I will now answer verses that are often quoted in an effort to teach the idea of "Original Sin." The most quoted verse to support this view is Romans 5:12 and I answered this verse on page 2.

“Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity; And in sin did my mother conceive me” (Ps.51:5).

First of all, it must be recognized that not all of what is said in the Psalms must be understood literally. Let us look at what else is said in the same Psalm:

"Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice" (Ps.51:5-8).

If all of these verses are to be taken literally then verse seven can be evidence that men are cleansed from their sins "with hyssop." Verse eight can also be taken in a literal sense to teach that broken bones rejoice! Or that the following verse teaches that babies can speak from the moment when they are born:

"Do ye indeed speak righteousness, O congregation? do ye judge uprightly, O ye sons of men Yea, in heart ye work wickedness; ye weigh the violence of your hands in the earth. The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies" (Ps.58:1-3).

Also, if we take the following verse literally then we must believe that men will some day return to their mother's womb:

"And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD" (Job.1:21).

At Psalm 51 we can understand that David is deeply repentant for the sins which he has committed against God. He uses exaggerated language to express his wickedness and guilt. However, this exaggerated language should not be quoted to teach doctrine. After all, why would the following verse speak of a baby being "wonderfully made" if that same baby was "conceived in sin"?:

"For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well" (Ps.139:13-14).

"Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others" (Eph.2:3).

There is nothing in this verse that even hints that the word "nature" is used in regard to what a man is by birth. Instead, the "context" demonstrates that the "nature" spoken of is a result on one's own sins:

"Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others" (Eph.2:2-3).

If a baby can be described as having the nature of a "child of wrath" then why would the Lord Jesus say the following in regard to little children?:

"Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands on them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven" (Mt.19:13-14).

Are we to believe that the Lord believed that infants are "children of wrath" but yet He would say of them that "such is the kingdom of heaven"? Of course not! Children are described as being "an heritage of the Lord":

"Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward" (Ps.127:3).

In the following verse the Apostle Paul speaks of a person's "nature" before that person sins:

"For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves" (Ro.2:14).

"Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one" (Job 14:4).

By the context we can understand that these words are in regard to man as being frail and dying:

"Man that is born of a woman is of few days and full of trouble. He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not. And doth thou open thine eyes upon such an one, and bringest me into judgment with thee? Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one. Seeing his days are determined, the number of his months are with thee, thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass; Turn from him, that he may rest, till he shall accomplish, as an hireling, his day" (Job.14:1-6).

The word "clean" is translated from the Hebrew word tahowr, and one of the meanings of that word is in regard to a nature of things which "endure for ever":

"The fear of the LORD is clean (tahowr), enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD [are] true [and] righteous altogether" (Ps.19:9).

At Job 14:4 the refernce is to a body which is not "clean" in the sense that the human body does not endure forever but instead is "cut down" and "continueth not."

If the word "clean" at Job 14:4 is referring to being free of sin then we must believe that the Lord Jesus could not have been born without sin because He came from the womb of Mary, a person who was a sinner and in need of a Savior.

Also, the Scriptures reveal that the Lord Jesus became flesh and was "made" like us in every way:

"Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people" (Heb.2:17).

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