Was I Born a Sinner?
Notes
Transcript
16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.
10 For it is precept upon precept, precept upon precept,
line upon line, line upon line,
here a little, there a little.”
12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.
underline on monitor “by nature children of wrath”
Naturally sinners
Born sinners
Sinful Nature
Fallen Nature
Original Sin
Many believe this to mean the above things...
What is a sinful nature?
Where do people get the idea of a sinful nature?
What does the Bible say about a sinful nature?
We will try to answer 3 questions...
What is a Sinful Nature?
What is a Sinful Nature?
The belief that when Adam sinned in the garden of Eden something within him was corrupted, and this corrupted nature was passed on to his descendants.
The thinking goes as follows...
Therefore, our primary nature is the fallen nature of Adam.
We are not naturally inclined to do good. We are naturally inclined to do evil.
We are born sinful. Lost at birth.
Many believe we inherit Adam’s sin....
Charles Stanley quote on Romans 6:16
underline “born with a fallen nature”
the original sin doctrine is very popular
the teaching of a sinful nature at birth is taught to the very young..
even christian counseling is full of the doctrine of original sin
popular author James Allen, says this
“The sin nature is located in the genetic code of the flesh Ps. 51:5”
Where do people get the idea of a sinful nature?
Where do people get the idea of a sinful nature?
some people point to the begin of this doctrine to a 2nd century church father called Irenaeus who believed all human beings share in Adams sin.
John Calvin
TULIP Doctrine
T - Total hereditary depravity
U - Unconditional election
L - Limited Atonement
I - Irresistible Grace
P - Perseverance of the Saints
T - carries with it the idea of inheriting Adam’s sin
this doctrine leads to thinking that sin is not willful violation of God’s word
supported the idea of sin not being the willful violation of God’s Word...
he argues Eph 2:3 is a passage supporting original sin
BY NATURE
Meaning:
“of long-standing practice”
“habitual practice”
not that you were born that way, but that’s the way you’ve always done things; your custom
3 The wicked are estranged from the womb;
they go astray from birth, speaking lies.
it is a Psalm highly poetic in nature
contains figures of speech
Hyperbole - exaggeration for emphasis not literal
...you do not speak when you are born certainly not telling lies
6 O God, break the teeth in their mouths;
tear out the fangs of the young lions, O Lord!
as the text continues it says tear out their teeth - we know babies don’t have teeth
and the babies here if literal would be lions...
ps 58:3 says … “they go astray” not born that way
We have to watch our translations
So we get these ideas from John Calvin and Calvinism
Bible translations ie NIV
Some people say they see it in children
some believe
What does the Bible say about a sinful nature?
What does the Bible say about a sinful nature?
The Bible does not teach that babies are born evil.
14 but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.”
2 And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them 3 and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
the qualities of little children are for us to emulate
20 Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature.
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.
Sin is committed not not inherited.
4 Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.
29 See, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes.
Look how the Bible teaches how man is made
1 Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save,
or his ear dull, that it cannot hear;
2 but your iniquities have made a separation
between you and your God,
and your sins have hidden his face from you
so that he does not hear.
3 For your hands are defiled with blood
and your fingers with iniquity;
your lips have spoken lies;
your tongue mutters wickedness.
4 No one enters suit justly;
no one goes to law honestly;
they rely on empty pleas, they speak lies,
they conceive mischief and give birth to iniquity.
5 They hatch adders’ eggs;
they weave the spider’s web;
he who eats their eggs dies,
and from one that is crushed a viper is hatched.
6 Their webs will not serve as clothing;
men will not cover themselves with what they make.
Their works are works of iniquity,
and deeds of violence are in their hands.
7 Their feet run to evil,
and they are swift to shed innocent blood;
their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity;
desolation and destruction are in their highways.
8 The way of peace they do not know,
and there is no justice in their paths;
they have made their roads crooked;
no one who treads on them knows peace.
let’s consider some questions
If babies are born as sinners:
What happens when a baby dies?
if the doctrine is true then babies are condemned to hell, that’s absurd
If we sin because of a sinful nature:
Why did Adam sin?
the doctrine does not teach that Adam was made sinful
we commit sin by transgressing God’s law
14 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.
We give in to sin because we have a choice
We are tempted in this world
What would it say about the justice of God:
If He charged me with sin that someone else committed?
human beings don’t even do that, it is not right to charge a man for something he did not do
14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;
steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.
25 choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin.
pleasure can be good and bad
the bad is kept out in front of us
it is our charge to resist the devil and his schemes