Babies Inherit sin?
In a past article (https://churchofchristarticles.com/blog/administrator/born-in-sin/), we looked at Psalm 51:5 to see if that verse taught that babies are born in sin. It did not, because it is a subjective, figurative statement about David’s felt guilt, not an objective, literal statement about all babies conceived and born into the world. So, in this article we ask:Does the Bible teach that babies inherit the sin of their parents? No, but just the opposite.
The Bible teaches that each person is guilty of sin because of their own choice to commit sin. Romans 5:12 answers the question of how sin and death came into the world: “Therefore, just as through one man, sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.” The one man through whom sin entered the world was Adam. His sin merited his death, hence, death through sin. Death then spread to all men. How? Because all sinned. Adam set the example of sin in his life, and his children soon copied that example. It wasn’t because they inherited sin from Adam, but because they saw the sin that he committed, and they sinned too. Such a pattern has persisted in this world perpetually ever since for everyone except Jesus.
The Bible says of Jesus, “in all things He had to be made like His brethren” (Hebrews 2:17). This would mean that if babies inherited sin, then Jesus would have inherited sin too since He was made like humanity “in all things.”Instead, what is true isthat babies do not inherit sin, neither are they born in sin. Jesus was able to live a sinless life because He never chose to sin.