Doctrine of Original Sin

I heard another voice from heaven, saying, “Come out of her, my people, so that you will not participate in her sins and receive any of her plagues.“

Revelation 18:4

Perhaps you have heard the common Christian phrase: we sin because we’re sinners, we’re not sinners because we sin.

This cute and convenient saying absolves us of all responsibility for our actions. After all, our sin is Adam’s fault, not ours. The effect of Adam’s sin upon the entire human race was to pollute us all with inherent moral and spiritual corruption. We were not just born with sin’s stain on our soul, we were stained before we were even conceived.

Rather than explain what the Doctrine of Original Sin is and how its proponents defend their position, we will use an article written by one of its proponents to describe it instead. After all, you will want to know what the original-sin team believes, not what we say they believe. We will break up the article into bite-sized pieces and follow up each piece with a refutation. The article is from thegospelcoalition.org.

Original Sin

Definition

Original Sin is a term that defines the nature of mankind’s sinful condition because of Adam’s fall. It teaches that all people are corrupted by Adam’s sin through natural generation, by which—together with Adam’s imputed condemnation—we all enter the world guilty before God. Original Sin shows that we sin because we are sinners, entering this world with a corrupt nature and without hope apart from the saving grace of God in the gospel.

Essentially, we were all in Adam’s loins when he sinned and therefore we are all guilty of committing his sin. What does scripture say about children being responsible for the sins of their parents? Scripture tells us that we are not responsible even one generation previous, never mind six thousand years removed!

Ezekiel 18:20 The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.

This single verse should be sufficient to refute the entire false doctrine of original sin.

Deuteronomy 24:16 “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.

2 Kings 14:6 But he did not put to death the children of the murderers, according to what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, where YHWH commanded, “Fathers shall not be put to death because of their children, nor shall children be put to death because of their fathers. But each one shall die for his own sin.”

2 Chronicles 25:4 But he did not put their children to death, according to what is written in the Law, in the Book of Moses, where YHWH commanded, “Fathers shall not die because of their children, nor children die because of their fathers, but each one shall die for his own sin.”

These verses address the eternal spiritual consequences of sin, which are the consequences relevant to the Doctrine of Original Sin. There are other passages in scripture that address the earthly consequences of sin, which is a different matter entirely. Earthly consequences, that is YHWH’s blessings and curses, are felt for many generations.

Exodus 20:5-6 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I YHWH your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, ⁶but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

Exodus 34:7 Keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.”

Deuteronomy 5:9-10 You shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I YHWH your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me,¹⁰but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.

Numbers 14:18 ‘YHWH is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but he will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, to the third and the fourth generation.’

Jeremiah 32:18 You show steadfast love to thousands, but you repay the guilt of fathers to their children after them, O great and mighty God, whose name is YHWH of hosts,

Scripture clearly says that YHWH requires the punishment for sin to be paid only by the one who committed the sin, and that future generations are not guilty for the sins of their ancestors. This proves original sin is a lie.

Scripture does, however, say that future generations will suffer here on earth for the sins of their ancestors, this is called bearing their iniquities. This is not paying their debt, as the debt can only be paid through death. YHWH will remove His blessings from future generations for the sins of their ancestors.

Jeremiah 16:10-11 “And when you tell this people all these words, and they say to you, ‘Why has YHWH pronounced all this great evil against us? What is our iniquity? What is the sin that we have committed against YHWH our God?’ then you shall say to them: ‘Because your fathers have forsaken me, declares YHWH, and have gone after other gods and have served and worshiped them, and have forsaken me and have not kept my law,

Summary

Original Sin teaches that all mankind is joined to Adam in both the guilt and the corruption of his first sin. All men and women are joined to Adam both by natural generation and by his covenantal headship. As a people who from our birth are corrupted by sin, we share in Adam’s guilt before God, a guilt imputed to us under the covenant of works. Moreover, men and women are so corrupted morally and spiritually by our natural union with Adam that we are totally depraved. All our human faculties are corrupted by sin so that we have an inborn tendency to commit sin. Moreover, our total depravity renders us spiritually unable to love God or believe his gospel and be saved until we are first regenerated by his sovereign grace. Original Sin provides us with a biblical understanding of ourselves and casts sinners in utter reliance on God’s saving grace in the gospel, with no confidence in the flesh and with all the glory for our salvation belonging to the Lord.

They say all mankind is corrupted and evil from before their birth. But is this scriptural?

Job 1:1 There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil.

Job 1:6-8 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before YHWH, and Satan also came among them. YHWH said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered YHWH and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” And YHWH said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?”

Job cannot be blameless if he is guilty of original sin, yet scripture says he is blameless. And not only Job, but Proverbs and Psalms both tell us that there are blameless people as well. This would not be possible if the Doctrine of Original Sin is correct.

Proverbs 11:5 The righteousness of the blameless keeps his way straight, but the wicked falls by his own wickedness.

Psalm 92:12 The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.

The Nature of Mankind’s Connection to Adam

Original Sin is the Christian teaching of mankind’s sinfulness because of Adam’s fall. It does not refer to the originating sin committed by Adam—eating the forbidden fruit in violation of God’s command (Gen 3:6)—but rather to mankind’s moral and spiritual condition because of that sin. Defining Original Sin requires the answer to two questions, the first of which is whether the moral and spiritual condition of humanity is connected to Adam in his sin.

During the Fourth Century AD, the heretic Pelagius (condemned by the Council of Chalcedon in 431) asserted that Adam’s fall into sin had no direct effect on his offspring other than to set a bad example. With respect to the character of man and his relationship with God, Pelagius asserted that Adam’s sin affected no one other than himself.

The biblical reasons for rejecting Pelagius provide the basis for the doctrine of Original Sin. Primary among them is Romans 5:12, where Paul says that “sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned.” Paul’s point was not that all men have sinned after the example of Adam and therefore suffer the curse of death, but rather that all men share in the consequences of Adam’s sin. When he states, “because all sinned,” Paul is referring to our union with Adam in his transgression of God’s command. Herman Bavinck summarizes: “Adam sinned; consequently, sin and death entered the world and held sway over all.”¹

Was Pelagius correct in saying that Adam’s sin only effected Adam, or was he actually a heretic? According to the Torah he was correct.

Deuteronomy 24:16 “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.

Ezekiel 18:19“Yet you say, ‘Why should not the son suffer for the iniquity of the father?’ When the son has done what is just and right, and has been careful to observe all my statutes, he shall surely live.

The council of Chalcedon (AD 431) was the Roman Church acting under Satan’s direction.

The Doctrine of Original Sin requires Romans 5:12 to mean that all men share in the guilt of Adam’s sin. In fact, this is arguably the foundational verse for the doctrine. If their interpretation is incorrect, then the Doctrine of Original Sin all but collapses.

So, when Paul says, “because all sinned,” was he really saying that all men are guilty of sin from before they were even conceived? That would be a contradiction to Deuteronomy 24:16, which would make Paul a false prophet. Let’s explore the verse and rightly divide the Word of Truth.

We will begin with a comparison of Romans 5:12 in the ESV with the Interlinear Bible.

Romans 5:12 ESV

Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all mankind, because all sinned.

Romans 5:12 Interlinear

Because of this, even as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, so also death passed to all men, inasmuch as all sinned.

The Greek word translated “because” or “inasmuch” is Strong’s g1909 ἐπί ep-ee’: a primary preposition; properly, meaning superimposition (of time, place, order, etc.), as a relation of distribution (with the genitive case):—about (the times), above, after, against, among, as long as (touching), at, beside, × have charge of, (be-, (where-))fore, in (a place, as much as, the time of, -to), (because) of, (up-)on (behalf of), over, (by, for) the space of, through(-out), (un-)to(-ward), with.

You can see that “inasmuch as” is a correct definition of ἐπί; however, “because” only works when it is with “of”, as the word “of” is the actual definition, not “because”. The reason is that the word ἐπί is a relation of distribution, not a causality; which means that verse twelve is saying that death passed to all men to the degree that they all sinned. This indicates that there is a relation of distribution between the degree to which all men sin and the spread of death. This does not mean that all men have sinned because Adam sinned.

To further study the passage: “even as sin entered the world through one man” just means that it was the first sin. The passage does not say that sin entered all mankind. When you first came to know Christ, you could say that you brought Christ into your home, but that would not necessarily mean that everyone in your family automatically knows Christ. In the same way, saying that Adam brought sin into the world, does not mean that everyone on earth from that moment on are guilty of sin.

Death entered the world through sin because Adam’s sin meant that he would not be allowed to eat of the tree of life and gain immortality—his physical body would die the first death. However, on the Day of Judgment, he will be resurrected to eternal life through Yeshua Messiah (Christ Jesus), as his sins will be forgiven by Yeshua because of the faith that he displayed through his subsequent obedience to YHWH.

Genesis 3:22 Then YHWH God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—”

There are two different deaths being referred to in Romans 5:12. The first death that is mentioned, the death that entered the world through Adam’s sin, is the death of the body, not the death of the soul. From that day forward, immortality was not possible for man because they did not have access to the tree of life inside the Garden, therefore all men would die the first death. The second death that is mentioned, the death that passed to all men to the degree that they all sinned, is the death of the soul in the Lake of Fire.

Moreover, Paul describes Adam as “a type of the one who was to come” (Rom 5:14), namely, Christ. Both Adam and Christ stood before God’s covenant as a representative for their people. Adam, as a type of Christ, undertook the test of the covenant of works (Gen 2:16–17) on behalf of all his natural offspring (his failure affecting them all), just as Christ fulfilled the covenant of works on behalf of all his spiritual offspring (his victorious obedience gaining them salvation). This principle of covenant headship is vital not only to Original Sin but also to the imputation of Christ’s righteousness in the gospel. Paul makes this connection clear: “For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many” (Rom 5:15).

This piece of the original-sin defense is a logical fallacy. The claim is that Paul calls Adam a “type of Christ” because 1) he failed the test of covenant works, while Christ passed the test of covenant works, and 2) Adam’s sin was forced on us against our will, while Christ’s free gift of grace must be accepted by an act of our will. Adam failed where Christ succeeded. Adam’s sin is forced on us with no choice, where Christ’s salvation must be accepted by choice. These claims make Adam an anti-type of Christ.

Moreover, Christ’s death on the cross paid the price for the sins of all mankind forever because He is God, Adam is not God, he was just a man and therefore his actions cannot have the power to effect all mankind forever.

Let’s study Romans 5:12-19 verse-by-verse and see if we can understand what Paul was really saying to the Romans.

We will start with verse 12 from the Interlinear Bible for clarity, as we did in the previous section, then verses 13-18 will be from the NASB, and finally verse 19 from the Interlinear again.

Romans 5:12 Because of this, even as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, so also death passed to all men, inasmuch as all sinned.

The death of the body entered the world through sin because Adam’s sin meant that he would not be allowed to eat of the tree of life and gain immortality—his physical body would die, but not his soul. From that day forward, immortality was not possible for mankind because they did not have access to the tree of life inside the Garden, therefore all men would die the first death. The death that passed to all men to the degree that they all sin, is the death of the soul in the Lake of Fire.

Romans 5:13for until the Law sin was in the world, but sin is not counted against anyone when there is no law.

Meaning: people were sinning in the world even when they were not aware of what YHWH’s Law said, but that sin was not counted against them because they did not know any better. Simply put, we are all judged by what we know. Anyone who does not know the Law does not have their disobedience counted against them as sin.

Conclusion: original sin is impossible, because we are only guilty of sin when it is an act of informed will.

Romans 5:14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the violation committed by Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.

Meaning: everyone who lived between the times of Adam and Moses died the first death (physical death), including those who had not intentionally disobeyed the commands of YHWH as Adam had done. Simply put, the bodies of the innocent still died.

Now, Paul refers to people “who had not sinned in the likeness of the violation committed by Adam.” That contradicts original sin, which says that ALL people sinned in the likeness of the violation committed by Adam, because they were in his loins.

How was Adam a “type of Him who was to come“? Well, we must read on to find out!

Romans 5:15 But the gracious gift is not like the offense. For if by the offense of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many.

Meaning: Adam’s lapse in faith caused all mankind to have to die the first death (physical), but Yeshua’s perfect faith ensures that all mankind does not have to die the second death (spiritual). So, in this Adam is NOT a type of Christ.

Romans 5:16 The gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned; for on the one hand the judgment arose from one offense, resulting in condemnation, but on the other hand the gracious gift arose from many offenses, resulting in justification.

Meaning: the requirement of all men to face the judgment between life and death at the second resurrection came about because one man sinned, but the sins of many men are why Yeshua paid the price on the cross, so that all who accept the free gift of justification will not have to face the judgment between life and death. So, in this Adam is NOT a type of Christ.

Now, this verse also contradicts the Doctrine of Original sin, as that doctrine states that all men are guilty of Adam’s sin, whereas Paul says in this verse that Adam’s sin was only one offense.

There would never have been a judgment between eternal life and the lake of fire if there was no sin, but Adam sinned bringing about the requirement for that judgment. Because man has continued to sin, we need a Saviour.

Romans 5:17 For if by the offense of the one, death reigned through the one, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.

Meaning: because of Adam’s lapse in faith, everyone will die the first death (physical); because of Yeshua’s perfect faith, everyone has access to eternal life.

So, in this Adam is NOT a type of Christ.

Romans 5:18 So then, as through one offense the result was condemnation to all mankind, so also through one act of righteousness the result was justification of life to all mankind.

Meaning: because of Adam’s one lapse in faith, everyone would be required to face judgment between eternal life and the lake of fire; because of Yeshua’s one act of perfect faith, everyone has the opportunity to bypass that judgment and go straight to eternal life.

So, in this Adam is NOT a type of Christ.

As we began this passage with a comparison of Romans 5:12, in the ESV with the Interlinear Bible, now we will close off the passage with a comparison of Romans 5:19.

Romans 5:19 ESV

For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.

Romans 5:19 Interlinear

For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were constituted sinners, so also by the obedience of the One many shall be constituted righteous.

The Greek word translated “will be made” and “shall be constituted” is strong’s g2525 καθίστημι kath-is’-tay-mee: to place down (permanently), i.e. (figuratively) to designate, constitute, convoy:—appoint, be, conduct, make, ordain, set.

The challenge with using the term “make” is that it has additional meanings other than the one that is synonymous with καθίστημι. For example, “make” can refer to changing one thing into something else, like making someone into a sinner who was not one previously. However, that is not what καθίστημι means. The term καθίστημι can mean “constitute”, but that is a less widely used word, and therefore less likely to be understood by the majority of readers.

“Appoint” is a better choice as it refers to choosing someone for a specific purpose or duty, without actually changing who or what they are. For example, a person can be appointed to be a sinner without them actually becoming a sinner. The word “appoint” is a much better choice, as it will make the verse understood in the proper context of the original Greek.

Romans 5:19 For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were appointed sinners, so also by the obedience of the One many shall be appointed righteous.

From verses 15 to 18 we saw a contrast between the actions of Adam and Yeshua, as Paul listed off what made their actions opposite. Which was confusing when he started off in verse 14 by saying Adam was a type of Christ, which indicates them being the same. However, now in verse 19, Paul brings it all together by telling us what made them the same. Both the actions of Adam and Yeshua appointed mankind to a position that each person must choose by an act of their own free will. The free gift of grace is not forced on the many, it is by an act of our will that we receive it onto ourselves; therefore, the guilt of sin must also be an act of our will, or they would not be the same.

Adam is a type of Christ because his actions appointed mankind to be sinners, if they choose to sin; Christ appointed mankind to justification if they choose to accept His free gift of grace. If Adam’s sin was forced on mankind from before they were conceived, as the Doctrine of Original Sin teaches, then Adam would not be a type of Christ as Paul stated, and Paul would have to be a liar.

This verse, and this entire passage, directly contradicts the Doctrine of Original Sin; how ironic that they not only give it as support for their position, but they call it a primary reason for acceptance of the doctrine and vital to the doctrine.

Original Sin provides answers to important questions about sin. For instance, why is sin universal among men and women? Geerhardus Vos writes: “The Pelagian theory leaves the universality of sin entirely unexplained,”² since if Adam’s sin did not make all mankind sinners, we would expect some at least not to sin. Yet, as Solomon prayed, “There is no one who does not sin” (1Kgs 8:46; see also Rom 3:23).

First, the authors of the article refer to “men and women” and for that we are grateful, because it means they are referring to adults. Children need to learn to think of other people ahead of themselves, a state that could be considered inherently selfish, which would be sinful. However, babies are not selfish, they are incapable of understanding their surroundings and only know what they are experiencing. We come into this world knowing absolutely nothing. Remember, sin is an act of willful defiance against God’s Law; babies have no will, they only have needs. As children learn and grow they become aware of what is happening around them, they become aware of the needs of others, and they LEARN to love others as themselves (the 2nd greatest commandment).

Now, do we really need the Doctrine of Original Sin to tell us why people sin? Why do people sin? Spiritual warfare. The ruler of this world is the father of lies. People sin because they are deceived, just like Adam and Eve were in the Garden (they didn’t have original sin to explain away their actions).

Job 1:7 YHWH said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered YHWH and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.”

John 8:44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

John 12:31 Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out.

John 14:30 I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me,

2 Corinthians 4:4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

2 Corinthians 11:3 But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.

Ephesians 2:1-2 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—

Ephesians 6:10-12 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

1 Peter 5:8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

1 John 3:8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.

1 John 5:19 We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.

Revelation 12:9 And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

Revelation 20:1-3 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. ²And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, ³and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while.

Revelation 20:10 And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

So are we helpless against the powers of evil on this earth? No, YHWH has our back, if we trust and obey.

1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

Paul said that we have the ability to resist the temptation to sin, this proves that the Doctrine of Original Sin is a lie.

Another question asks: Is sin merely a passive defect, having no corrupting power in man? The Bible answers, to the contrary, that sin is a deadly power that holds the sinner in bondage. Jesus said, “Everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin” (John 8:34). To once have sinned is to come under the power of sin. Therefore, far from defining sin only as a transgression of God’s law, the Bible describes sin as “lawlessness” itself (1Jn 3:4). More than this, David states that from the moment of his conception in his mother’s womb the power of sin was upon him: “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me” (Ps 51:5). David was not charging his mother with sinful behavior in his conception but, rather, confessing the sinfulness he inherited at the moment his life came into being. Psalm 58:3 concurs: “The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray from birth.”

There are three points to address in this section.

Point #1: Does 1 John 3:4 really say that sin isn’t just a transgression of the law, but lawlessness itself?

No, it says that everyone who “makes a practice of sinning, practices lawlessness“, which means it is the act of disobedience that is sin. John is contrasting the practice of sin with the practice of righteousness, they are opposite actions.

1 John 3:4-10 Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. ⁵You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. ⁶No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. ⁷Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. ⁸Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. ⁹No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. ¹⁰By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.

This passage is all about the willful action of disobeying God’s Law (Torah), which is sin. Practicing sin is practicing lawlessness. Scripture says that to disobey one law is to disobey all of them, which is why sin is lawlessness.

James 2:10-11 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it. ¹¹For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.

Point #2: Did David really say that from “his mother’s womb the power of sin was upon him“?

Psalm 51:5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.

Let’s look at the verse in the Hebrew. Note: Hebrew is read from right to left.

The Hebrew word translated “iniquity” is Strong’s h5771 עָווֹן ʻâvôwn: perversity, i.e. (moral) evil:—fault, iniquity, mischief, punishment (of iniquity), sin. The word has four letters: ayin, waw, waw, and nun.

The second area circled in red in the image is the word “iniquity” from the passage. It has another word attached to the front with a hyphen, this is the word “Behold”. The word “sin” has the letter bet as a prefix, which means “in/on/with/by”, and there is no suffix. So, it is translated “in iniquity”.

If we look at the area circled in red at the top of the image, we see the same word “iniquity”. However, in this verse the word has the prefix mem, which means “from”, and the suffix yod, which means “my”. So, it is translated “from my iniquity”. In context, David had been lamenting the sin that he had committed with Bathsheba. The sin that he was guilty of, he called “my iniquity”. But in verse 5, he does not say “my” which means he is not referring to his own sin.

If verse 5 was meant to indicate David’s iniquity, then it would have the suffix yod, which it does not, therefore, David is not talking about his own iniquity.

The Hebrew word translated “sin” is Strong’s h2399 חֵטְא khate: a crime or its penalty:—fault, × grievously, offence, (punishment of) sin. The word has three letters: chet, tet, and aleph.

In Psalm 51:5, the word has two prefixes: waw and bet, which mean “and” “in/on/with/by”, and there is no suffix. As we’ve learned, if the word was meant to indicate David’s sin, it would have the suffix yod, which it does not have. Therefore, this word is not meant to indicate David’s sin from before he was conceived, but rather the general sin of the world.

Throughout Psalm 51 David is taking responsibility for his sin. He was not blaming anyone else for what he had done, not even in verse 5. The original-sin team would have you believe that after lamenting to God about how bad a person he was, he would throw a verse in there blaming Adam, this is not true.

Create in Me a Clean Heart, O God

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.

51 Have mercy on me, O God,
    according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
    blot out my transgressions.
²Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
    and cleanse me from my sin!

³For I know my transgressions,
    and my sin is ever before me.
⁴Against you, you only, have I sinned
    and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you may be justified in your words
    and blameless in your judgment.
⁵Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
    and in sin did my mother conceive me.
⁶Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being,
    and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.⁷Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
    wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
⁸Let me hear joy and gladness;
    let the bones that you have broken rejoice.
⁹Hide your face from my sins,
    and blot out all my iniquities.
¹⁰Create in me a clean heart, O God,
    and renew a right spirit within me.
¹¹Cast me not away from your presence,
    and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
¹²Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
    and uphold me with a willing spirit.

David asks God to “renew a right spirit within me,” which means that David had a “right spirit” before he committed adultery with Bathsheba and caused her husband to be killed. David would never have had a “right spirit” if he was guilty of Adam’s sin; and if verse 5 was him acknowledging his guilt with Adam, as the author from the Gospel Coalition states, then he would have asked God to give him a “right spirt” not to “renew a right spirit” in him. This shows that David did not consider himself to be guilty of Adam’s sin, and the author is incorrect about the meaning of the passage.

If David believed that he was guilty of sin from his mother’s womb, then how would you explain Psalm 139:14, where David says that he was fearfully and wonderfully made?

Psalm 139:13-14 For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well.

Acts 2:8 And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born?

We know that being born in a language does not mean that you are born knowing that language, you still have to learn to speak and understand it; however, that language will be what is around you, what you are influenced by, and will be the first language that you learn. Therefore, when Psalm 51:5 says, “I was brought forth in iniquity” and “in sin did my mother conceive me,” it means that he was born into a sinful world, sin is what he was influenced by, and sin was what he learned to do.

Point #3: Is David really “confessing the sinfulness he inherited at the moment his life came into being.”

Psalm 58:3 The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray from birth, speaking lies.

The phrase, “go astray from birth” would not make sense if original-sin doctrine is true, because they would have always been astray. If you are already astray, you can’t “go astray.”

Psalms is a book of poetry and Psalm 58:3 is a poetic exaggeration to stress the wickedness of the people.

Mankind’s Original Guilt in Sin

[…]

Since we all come into life as sinners, all mankind must necessarily be repugnant to God’s perfectly holy nature and be subject to his condemnation. We therefore find Paul describing all of mankind as “by nature children of wrath” (Eph 2:3).

Matthew 18:1-6 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” ²And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them ³and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. ⁴Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. ⁵“Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me, ⁶but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.

There are four points to note in this passage:

Causing a child to sin will anger YHWH and bring His wrath upon you; therefore, children are not already guilty of original sin.
You must be innocent of sin like children are to enter the kingdom of heaven; therefore, children are not guilty of original sin.
Caring for children is like caring for Yeshua because they are innocent of sin as He is innocent of sin; therefore, children are not guilty of original sin.
Clearly, children are not repugnant to God!

Mark 10:13-16 And they were bringing children to him that he might touch them, and the disciples rebuked them. ¹⁴But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. ¹⁵Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.” ¹⁶And he took them in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands on them.

Luke 18:15-17 Now they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them. And when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. ¹⁶But Jesus called them to him, saying, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. ¹⁷Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”

Matthew 19:13-14 Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the people, ¹⁴but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” ¹⁵And he laid his hands on them and went away.

Why does the kingdom of heaven belong to the little children? Because they are innocent of sin.

Psalm 127:3 Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.

Doesn’t sound like repugnance to me! Sounds like God esteems children very highly.

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Romans 5:8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

What about Ephesians 2, is Paul actually saying that all mankind is inherently “repugnant to God’s perfectly holy nature and therefore subject to his condemnation“?

Ephesian 2:1-3 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins ²in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— ³among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

Meaning: the path the world has laid out for you is to follow Satan, which is what you had been doing before you came to faith in Yeshua Messiah, and what the unbelievers of the world are still doing. So, before you believed in Christ you were dead in your sins, because you were deceived by Satan and his demons. At that time you were children of wrath like the rest of mankind who is also deceived by Satan and his demons.

Or is the prince of the power of air Adam? Of course not.

Paul places the responsibility for leading mankind astray on Satan, not Adam—as should we.

[…]

The teaching of mankind’s universal guilt as inherited from Adam alone can vindicate God for the miseries of human life. Secular man frequently assails God with the notion that he is culpable for the sufferings of people around the globe. Yet, as Augustine pointed out in his opposition to Pelagius (summarized by Bavinck):

The appalling misery of the human race can only be explained as a punishment upon sin. How can God, who certainly is good and just, subject all humans from their conception on to sin and death if they are completely innocent? An original moral debt must rest upon all; there is no other way to understand the crushing yoke that weighs upon all the children of Adam.⁴

From the moment of Adam’s sin, the need of the fallen human race was a Redeemer to deliver them from sin. For this reason, God’s first action in response to Adam’s sin was to promise this Redeemer (Gen 3:15) and to depict Christ’s atoning death through the sacrifice of animals in the garden (Gen 3:21). The logic of mankind’s inherited guilt through Adam provides an essential logic to the gospel message from its earliest appearance in Scripture.

Mankind’s suffering is a direct result of the sinful actions of individuals, which happen because we have free will. That same free will that allowed Adam to sin in the Garden, allows us to choose not to sin. We are not inherently sinful. How would God be just if He made all mankind guilty for the actions of one man? We do need a redeemer, but because of our own sins, not Adam’s.

The article said, “The teaching of mankind’s universal guilt as inherited from Adam alone can vindicate God for the miseries of human life.” Let’s test the spirit of the Doctrine of Original Sin and see if it is from God or Satan. Is blaming Adam truly the only way to “vindicate God for the miseries of human life,” as the article claims?

Ephesians 6:10-12 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. ¹¹Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. ¹²For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

The Doctrine of Original Sin was designed to redirect our blame from Satan to Adam, it is “the schemes of the devil.”

Mankind sins because of Satan’s influence on the world. Why would you remove Satan’s guilt from him and put it onto Adam?

1 John 3:8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.

The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of Adam…wait…that’s not what John said…to destroy the works of the devil!

1 John 5:19 We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.

The blame for the state of the world is on Satan, not Adam and definitely NOT God! How crazy it is that the authors of this false doctrine went from blaming God for the suffering of mankind to blaming Adam. Why do you suppose they do not blame Satan?

2 Corinthians 11:14-15 And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. ¹⁵So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.

Matthew 7:15 Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.

1 Peter 5:8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

1 John 4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.

Let me ask you this: if Satan could deceive Adam and Eve, who were literally walking in paradise with YHWH, into committing sin against YHWH, what chance do you think the rest of us have against him? The reason that there is “miseries of human life” is because Satan is the ruler of this world and he is the world’s leading expert at deception.

Romans 9:11though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls—

Obviously, it is not true that we committed the original sin with Adam, because here Paul says that before they were born they had not done anything bad!

In addition to that, is sin any act contrary to YHWH’s Law (the Torah), or does it require knowledge of right and wrong for the action to be sin?

James 4:17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.

John 15:22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.

So, it requires knowledge of right and wrong for an action to be considered sin for them, which means we could not be guilty of Adam’s sin. Yeshua said that if He had not spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, therefore, they were not guilty of Adam’s sin.

Deuteronomy 1:35-39 ‘Not one of these men of this evil generation shall see the good land that I swore to give to your fathers, ³⁶except Caleb the son of Jephunneh. He shall see it, and to him and to his children I will give the land on which he has trodden, because he has wholly followed YHWH!’ ³⁷Even with me YHWH was angry on your account and said, ‘You also shall not go in there. ³⁸Joshua the son of Nun, who stands before you, he shall enter. Encourage him, for he shall cause Israel to inherit it. ³⁹And as for your little ones, who you said would become a prey, and your children, who today have no knowledge of good or evil, they shall go in there. And to them I will give it, and they shall possess it.

YHWH did not count the children guilty of their fathers’ sin because they had no knowledge of good or evil. We can deduct two things from this verse: 1) we are judged by what we know, and 2) the children were not guilty of their ancestors’ sin, not even Adam’s.

1 Corinthians 14:20 Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature.

Paul is saying that infants are innocent of evil, which is sin. Conclusion: original sin does not exist.

Mankind’s Original Corruption in Sin

The effect of Adam’s sin upon his entire race did not end with guilt but extended to their moral and spiritual corruption as his offspring. The fall has polluted human nature with “an inherent positive disposition toward sin.”⁵[v] We see this sin-ward bent in Romans 3:10–12: “None is righteous, no, not one . . . All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” Isaiah 64:6 adds: “We have all become like one who is unclean,” so that even “our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.”

The Bible presents man’s sinful nature as utterly comprehensive, ruining every human faculty. Jeremiah 17:9 says: “The heart is deceitful above all things.” Romans 3:13–18 depicts the mouth, feet, and eyes as debased, concluding: “the way of peace they have not known.” Above all, the fallen mind is corrupted: “For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law” (Rom 8:7). This fallen condition is known as “total depravity.” Robert Reymond summarizes:

His understanding is darkened, his mind is at enmity with God, his will to act is slave to his darkened understanding and rebellious mind, his heart is corrupt, his emotions are perverted, his affections naturally gravitate to that which is evil and ungodly, his conscience is untrustworthy, and his body is subject to mortality.⁶

The teaching of total depravity states not only that every faculty of fallen mankind is corrupted by the power of sin, but it also asserts a spiritual inability to believe God and receive his salvation through faith. Paul states, “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him,” and then adds, “he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned” (1Cor 2:14). For this reason, Jesus told Nicodemus: “Unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). Paul wrote that apart from God’s regenerating work, we are all “dead in the trespasses and sins” (Eph 2:1). Contrary to those who would describe fallen man merely as sick—with a weakened but nonetheless inherent ability to believe—Paul insists that we are no more able to come to God in faith than a dead man is able to rise from the grave. Whereas Adam was created in a righteousness so that he may be described as having once possessed a free will, Original Sin has placed the will of mankind in slavery to the power of sin. People, of course, retain a faculty of choice, but the bondage of one’s will in sin denies them the liberty to choose the way of God. Louis Berkhof concludes: “He cannot change his fundamental preference for sin and self to love for God, nor even make an approach to such a change. In a word, he is unable to do any spiritual good.”⁷

Let’s start way back at the Garden of Eden, and follow this logic to see where it takes us.

According to the Doctrine of Original Sin, Adam had the free will to choose between obedience and disobedience, and because he chose disobedience all of mankind for eternity lost their free will to choose. In that single act all flesh was changed genetically to be corrupt. Mankind no longer had the ability to independently choose to obey God, they could only obey if God chose to make an individual person obey. Our obedience became an act of God’s will on us, not our own will.

We need to ask ourselves why God created mankind with free will to begin with, if He was just going to take it away the first time man used it to go against what God wanted? That would never have actually been free will at all then, would it?

God knows everything, so He knew that this corruption was going to happen even before it happened; in fact God would have had to be the one that made the genetic mutation that turned Adam inherently evil after his first sin. There is no one besides God with the power to make a supernatural change to the nature of the man that He had just created and called “good” at creation, to make Him inherently evil and corrupt for all future generations.

But God did not stop there! Knowing that Adam and Eve were now inherently evil and corrupt, He blessed them and sent them from the Garden and commanded them to be fruitful and multiply into millions of totally depraved people.

Genesis 1:28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Then, YHWH required the people to make sacrificial offerings. Now, according to the original-sin doctrine, the people were totally depraved and did not possess the ability to obey. This means that when Abel’s offering was pleasing to God, it was because God gave him the ability to obey; and when Cain’s offering did not meet God’s standards it was because God did not give him the ability to obey.

Genesis 4:3-7 In the course of time Cain brought to YHWH an offering of the fruit of the ground, ⁴and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And YHWH had regard for Abel and his offering, ⁵but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell. ⁶YHWH said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? ⁷If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, and you must rule over it.”

Why would YHWH tell Cain that he had the ability to do well, and the power to rule over sin, if Cain was inherently totally depraved, evil and corrupt? If it is truly as Louis Berkhof claims, then Cain “could not change his fundamental preference for sin and self to love for God, nor even make an approach to such a change“, nor “do any spiritual good.” So, the original-sin team is accusing YHWH of lying to Cain.

According to original sin doctrine, then, God required something of Cain that He knew Cain could not accomplish without His help, did not help Cain, and then chastised Cain for failing. This does not sound like a just and loving God!

Now, let’s jump ahead in the story about 1500 years…

After over a millennia and a half, the totally depraved offspring of Adam and Eve had grown exponentially; and it was at this point, 1500 years after God turned mankind into evil and corrupt flesh and set them loose on the world to multiply and fill it with their total depravity, that…

Genesis 6:6-8 YHWH saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. ⁶And YHWH regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. ⁷So YHWH said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.” ⁸But Noah found favor in the eyes of YHWH.

So, after 1500 years of man behaving exactly how God made them to behave through His alteration to Adam and Eve in the Garden, God blamed His creation and decided to destroy them, even though He and only He had the ability to make them behave the way that He wanted them to behave. But He did not make them behave the way He wanted them to behave and that made Him angry… after 1500 years. But, God decided to give one man the ability to obey, Noah.

Genesis 6:11-12 Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence. ¹²And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.

Well, now we’ve hit a little snag with the original-sin team’s theory. If all mankind became corrupt from the time Adam sinned in the Garden, then why is YHWH saying that all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth, which apparently took 1500 years, instead of saying that all flesh was corrupt since the garden?

Let’s continue…

Genesis 6:13 And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

So, after 1500 years of mankind being inherently evil and corrupt, God decided to destroy all the earth because of them. Would it not have made more sense to just destroy them in the Garden and start from scratch? Why wait 1500 years when He knew they did not have the ability to be obedient without His help?

YHWH knows everything that will happen, He knew the end from the beginning. Now, as long as humanity has the free-will to choose between good and evil, it does not matter that He already knows what choice we are going to make, we are still the ones making the choice. But, if humanity does not have the free will to choose between good and evil without God’s help, as original-sin doctrine claims, then there is absolutely no point to anything that has happened since the Garden of Eden until today!

But, wait, it gets worse! God then chose to save eight people from the flood. Eight totally depraved people whose flesh was evil and corrupt, who had no ability to choose to do good, God saved them in the Ark… to restart humanity. The Doctrine of Original Sin says that Noah and his family did not have a single chance or hope of living lives pleasing to YHWH, they were destined to fill the earth a second time with totally depraved people. What on earth would have been the purpose to destroying mankind with a flood?

Genesis 9:1 And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.

Then God said to Noah and the boys, be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth with total depravity because you cannot help yourselves because you are inherently evil.

They call this “the teaching of total depravity” and that sounds like a very appropriate name.

So as to not leave you with the taste of vomit in your mouth, we’ll briefly cover what really happened.

Adam and Eve sinned. YHWH sent them out of the Garden of Eden so that they could not eat of the Tree of Life and live forever in their fallen state. Once outside of the Garden, YHWH knew that they had the opportunity to live their lives in obedience to Him. On Judgment Day, they will be resurrected to eternal life in Yeshua Messiah. YHWH truly is a loving and just God!

Humanity multiplied and filled the earth, but due to the influence of Satan and a group of fallen angels, after 1500 years, all flesh had become corrupt on the earth. But, YHWH found one man, Noah, who still had faith and lived in obedience.

YHWH destroyed the earth with a flood, but saved Noah and his family, giving them the opportunity to start fresh. Some of Noah’s descendants continued in the faith of YHWH, doing their best to live in obedience to Him.

YHWH is a loving and just God. His wish is for all to come to faith and have eternal life. However, He wants to spend eternity with those souls who want to spend it with Him, which is why He created us with the free will to choose between obedience and disobedience, good and evil, life and death. It is in our nature to make mistakes, but that doesn’t make us inherently evil or corrupt. YHWH is a forgiving and patient God, who gives us every opportunity, a lifetime of opportunities, to come to Him.

2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

Adam made a mistake, like we all do, but YHWH gave him the opportunity to change, to live a life of obedience and faith, knowing that at the end of time he will be resurrected to eternity in paradise, walking with YHWH again—just seven thousand years later.

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