Posts Tagged ‘original sin’
Is there a difference between original sin and actual sin?
Question: Dear Jeffrey I am combing through reading material around the subject of Original Sin. I am critiquing a book written by a popular proponent of this doctrine, “Original Sin: Illuminating the Riddle” by French theologian Henri Blocher. Amongst his discussions, there are two arguments he made to support his doctrine, which I have some…
Read MoreWhat is “federal headship”?
Question: I really enjoy the content you put out. Very straight and to the point. What do Calvinists mean when they talk about “federal headship?” I’ve heard someone mention this in a podcast in an episode on Calvinism. I had not heard the expression until listening to the podcast. Answer: Calvinists believe that Adam’s sin…
Read MoreCalvinism in Psalm 51?
by Matthew W. Bassford During my time as a preacher, I studied with people from a wide variety of religious backgrounds. Of them all, the people who knew their Bibles best were unquestionably the conservative Calvinists. They approached the Scriptures with a different perspective than ours, but the most devoted of them spend as much…
Read MoreDoes God Create Sinners?
by Jerral Kay Photo by Jonathan Borba on Unsplash Catholics and Protestants teach that God creates sinners. They say that all babies are born totally depraved, wicked from birth. The Bible does not teach this. Jesus was born totally human, coming from a sinful mother, and according to their doctrine, all humans inherit sin from…
Read MoreHow is it that we don’t suffer for the sins of Adam?
Question: Hello, I am a baptized believer. I often use your website, so a big thanks to you all for the great work being done. I have one question about the doctrine of the sin of Adam. Mostly we hear that we do not suffer for the sin of the father. However, Adam sinned and…
Read MoreHow did sin spread if it was not inherent in men?
Question: Hello! I agree with your belief that the Bible does not speak of inheriting a “sin nature” from Adam. If you wrote your own version of the Bible, how would you translate Romans 5:12? Or, can you explain how death “spread” to all men, since it’s our own personal sin that brings death? How…
Read MoreInfant Baptism
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/InfantBaptism.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Download Audio Text: Romans 7:7-25 I. Historians will admit that infant baptism did not appear in the church until the second or third century A. Roman Catholics 1. “There is no express mention of the baptism of infants in the New Testament” [Question Box, page 23]. 2. “It is difficult to give strict proof…
Read MoreI liked your article on whether sin is inherited from Adam
Question: Dear Minister, I liked your article on whether sin is inherited from Adam. I have been reading Moody’s Handbook of Theology and found the arguments by many theologians on this issue, including Calvin, to be questionable at best. Thanks for your post. Answer: You’re welcome. I’m glad you found it useful.
Read MoreHow could Christ die for sinners if we don’t inherit sin from Adam?
Question: Hi, I came across your website doing a bit of research regarding sin and the choices we make. I am a little confused by your statement that we are not born sinners. I am under the understanding that sin has been passed on through Adam and Eve, e.g. irrational sin. If we are not…
Read MoreOriginal Sin
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/OriginalSin.mp3 by Ed Myers
Read MoreIf we all start out innocent, then why doesn’t everyone make good choices?
Question: God makes all people the same, right? All people start out the same as a little baby, in innocence. So why is it that some people decide to follow God and some don’t? One might draw from that question that maybe it’s because God is pushing some people more than others to follow Him.…
Read MoreSince man is created in God’s image, how can he have a sinful nature?
Question: Since we were created by God and in His image, how is it possible that we have a sinful nature? Answer: The Bible doesn’t use the phrase “sinful nature.” It is the New International Version that substitutes “sinful nature” for the word “flesh” in many places. In doing so, it introduces a concept not…
Read MoreYou make no attempt to understand the Salvation Army
Question: I just read with much displeasure the article, “Can Christians Help Support the Salvation Army?” I am admittedly somewhat biased as a third-generation Salvationist, but I found your posting quite misleading. It makes no attempt to understand the Salvation Army doctrines and looks simply to highlight doctrinal differences with other denominations. A few points…
Read MoreAren’t men born sinful?
Question: I’m just emailing about a little something I found in an article of yours. It’s answering a question about where the Word talks about all men being equal. Not to be picky, but it says in the article we are all born without sin, which isn’t true. One of the basic concepts of Christianity, as…
Read MoreHow could Jesus be sinless when he was born of Mary?
Question: As Mary was the mother of Jesus, she was also, like all of us, a descendant of Adam and Eve. Even though Mary was a virgin, she was in human flesh as Adam and Eve and of sin nature. How can it be said Jesus was without sin after having come into the world…
Read MoreFour Facts Fatal to Original Sin
by Larry Ray Hafley via Guardian of Truth; December 6, 1984; Vol. XXVIII, No. 23; pp. 713, 716 The doctrine of original or Adamic sin states that every person is born in sin. Because of Adam’s sin, all men are corrupt and guilty of sin at birth. Note the testimony of the Philadelphia Confession of Faith:…
Read MoreWas David a Sinner at Birth?
by Jimmy Mickells “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me” (Psalm 51:5). Those who teach and try to prove that one inherits the sin of Adam use this verse as a proof text. Does it really say that David was born a sinner because of what Adam did…
Read MoreAre Babies Born Sinners?
Clem Thurman via Gospel Minutes, Vol. 57, No. 5, Feb. 7, 2008. QUESTION: I have a friend that believes that all babies are born into the world as sinners because of Adam’s sin. Could you please discuss this for me? ANSWER: The idea of the “original sin” of Adam being passed on to all mankind is…
Read MoreIf Adam’s sin isn’t inherited, why do ALL women experience pain during childbirth?
Question: I disagree with your teaching that Adam’s sin is not inherited. If Adam’s sin isn’t inherited, why do all women experience pain during childbirth? Why do all men have to work hard to feed their families? We all share the punishment of Adam and Eve, so we all inherit their sin. The explanation is…
Read MoreCould you explain the different translations of Psalm 51:5 in detail?
Question: Could you explain the difference between the NIV and the rest of the versions concerning Psalms 51:5? In detail, if you can. The NIV seems to be saying we are born sinful, while the rest indicates we are born into a sinful world. I understand the difference but I have a hard time explaining…
Read MoreIf there is no inherited sin, then wouldn’t this leave a possibility for a person to live a sinless life?
Question: I came across your article on infant baptism while doing a web search for Scriptures on the topic. In reading your article, I get the impression that your church does not believe in original sin? This seems to me like an astonishing view, as it would leave open at least a theoretical possibility for…
Read MoreCould you clarify why you say we don’t inherit Adam’s sin?
Question: Hello. I am a Christian, not a Catholic, and have been very pleased with your website where you lay things out very clearly and precisely. Thank you for providing such a resource to the world. I especially enjoyed the article on the Epistle to Laodicea. I was reading this sermon on Catholicism. I find…
Read MoreIf we didn’t inherit Adam’s sin, why aren’t we all starting in the garden of Eden?
Question: Regarding Adam and not inheriting his sin: If that were so, wouldn’t we all start in the Garden of Eden and each be given a chance to follow the command not to eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil? No. We are sent with Adam. We are all…
Read MoreWhy do you teach that men are born without sin?
Question: I am perplexed by the fact that you can expound upon the idea that all man is born sinless. I am afraid that you need to complete the chapter in Ezekiel 18 – where God says He invites us all to repent, after which He can give us the Holy Spirit, which provides us with…
Read MoreDo we inherit sin, but do not inherit the punishment?
Question: In light of Ezekiel 18:20, do you feel we are products of our fathers? Can the sin nature be passed down from our fathers to us? I realize there is no punishment from the sin nature of our fathers to us, but the possibility is always there, is it not? Also genetically we are…
Read MoreAre people born good and do bad things, or are they born bad and do good things?
Question: Are people born good and do bad things, or are they born bad and do good things? Answer: “Truly, this only I have found: that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes” (Ecclesiastes 7:29). Thus we learn that people are born sinless, but become sinful as they grow up.
Read MoreWhy did Catholicism start and when did it happen?
Question: Why did the religion Catholicism start and what year did Catholicism start? Answer: Why Catholicism started is fairly straightforward. Man has a difficult time leaving something alone. There is a strong desire to modify things with the goal of “improving” things. This tendency is encouraged by Satan who wants to destroy the works of…
Read MoreWhere in the Bible does it say we inherit the nature to sin?
Question: Where in the Bible does it say that we only inherit the nature to sin and not the original sin? Answer: Don’t you just love questions that want you to choose between two possibilities, but neither one is correct? The concept of man inheriting the original sin of Adam was espoused every early on…
Read MoreWhat proof is there that Mary was born without sin?
Question: What proof is there that Mary was born without sin? Answer: Every person in the world is born without sin. Catholicism and most forms of Protestantism teach that Adam and Eve’s fall brought sin into the world and that sin is passed down from generation to generation. This causes them a bit of difficulty.…
Read MoreWhat is wrong with Catholicism?
Question: What is the difference between Catholicism and Christianity? What is wrong with the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church? Answer: This is a large subject on which many books have been written. I will not be able to address this question in detail, but perhaps giving an overview will help. Catholicism has its roots…
Read MoreWhat happens to children when they die?
Question: What happens to children when they die? Answer: The Bible states that children go to heaven when they die. Take a look at this example: “So Nathan went to his house. Then the LORD struck the child that Uriah’s widow bore to David, so that he was very sick. David therefore inquired of God…
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