Does the Bible Say Sin Is Inherited From Adam?
(By Sandra Hooper)

 

(Click on the for Scripture references.)

There is one common ground found among many denominations from the past to the present, and that is the idea that people are born with the guilt of Adam's sin, which we "inherited" from him. In other words, we received from Adam this "genetic" condition called "sin." This supposedly is the reason "why" we all sin. It's in our "genes". There was one preacher who wrote to me and said, "We are born in a pool of sin and corrupted DNA." Therefore, the only conclusion is that sin is something "physical," and we are taught that this defect is passed on from parent to child, which can be traced back to Adam. This, we are taught, is why sin is so prevalent in the world today. Romans 3:23 is no exception. The conclusion is that sin is built into us. Since God is our maker, which the Bible clearly states this truth, the only awful conclusion, if one really considers the ramifications, is that God created us that way, sinners.

Now, did this teaching originate from the Bible? No. The first person who taught this (and is well documented if one is inclined to read his material) is a man named Augustine in the fourth century A.D. In the early sixteenth century, it was John Calvin who popularized the idea (also well documented....Calvinism theology). It has grown to be accepted among many denominations. It is also the common ground for evolutionists. A majority of the saved as well as the unsaved have this one thing in common....that sin is a disease; it's something inherited. This idea can also be found in your daily newspaper.

The Catholic and Protestant solution to solve a dilemma.  

I never seriously thought of any problem with the idea of sin being inherited until another Christian brought it to my attention. Immediately I knew he was telling the truth. In my Christian life, the only other time a truth like this hit me so powerfully was the time I found out how the newer bibles are corrupt. I began to investigate this issue with the Bibles and concluded that the Authorized Bible (King James Bible) was the only Bible for me that was true and without error, and I settled in my heart and mind that it would be the final authority concerning any issue in my life. In the same way, as with the Bible issue, I began to investigate this teaching of inherited sin that I was taught in the Catholic church, as well as in a Charismatic church and Baptist church.

When the Catholic church taught inherited sin, they realized they had a problem. How could Jesus escape such a condition and remain sinless (Heb. 4:15) if sin is inherited? The Catholic church was able to solve this problem by claiming that the mother of Jesus, Mary, was miraculously conceived. In other words, when Mary was conceived in her mother's womb, she was born without sin. Since Mary was born without "original sin," the chain of sin was broken, thus she was able to give birth to Jesus and not pass this "sin nature" to him. Unfortunately, there is absolutely no evidence in the Bible for this belief.

The Protestant solution was to look directly at the father. Their argument is that the original sin is only passed through the fathers, and since Jesus did not have an earthly father, he was free from inheriting Adam's sin. Unfortunately for the Protestants (and many other denominations), the difficulty in this position is that the Bible does not say that sin is only inherited through the father.

There is only one Scripture verse that is the backbone to uphold this position that all of us are born in sin, and that is taken from Psalm 51:5. Those who employ Psalm 51:5 to buttress the doctrine that sin is inherited from one’s mother are faced with a serious problem. Jesus was both conceived by and brought forth from a human mother (Lk. 1:31). If original sin is inherited from one’s mother, Christ had it. On the other hand, if someone should suggest that depravity is received only from the father, Psalm 51:5 cannot be used to prove it, for it mentions only the mother!

There is no doubt that Adam and Eve sinned and the result of their sinning had a huge impact on the world, as well as their descendants. There were consequences of their sin that have passed on to their children, such as women having pain in childbirth and men having to work by the sweat of their brow. This world suffered the consequences of Adam's sin. God cursed the ground. However, the question remains whether the actual sin itself has been passed down through the generations.

Two earliest examples from the Bible that sin is not inherited.

Let's consider Cain and Abel. Cain was intensely angry that Abel's sacrifice was respected by God and his was not. God knew that Cain was very wroth. God asked Cain, "Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?" God told Cain that if he did well, "shalt thou not be accepted?" Cain was in much anger and God warned him that sin was lying at his door (Gen. 4:4-7). However, Calvinism teaches that Cain was already in sin because he inherited his father's sin.

 We must not forget Enoch. Genesis 5:21-24 speaks of Enoch and the Bible describes him as a righteous man who "walked with God." God took Enoch before his physical death. If all inherit sin, and we know a person's sins separate him from God (Isaiah 59:1-2) and God does not have dealings with those in sin (1 John 1:5), then Enoch poses a problem for Calvinism and all those denominations that agree with Calvinism.

The above two examples alone forces us to conclude that sin is not inherited from our parents. This is not to mention that God is just. God will not punish me for your sins. Each person is punished for the wrong that he has done himself. God does not hold me responsible for Adam's sin, nor does he hold you responsible for Adam's sin. Why? Because we did not commit that sin. We suffer the consequences of his sin, which is physical death, but we are not held accountable for Adam's sin. The Bible is clear on this matter and even speaks of those suffering death even though they had "not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression." We may suffer the consequences of someone else's sin, but that doesn't mean we committed the sin. For instance, suppose a drunk kills your child in an automobile accident. Though that child did not commit the sin of drunkenness, yet he suffered the consequences of another person's sin.

Just think, after a gospel sermon is given, we see a guy going up to the altar all shaken with a sorrowful heart. I mean, this guy is weeping and begging for mercy. The preacher comes up to him, wanting to make sure he understands the matter of salvation. He pats the weeping young man on the shoulder and asks if there is anything he would like to talk about. The young man is weeping with his head in his hands and is in much anguish. The preacher waits and then hears the penitent sinner say, "O my precious Lord, please forgive me for eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. I have sinned greatly against you by eating the fruit from the tree you have forbidden me to eat." Yes, far fetched indeed. However, if we all share the guilt and inherit Adam's sin as we are commonly taught, then that should be our plea to God. I cannot be responsible for a sin I did not commit. That is not what God teaches in his word.

Got tells Israel to stop using a proverb.

Some will use Ezekiel 18 to prove that sin nature is inherited. Ezekiel 18 clearly shows how God holds each person responsible for his own sins. In chapter 18 there was a proverb in Israel that said when a father ate sour grapes, his children's teeth were set on edge. This was supposed to mean that children inherited the sins of their fathers (nothing about Adam). God's response? "As I live, saith the Lord GOD, ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel."

Taken in its context from the Old Testament, God is telling the Israelites, the Jews in Babylon, to stop using this corrupt proverb. By this proverb they were implying that they were suffering because of the sins of their forefathers (it didn't say anything about sin nature or inheriting Adam's sin!). They blamed their captivity and punishment on the sins of their forefathers trying to claim they were free from sin. They were claiming to be innocent victims of the actions of others, blaming others for their condition, thus charging God with injustice and cruelty. God wanted this proverb to cease.

Some main verses used to try and prove that sin is inherited.

 The first passage most quoted is taken from Ps. 51:5. David wrote this whole Psalm after he had sinned by having sex with Bathsheba, another man's wife (2 Samuel 12:1-7). When David realized his sin was not hidden from God, he was in great agony over his own sin. Note that David was not blaming God for making him a sinner, he was not blaming his mother for being born sinful, nor was he blaming Adam for his sin. In Ps. 51:1-4, some Bible translations make it sound as if David inherited his mother's sin saying he was sinful at birth, but this clearly contradicts Ezekiel 18. One ought to compare David's statement in Ps. 51:5 with Ps. 22:9-10. In Psalms 22, David talks about worshipping God from his birth. Which Psalm is correct? Psalms 51 simply shows us how David's sin affected his whole life.

David was not claiming that he was born a sinner as the NIV translates it ("Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me." NIV). Sinful at birth, from the time his mother conceived him? From this verse, in the NIV, with Augustine and Calvin's theology, we are suppose to conclude that all babies are sinners at birth, that they are born in sin. If this is the case, then the Bible teaches that all newborn babies are children of the devil, for the Bible teaches that all sinners are children of the devil (John 8:44, 1 John 3:8,10). We know infants are not sinners and are not children of the devil. Infants are the children of God. Jesus said concerning young children, "Of such is the kingdom of God" (Mark 10:14). They are an heritage of the Lord; and the fruit of the womb is his reward (Ps. 127:3).

It is physically impossible to be born a sinner because of the nature of sin. Sin is not a substance. Is a wicked act a substance? Is disobedience, stealing, killing, adultery, guilt, or unrighteousness a substance? It's not a substance with physical properties that can be passed on physically from one person to another. If sin were a substance that can be passed from one person to the next, then we would all have an excuse for our sin and can blame it on our mother and father, all our ancestors, and all the way back to Adam.

Sin has to do with moral concepts or moral qualities, which is impossible to be transmitted physically. It is man's theology that teaches men are born sinners, not the Bible. In the Bible we are told what sin is, it's the transgression of the law. (1 John 3:4) Sin is a choice, and the person who acts upon that choice is the one who transgresses the law of God, whether it be verbal, written, or written in each man's heart (Rom. 2:15).

Another verse that is used often is Romans 3:23. Paul says all have sinned. Note Paul did not say all are sinners. He said all have sinned. The word "have" indicates an activity on every individual's part. Sin is voluntary. All that have sinned are the ones who have sinned, all who have broken God's law. What law does a baby break? Infants are incapable of sinning. One preacher wrote that babies do sin. He said they sin by "crying" when nothing is wrong with them, and that qualifies as sin. In all my 51 years of life, I never heard this before. I was amazed at such a comment! If such were the case, then Jesus could be considered a sinner, because I'm sure he cried during infancy.

As one Baptist preacher put it, "God's justice makes it morally impossible for men to be born sinners. Is it possible that the infinitely just God could cause men to be born sinners and condemn them to hell for the sin of Adam? Can the perfect justice of God permit him to impute guilt to the innocent or punish the innocent for the guilt of another? Is it really possible that innocent little babies open their eyes in this world under the wrath of God and that they are condemned to the torments of hell for the sin of Adam? Our whole reason revolts at such an idea. Yet this is the incredible dogma that is taught as orthodoxy in Christian churches today!"

"This doctrine represents God as the most cruel and unreasonable being in the universe. It represents him as condemning and sending men to hell for a nature which they received without their knowledge or consent, and with which he created them."

Romans 3:23 does not imply that those sins were inherited. James says every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed (James 1:14). Note "every man," and note the lusts are "his own" and not his mother's, not his father's, nor Adam's lust. Paul and James are in agreement and teach the same thing. Yes, infants, if they survive, will eventually grow up to be dirty rotten sinners, not because it's sin they inherited from their parents or Adam, but for making the wrong choices at various times in their life. To read more material about babies, go to: Babies: Those “Awful” Creatures!

I will end with one more passage that seems to be used quite often and that is Romans 5:12 The problem with this is that some will only quote the first part of the verse and not finish it. The whole verse reads, "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:"

Much debate exists among scholars and Christians as to whether Adam and Eve possessed an immortal body or mortal body immortally maintained. In any case, the fact remains that after they sinned, they were no longer allowed to eat from the tree of life. The penalty God decreed for their sin was that they were to die. As a consequence to their sin, death passed on to all mankind. It does not say that sin passed upon all men or the guilt of sin. The verse says "..so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." Death reigned even before the law was given. From Adam to Moses death reigned even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression (Romans 5:14). Physical death is the result of Adam's transgression, and agrees with Paul's language in 1 Cor. 15: 21-23 ("....in Adam all die..."), which can be considered an interpretative key for Romans 5:12-21. ". . . by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned" (Romans 5:12). To study further in Romans 5, go to: Adam and Christ Romans 5:12-21

As a consequence to Adam's sin, death and mortality are universally experienced by all mankind. Adam's infamous gift to humanity, as a consequence of his sin, is death. The cure for this physical death is a physical resurrection, which is yet future. 1 Corinthians 15, if entirely read in its context, speaks of physical death and physical resurrection. "For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive" (1 Corinthians 15:21-22).

Death has passed upon mankind, and eventually, if the Lord tarry, we shall experience death. Should I succumb to physical death, I know there is yet a time when my body will be resurrected and be with Christ! One day he shall quicken this mortal body. This is yet a future event to happen (Rom. 8:11)

Man sins, not because he is born a sinner, but for the very reason James tells us why, "But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death." People are punished for their own sins (Colossians 3:25). Adam's sin is not inherited; each person is only guilty of his own sins (Ezek. 28:15; 18:20). All have sinned in his own right and the penalty is death. Not just physical death alone, but also an eternal separation from God in the pit of Hell unless you repent towards God and put your trust in Jesus Christ who shed his blood for you. He took our sins so that we may be forgiven. Jesus made a way, he is the only way. My faith rests in him. I can do nothing to earn eternal life, my good works won't give me a ticket into heaven. My eternal security rests in what Christ did for me on the cross that day; the one who conquered death. "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?" (1 Cor 15:55)

If you desire to read more on this subject, please go to: Are Men Born Sinners? and Sin Nature Page for various articles on the subject of original sin.

 "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." (1 Thess. 5:21)

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