This is a topic that sparks a lot of debate, but hopefully this post will answer some of the questions you have on the subject. There are primarily two views.
1.) The most popular view that is held is the doctrine of INHERITED SIN (TOTAL HEREDITARY DEPRAVITY). This view is held by the majority of Protestants and is a doctrine passed down from Catholicism. Calvinists hold this view, and it is the reason for infant baptism.
2.) The other view to be discussed is that infants and children are without sin, until such a time that they are able to distinguish right from wrong.
So which view is right?
As always, we must turn to the WORD OF GOD to find the answer.
Our first question -
What is Sin?
To define a sinner, we must first define sin!!!!!!!!!!!
The Bible Does Define Sin
1Jo 3:4 Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness.
This is the sin of doing what God has said not to do.
Jam 4:17 Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.
This is the sin of omission, not doing what God has said to do.
Infants Have Not Broken Any Law of God, nor Have they failed to do anything that God has commanded them to do, therefore they are not sinners by the Biblical definition of sin.
Rom 7:7 What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, "YOU SHALL NOT COVET."
Rom 7:8 But sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind; for apart from the Law sin is dead.
Rom 7:9 I was once alive apart from the Law; but when the commandment came, sin became alive and I died;
We see that children do not commit sin, but have they inherited it?
Is it Possible to inherit the sin of Adam?
Eze 18:20 "The person who sins will die. The son will not bear the punishment for the father's iniquity, nor will the father bear the punishment for the son's iniquity; the righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself.
It is true that we have inherited the consequences of Adam’s sin, but we have not inherited his spiritual death, we all bring this on ourselves when we begin to sin.
We do not die FOR Adam’s sin, but BECAUSE of it.
Rom 5:14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the offense of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.
And Listen to what the Lord has to say to Satan, the Master of Evil
Eze 28:15 "You were blameless in your ways From the day you were created Until unrighteousness was found in you.
Further Proof that infants are not lost sinners
The Bible tells us that no one that sins has seen God or Knows Him
1Jo 3:4 Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness.
1Jo 3:5 You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin.
1Jo 3:6 No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him.
1Jo 3:7 Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous;
1Jo 3:8 the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.
If Children were sinners, they would have neither seen God or known God.
Let’s examine a few verses to see if this is indeed the case.
Psa 71:5 For You are my hope; O Lord GOD, You are my confidence from my youth.
Psa 71:6 By You I have been sustained from my birth; You are He who took me from my mother's womb; My praise is continually of You.
Psa 139:13 For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother's womb.
Psa 139:14 I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well.
Psa 139:15 My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth;
Psa 139:16 Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them.
Isa 49:1 Listen to Me, O islands, And pay attention, you peoples from afar. The LORD called Me from the womb; From the body of My mother He named Me.
Jer 1:5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, And before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations."
Listen to what Paul says about Jacob and Esau.
Rom 9:10 And not only this, but there was Rebekah also, when she had conceived twins by one man, our father Isaac;
Rom 9:11 for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God's purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls,
Rom 9:12 it was said to her, "THE OLDER WILL SERVE THE YOUNGER."
Jesus had some very kind words to say about children
Mat 18:2 And He called a child to Himself and set him before them,
Mat 18:3 and said, "Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
Mat 19:13 Then some children were brought to Him so that He might lay His hands on them and pray; and the disciples rebuked them.
Mat 19:14 But Jesus said, "Let the children alone, and do not hinder them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."
Mat 21:15 But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that He had done, and the children who were shouting in the temple, "Hosanna to the Son of David," they became indignant
Mat 21:16 and said to Him, "Do You hear what these children are saying?" And Jesus *said to them, "Yes; have you never read, 'OUT OF THE MOUTH OF INFANTS AND NURSING BABIES YOU HAVE PREPARED PRAISE FOR YOURSELF'?"
But what about verses like Psalm 58:3?
Psa 58:3 The wicked are estranged from the womb; These who speak lies go astray from birth.
This is a case of symbolic language, not literal language. Infants can’t literally speak lies.
What about Romans 3:23?
Rom 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
This speaks of all men, because given the chance, we all will and have sinned.
Infants and children are not sinners, but they WILL be. Therefore they are counted as sinners. In the same way, Christians who are sinners and have sinned are counted as saints because we are covered and forgiven through the blood of Christ.
A final Argument that is devastating to the theory of inherited sin.
If inherited sin is a reality, then Jesus was also a sinner, and would be unable to save any of us.
Rom 8:3 For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh,
Heb 2:14 Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,
Heb 2:15 and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.
Heb 2:16 For assuredly He does not give help to angels, but He gives help to the descendant of Abraham.
Heb 2:17 Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.
Heb 2:18 For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.
Phi 2:5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,
Phi 2:6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,
Phi 2:7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.
Phi 2:8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
So what was it that set Jesus Apart?
Heb 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.
Jesus is the only one worthy to offer Himself up as a Sacrifice for our sin because He overcame sin. He lived in temptation like the rest of us, but never sinned. This is what makes Him the only worthy lamb.
Jesus could not have saved us by being murdered as a baby, as King Herod desired.
Infants and young Children who have not sinned have done neither good nor bad, they are incapable of sin, and incapable of overcoming sin.
“Scripture quotations taken from the NASB."
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