s account where there is
no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over
those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was
to come
In
verse 13, we see a clear reference to sin having existence and preceding the
giving of God’s law. However, this form
of sin is not counted against man were law does not exist. Verse 14 helps to shed some light on one of
the two forms of sin. There is Adam’s
sin, a direct transgression of the command of God and a second category of sin
that still needs some explanation. As we
see in the following, Romans 2:12-16 gives us strong insight into the second
form of sin that precedes the law.
Rom 2:12-16 For
as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as
have sinned in the law will be judged by the law (for not the hearers of
the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law
will be justified; for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature
do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to
themselves, who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their
conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts
accusing or else excusing them) in the day when God will judge
the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.
In verse 12 we see
there is both sinning with and without the law of God. Those without the law of God perish
and those with it will be judged by it. He emphasis that the law (Jewish
or Gentile) can’t just be heard, but it must be obeyed and carried out. Paul goes on to explain that the Gentiles, or
non-Jewish peoples, have a law unto themselves (a societal or civil law) which
essentially, is the law written on their hearts and that even their own
conscience and other people hold them accountable by accusing or excusing. Therefore, I believe that Paul is basically
saying that even though the Gentiles do not have the law of God, their own laws
convict them and that is just another form of sin when they transgress it. So that by these two laws, everyone is
guilty of not doing what they know to be right and doing what they know to be
wrong.
So for this second form
of sin that existed before the law of God, we see the same pattern, man naturally
arrives at a common understanding of what right and wrong is and yet he makes a
conscience decision to transgress it.
Rom 7:8-11 But sin, taking opportunity by the
commandment, produced in me all manner of evil desire. For apart from the law sin was dead. I was once alive apart from the Law; but
when the commandment came, sin became alive and I died; and this
commandment, which was to result in life, proved to result in death
for me; for sin, taking an opportunity through the
commandment, deceived me and through it killed me.
For
Paul, before he encountered the law sin was dead and he was alive. After he became knowledgeable of the law, sin
sprang to life and he died. Is see the
same pattern both with Paul and with Adam – that man becomes a “sinner” after
the law and not before it is given.
Ezekiel 18:20 The one who sins is the one who will die. The
child will not share the guilt of the parent, nor will the parent share the
guilt of the child. The righteousness of the righteous will be credited to
them, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against them.
It’s
clear from this passage that sin is not passed from generation to generation
but instead is only charged against the person who commits it.
Deu 1:39-40 Moreover your little ones and your children,
who you say will be victims, who today have no knowledge of good and evil, they
shall go in there; to them I will give it, and they shall possess
it. But as for you, turn and take your journey into the
wilderness by the Way of the Red Sea.’
God
does not hold the children of Israel accountable as He does the adults for they
don’t yet have knowledge of good and evil.
This clearly teaches that the children both need to have full
understanding and an opportunity to exercise that understanding before they are
deemed guilty or innocent before Him.
Ezekiel 28:15 You were perfect in your ways from
the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you.
An
interesting side excursion reveals that even the angel Lucifer (Satan himself),
was created in perfection by God until iniquity was later found in him. Iniquity originated by choice, not
creation.
CREATION AND
THE WOMB
The following verses declare our image,
likeness and wonderful creation:
Psa 139:13-14 For You formed my inward parts; You covered me
in my mother's womb. I will praise You,
for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my
soul knows very well.
Genesis 1:26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image,
according to Our likeness
Genesis 1:27 So God created man in His own image; in the
image of God He created him; male and female He created them.
Genesis 5:1 This is the book of the genealogy of Adam. In
the day that God created man, He made him in the likeness of God.
Genesis 5:3 And Adam lived one hundred and thirty years,
and begot a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth.
In
studying the debate on this topic, many use this verse to support the position
that Adam’s offspring (and all resulting humanity) are sinners by birth because
Adam begot Seth in his own likeness, after his image. There is nothing in this verse or the
surrounding context that would lead me to draw this conclusion. It stands to reason that if: A looks like B and B looks like C, then A
also looks like C. Nothing in this
logical statement suggests that C would not also look like A.
Genesis 9:6 Whoever sheds man's blood, By man his blood
shall be shed; For in the image of God He made man.
If
there was any confusion about man’s image and likeness, God says it again after
the flood. This passage alone stands as
a strong correction to the misinterpretation of Genesis 5:3.
1 Cor 11:7 For a man indeed ought not to cover his head,
since he is the image and glory of God
New
Testament exposition reaffirming the Genesis 1:26 declaration
James 3:9 With it we bless our God and Father, and with
it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God.
New
Testament exposition reaffirming the Genesis 1:26 declaration
The following verses are cited most often to
support our being born already sinners:
Psalms 51:5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And
in sin my mother conceived me.
The
subject of this verse is the mother and the actions that brought the author
forth and therefore the iniquity cited is upon them and not the author. It does not say that the author was born
having already been charged a sinner.
Psalms 58:3 The wicked are estranged from the womb; They
go astray as soon as they are born, speaking lies.
The
Psalms are poetry and contain a lot of hyperbole. Can a baby speak? It cannot! The author is generalizing the fact that man eventually goes astray. One who speaks has begun to understand what
right and wrong is and is making conscience decisions. A newborn baby can do neither. This is hyperbole.
CONCLUSION
The pattern and accusation for sin has
remained the same for all humanity, it occurs after the point in time that each
individual man receives God’s command (law).
If we are a sinner at birth because we inherited a corrupt state by
Adam’s sin, then what explains the reason that Adam sinned, since he was not
born of woman and thus inherited nothing from man, but was instead created in
the image and likeness of God? Answer: With respect to sin, Adam made a
decision to sin, just like you and I do. Sin is the result of man choosing self over
obedience to what God has commanded. God
risked all manner of evil in giving us free will that we might have the
opportunity to receive and know His unconditional love. For God’s unconditional love to be known,
received and given, it must be fostered in an environment where choice is
possible. Where choice is possible,
there will be at least two things to two choose between. At worst, we choose self and become
disconnected from the author and sustainer of life or at best and in faith, we
choose God and abide in His goodness.
In conclusion, to believe that man is born a
sinner is to knowingly or unknowingly attribute evil to God’s making when
instead it is man’s choice. We can
confidentially say with strong scriptural support that all men, Adam included, are
fearfully and wonderfully created in the image and likeness of God. What is also true is that all men, Adam
included, have a sin nature (the capacity for sin and strong inclination
towards self) and that every person capable of moral action will transgress the
law of God and become a sinner.
Is man born a sinner shaking his fist at God? Absolutely
not - he is born exactly the way God created him, innocent and in the image and
likeness of Himself!
Therefore, exercise your God given right and Choose this day, whom you will serve!
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