The Fallacy of Inherited Sin

By David R. Ferguson
    There’s nothing in the Bible which teaches that men inherit the sin of Adam, or that men are born in a state of sin. A person becomes a sinner when he commits sin, and he commits sin when he transgresses Gods' law. "Whosoever commits sin transgresses also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law" (1 John 3:4). A baby cannot be a sinner because he or she hasn’t transgressed God's law. The Prophet Ezekiel said, "The soul that 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" (Ezekiel 18:20). Hence, sin isn’t transferred from one generation or person to another. All men are sinners, not because they have inherited sin, but because "all have sinned" (Romans 3:23). And since we stand or fall based upon our own actions, we’re not responsible for what others do. As Paul said, "each of us shall give account of himself to God" (Romans 14:12).    An infant is completely innocent. God says in Psalm 127:3, "Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward." Something that was sinful would never be called “a heritage from the Lord.” So, we see that an infant is born perfect and without sin until he becomes of an accountable age and then begins to sin.    The doctrine that teaches that infants are born sinners and must be baptized to be saved is a perversion of God’s word because it contradicts God’s word. In Ezekiel 18:4 the word of God says, "Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sins shall die." So, we see from this passage that God is telling us that children don’t inherit sin from their parents, their grandparents, or any of their forefathers, all the way back to Adam. God’s word says, "The son shall not bear the guilt of the father." Each person is responsible for his or her own sins. According to this verse, it’s "The soul who sins shall die." Does it say that the soul that inherits sin, it shall die? No. It says the soul who sins.    So, what is sin? 1 John 3:4 says, "Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness: and sin is lawlessness." We don’t inherit sin; we commit sin; and we commit sin when we commit lawlessness. An infant hasn’t broken any law of God, and thus hasn’t committed any sin. One who hasn’t committed sin isn’t separated from God, for it’s our sins that cause us to be separated from the Father in the first place, not our birth: "Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or His ear dull, that it cannot hear; but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you so that He does not hear" (Isaiah 59:1-2). Because our God loves us, He desires that we become a child of His by allowing Him to adopt us into His very own family and become a joint heir with His Son Jesus for eternity. Will you give your life to Him today?

David R. Ferguson preaches for the Mentor Church of Christ in Mentor, OH.  He may be contacted through the congregation's website: http://mentorchurchofchrist.com/ or davidferguson61@yahoo.com