The following Scriptural arguments are why I am of the conclusion that we are born sinless, aborted babies are sinless, stillborn babies are sinless, children that die in the incubator are sinless and from the time of conception, even embryo's that are human and God has a plan for are sinless even if they are destroyed.
There are KEY verses those who teach that we are born with original sin use to convince people of the NEED for infant baptism. I have already confessed that as a means of preservation (Salvation) to the time of being forgiven and born again it is a valid practice, perhaps not preferable, but valid.
These verses the proponents of Original Sin use are:
(Psalm 51:5) "Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me." This is from a Psalm of David after his sin with Bathsheba. It deals with the sin of an adult, and shows the repentance of an adult (vs. 10-13). David does not say he was a "sinner baby" but rather that his mother conceived him in sin. Read it again and see! David was born into a sinful world. Sin was all around him from birth, so he was 'brought forth in iniquity." The Jewish writers who wrote of this Psalm say the same thing.; David is saying that he was born into a sinful environment.
(Psalm 58:3) "The wicked are estranged from the womb; These who speak lies go astray from birth." First, note that if these people were born astray then they could not "go astray from birth." Infants are born into a sinful world with their eyes and ears wide open. They are so inquisitive, beginning to learn immediately through taste, touch, sound, sight and smell. They are watching, and they see evil all around them constantly from birth. They may not know it is evil yet, but it is there and it does influence them. The clincher is this: the ones going astray speak lies, so the going astray has to be accomplished, at the very least, only after the person has learned to speak!
(Ephesians 2:3) "Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest." What made these people "children of wrath"? Was it something they inherited or something they had done? Verses 1 and 2 help us to answer that question. "And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world..." They were "by nature" what they were. "Nature" here does not refer to constitutional character but rather to habit... sin became natural, or we sometimes say, "second nature" to them by their long and diligent practice of it.
On the other hand, there are a number of clear evidences that we are born sinless and until we sin are unaccusable by the father of lies and the accuser of the Brethren.
1. James 1:14-15. This tells us how sin is conceived. How did Adam sin differently than man today? He didn't. Was Adam tempted? Yes, and so is man now. If Adam wasn't created in sin, then how did he sin? Just like man today. We don't sin because of Adam, for the simple reason that Adam couldn't hold anyone else accountable for his actions. Sin is action and cannot be passed on.
2. Guilt & Consequences. If a person does not see the difference between the two, then it will be impossible to see the truth. When Cain killed Abel (Gen. 4), who suffered the consequences? Both did. Cain was cursed by God, and Abel lost his life. Who suffered the guilt? Cain did. It was Cain that God was upset with. Abel wasn't guilty for Cain's actions. Now, if someone thinks that whenever a person suffers consequences that that automatically means they are guilty, then there is a failure to grasp the difference between the two words.
3. Ezekiel 18:1-4,20. Here we are told clearly that the son shall not bear the guilt of his father. A question that comes to mind is, did Cain bear the guilt of his father, Adam? According to the word of God., the answer is no. Cain was guilty for his own wrong doing.
4. Jeremiah 19:4-5. Parents were offering their children to a false god. In this text, the children are called "innocent". Innocent is exactly what infants are. If they were born in sin, they certainly could not, and would not, have been called innocent.
5. Matthew 18:1-3. Jesus informed his listeners that man needs to be converted like a little child to enter the kingdom of heaven. Being justified is to be Without fault, and that is the state of children, which is what our Lord was teaching. Would Jesus command men to be like poor depraved, wicked, haters of God, to enter heaven? No.
6. I Corinthians 14:20. The apostle Paul wanted saints to be in malice like babes. Children are pure and guiltless, which is why Paul used them as an example. If not, why use a child? What is there about a child that is worth imitating? Certainly it isn't their "depraved nature"! It's because they are not born in sin.
7. Romans 7:9. The apostle Paul was born under Jewish law (Phil. 3:5). Yet, where there is no law there can be no sin (Rom 4: 14). There was a time when Paul was "alive with out law". Law was always there, so when could he have been without law? It was when he was not accountable to the law as a child. If not, when was Paul alive without law?
8. 2 Corinthians 5:10-11. There is going to be a judgment day. On that occasion man will give account to the things done. whether good or bad. Man will be judged individually (Rom 14: 12). Now, how can an infant be judged for the things done in the body, good or bad? Remember, men are not judged for the actions of someone else. Just what sins could an infant be guilty of?
9. 2 Samuel 12:23. When David"s child became sick and die - he said that the child
cannot come to him, but he can go to where the child is. There is an assurance that
infants are not born depraved.
10. I John 3:4. Knowing full well that sin is transgression of law, we know that there cannot possibly be any violation of law committed by a baby. If so, what sin? We have already shown from the scriptures that man cannot inherit the sin of another. To know what sin is, is to know whether children are born in sin.
11. Romans 5:12. This verse clearly shows why all men are guilty, because "all sinned".. This is the very point to the sinlessness of an infant. It does not due justice to read part of a verse, without reading it all.
12. No verse teaching man is born in sin.
We have noticed the purity of children. Jesus demanded the all men become like little children. There is difficulty in finding a text to prove one is born in sin, especially when the idea conflicts with so many passages of scripture.
I have searched the scriptures and intentionally ignored doctrines of men to see if I can uncover the truth about these things. I think I have. First, there is every evidence that Man's names are written in the Lambs book of Life and are blotted out from rebellion against God and the accusation of the Devil.
Plus, look at how many times people are ordained from the Mothers womb. John, Jeremiah, Isaiah and Jesus.
One last thought, Jesus was Born and died Sinless. Was he forgiven? Did he ever need forgiving? Was he true man in every way? If he was forgiven, then for WHAT? Jesus was born as every child is born, sinless and pure. If it were otherwise he would have not been man and his sacrificial death would have been a blemished lamb and unsuitable for the full remission of our sins.
Think about it.
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Another Viewpoint—One That Does Not Mix Emotionalism With The Word:
Children, from conception, are sinners. And scripture says that an unsaved sinner cannot enter heaven. In God’s word this is immutable and unchangeable. Our emotions do not enter the equation. Read scripture and see the true state of babies – God does not see the age of a person who dies. He only sees their state. Children are sinners from conception.
On the subject of the sinful nature of us all, David wrote (Psalm 58):
“The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they are born, speaking lies.” Having no emotional hang-up about the age of a person, David’s response is blunt: “Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth...let them melt away... let them be cut in pieces...let (every one of them) pass away; (like) the untimely birth of a woman, (that) they may not see the sun...”
David is, then, asking God to cut short a life in the womb, that the wicked should not even be born, to ravage society and wreak havoc. (Remember, this is God’s word). He said this because he knew the true state of children. At birth, a child is destined to sin! Within him is the seed of evil that can show as a Hitler or, after salvation, as a Spurgeon.
Look at Isaiah 48:8: “...for I knew that thou wouldest deal very treacherously, and wast called a transgressor from the womb.”
That is God speaking, through Isaiah!
To suggest that this is only foreknowledge is to misunderstand God and election. God foreknows, because He has predestined! Even if we concede that God foreknows that a child would have been saved if he had lived – we are saying that every such child would have been saved! This denies the actuality of life – for God says only a very small remnant will be saved in every age.
To say that every child would have been saved is unbelievable. Also, to think that every child had the possibility of being saved, is heresy, for it fully rejects election!
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