INHERITED DEPRAVITY?  by steve finnell

Do all men inherit guilt from the sin of Adam? Does the fact that Adam sinned mean all of his descendents are born depraved? Many denominations teach that as facts. Those denominations who baptize unbelieving infants do that because they believe infants are born guilty of Adam's sin.

The Westminster Confession

CHAPTER 6

Of the Fall of Man, of Sin, and of

the Punishment thereof.

I. Our first parents, begin seduced by the subtlety and temptations of Satan, sinned in eating the forbidden fruit. This their sin God was pleased, according to his wise and holy counsel, to permit, having purposed to order it to his own glory.
II. By this sin they fell from their original righteousness and communion with God, and so became dead in sin, and wholly defiled in all the faculties and parts of soul and body.
III. They being the root of mankind, the guilt of this sin was imputed, and the same death in sin and corrupted nature conveyed to all their posterity, descending from them by original generation.
IV. From this original corruption, whereby we are utterly indisposed, disabled, and made opposite to all good, and wholly inclined to all evil, do proceed all actual transgressions.
V. This corruption of nature, during this life, doth remain in those that are regenerated; and although it be through Christ pardoned and mortified, yet both itself, and all the motions thereof, are truly and properly sin.
VI. Every sin, both original and actual, being a transgression of the righteous law of God, and contrary thereunto, doth, in its own nature, bring guilt upon the sinner, whereby he is bound over to the wrath of God, and curse of the law, and so made subject to death, with all miseries spiritual, temporal, and eternal.

The doctrine of Inherited/Total Depravity has been adopted by many denominational churches due to the writings of Augustine of Hippo (AD 354-430 and John Calvin (1509-1564)

Those who believe the false doctrine of Original Sin say all men are sinners at conception.

There are no references in Scripture that state men need to be forgiven for Adam's sin or that men inherited Adam's guilt.

If all men are born totally depraved how did Moses serve God? Moses did not live under grace. Moses did not receive Christian baptism as an unbelieving infant.

Was Abraham totally depraved at conception? Genesis 18:19 since Abraham will surely become a great and mighty nation, and in him all nations of the earth will be blessed? 19 For I have chosen him, so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring upon Abraham was was spoken about him." (NASB)

Questions: How it possible that God would chose Abraham if he was totally corrupt at conception? How could Abraham's children and household do righteous acts and justice if they were totally defiled and only inclined to do evil?

The doctrine of Original Sin/Inherited Sin and Total Depravity are not found in the Bible, they only written in man-made creed books.

Was Noah guilty of sin at conception rendering him totally depraved? Genesis 6:8-9 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. 9 These are the records of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God.(NASB)

Did Noah trick God into thinking that he was a righteous man? No, God cannot be deceived, however, men can be deceived into believing the false doctrine of Original Sin, Totally Depravity and Inherited Depravity.

Was Job a guilty of Adam's sin at conception? Was Job not capable of resisting evil? Job 1:1 There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job; and that man was blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil.(NASB)

Was the first Gentile convert to Christianity a totally depraved sinner at conception? No. Acts 10:1-2 Now there was a man at Caesarea named Cornelius, centurion of what was called the Italian cohort, 2 a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, and gave many alms to the Jewish people and prayed to God continually.(NASB)

Inherited Depravity is a man-made doctrine found in denominational creed books. Original Sin/Inherited Sin is not found in the Bible.

Atheist and nonbeliever are not born evil. Many atheist and non believers do good works.

All men sin and are guilty of their own sins. No person has inherited sin from Adam.

All men need a Savior because of their sin, not because of Adam's sin.

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God's terms for pardon from sin. Faith: John 3:16, Repentance: Acts 2:38, Acts 3:19, Confession: Romans 10:9, Immersion in Water: Mark 16:16, 1 Peter 3:21, Acts 22:16