Are We Born Sinners?
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Bro. Mike Miller |
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There are some things that are just basic and MUST be true. When it comes to God one of the most basic truths has to be the justice of God. He is righteous, He is fair, He does all things right – He is just. He doesn’t mistreat anyone and He is no respecter of persons. That means that He will never wobble in judgment because of who it is that is in trouble. The Bible plainly calls that a SIN and says God doesn’t do that. (Rom 2:11; James 2:9) If this basic attribute of God is undermined, then we simply cannot trust him. No one can truly trust a God who is not completely and consistently just. If He doesn’t absolutely do what is right ALL the time then we just cannot completely trust him, and that is the very basic thing we must do in order to be saved – trust God. The idea of justice is basic to our nature. Almost every story ever told, or every movie ever made, has as its basic theme good versus evil. There are always two forces pulling against each other – right and wrong. The suspense is always basically about how the story will end. Will it end “right” or will wrong prevail? No one wants the bad guys to win. Any story or movie that would end with the bad guys winning and the good guys getting defeated would be contrary to our nature and no one would like it – that’s why no one writes stories or makes movies like that. Even bad people root for the good guys to win, and are troubled when it looks like they will lose. That is because God so constituted us that we want justice to be done. The only part of our nature that will override that desire for justice is plain old selfishness. People will mistreat others and be unjust in order to get their own way or obtain what they want. But even when they do that they must rationalize until they justify it (make it just or right) some way in their minds so they can live with themselves. That is further proof that God has instilled in us a great sense of justice, and because of that we know that God MUST be just. So we come to what is the greatest problem with the doctrine of original sin. Not only is it unscriptural and illogical, but it is plainly unjust, and it necessarily makes God unjust. Every person’s conscience cries out that it is wrong to blame someone for the wrongdoing of another, and even more so when they had no knowledge of the act, gave no consent, and didn’t even exist when the act was committed! If an infant is judged guilty before he is born because of what Adam did 6000 years ago then God is not just. That is just not right and every person on earth knows it! Even those who believe the doctrine of original sin concede that it can’t be reconciled with the justice of God. For this reason it has been the stumblingblock to many of the famous skeptics and enemies of the Gospel through the years. Any reasonable, thinking person who insists on truth just can’t reconcile this illogical, unscriptural doctrine with the fact that God must be just. It is not necessary to throw out reason and common sense when it comes to understanding and explaining the Gospel. It is ridiculous for anyone to belittle or condemn reason and logic when it comes to understanding God. We were created by God and given the ability to reason and think. It is a part of everything else in our life and to insist that you have to lay it aside when it comes to God is an abominable idea. Certainly, there are things about God that we cannot understand this side of heaven, but not when it comes to understanding the plan of salvation! Not when it comes to God’s basic character! Not when people insist on a doctrine that totally contradicts the righteous character of God! How many souls has the doctrine of original sin damned for eternity? How different might it have been if this doctrine had never been introduced into the church and become so widely accepted! The doctrine of original sin necessarily teaches that babies who die go to hell forever. Augustine, who introduced this doctrine into the Catholic Church in the fifth century A.D., plainly stated that babies who died without being baptized by the church were condemned to hell. The Catholic Church teaches that baptism is the new birth and the water washes away sins. This is the reason for the persecution against the Anabaptists, which was a general term referring to those who didn’t baptize babies. Because of their firm belief in original sin the Catholics thought it a terrible crime not to baptize babies, because if they died without baptism they went to hell. Many good and faithful believers were burnt at the stake or otherwise tortured and killed by the Roman Church because of this doctrine of devils. Over the years this doctrine has crept into other denominations and become the foundation for all their beliefs. The doctrine of original sin has served the cause of ecumenicalism far better than anything else Rome has ever come up with. The way it was transferred from the Roman Church to the rest of Christianity is through Calvinism. Calvin simply took the teachings of Augustine, starting with original sin, and began his own brand of Christianity. Through the years it has evolved into a watered down version that is palatable for most undiscerning Christians. But a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump, and the gospel has become a mass of confusing contradictions that has no power to save or to sanctify. The Catholics, the Calvinists, and most of the rest of Christianity, including the cults, all agree on original sin. When you really begin to dig and study this matter, one of the first things that becomes apparent is that the Roman Catholics are more consistent than the rest of Christianity when it comes to original sin. Over the years they have realized the obvious inconsistencies and the fact that they are not reconcilable. So they come up with new doctrines to try to make the whole thing reasonable and workable. Not the so-called Bible-believers! I have never met one of them who believed babies go to hell when they die. They know God is just and that it is unjust to send an innocent baby to hell. Yet they will defend the fact that babies are born sinners with all the fire and brimstone they can muster. What a contradiction! They say, “Well, they haven’t reached the age of accountability!” But when asked for Scripture to prove that, they are totally empty-handed. There is no Scripture to prove that certain sinners will go to heaven because they were unaccountable. The only way given in the Bible for a sinner to make heaven his home is to repent of his sin and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. Sin is not imputed where there is no law. Babies are simply not sinners because they have no knowledge of good and evil. The Bible teaches that they “become” sinners when they “turn aside” and “go astray.” Sin is a deliberate act of the will against the known law of God – not some hidden gene you are born with! Adam’s sin is not recorded in our DNA! If it is then it is only a matter of time until scientists figure out where it is and they can cure it – without the blood of Christ. Salvation is a matter of the heart (soul) of man and not of the body. Jesus doesn’t do anything to your physical body when you get saved – it is your heart He makes new! Those who believe in the doctrine of original sin are therefore very unconvincing to any lost sinner who thinks. In his mind, he knows God must be just, but this Christian, who is trying to win him to the Lord, teaches a doctrine that denies the justice of God. Therefore, the would-be soul-winner puts a giant stumblingblock in front of the sinner. He must trust God, but God is not always just. He will not always do what is right. He sometimes blames people for things they didn’t do. He creates innocent babies and then puts them in hell because of the sin of Adam. If you have embraced the doctrine of original sin you certainly have your work cut out for you. Obviously, because of the deceitfulness of sin, there are many that will believe this nonsense, but thankfully, there are some who won’t, and I am one of them. It is amazing how the Word of God becomes so rich and real when you lay aside this confusing, deceitful doctrine! The Atonement and what God has done for us through Christ becomes so much more understandable and wonderful! This doctrine is like blinders that keep you from seeing. Take it off and throw it away and you will be amazed at what you can see! My sin was MY own doing, and my own fault! It was MY HEART that was set against God because of my own sin that I loved. But God loved me while I was yet in such a state and gave his Son for me! He will forgive me if I simply trust Him and I CAN do that because He is a righteous (just) and holy God! Salvation is real and the world needs to hear that way! |
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