[Note by crosstheology: It should be noted that the author of this article uses sin(ful) nature different than I do. When he uses the term sin(ful) nature, he uses it as a synonym to original sin. I see it as a propensity towards sin.]
‘Most today in the Church believe that everything God has created is good. Yet when it comes to mankind they believe man is created with a sinful nature, due to the original sin that Adam and Eve committed. Now the thing to do is to see if this is plainly laid out in the book of Genesis, and then to go on and see if it is laid out anywhere else in the scriptures.
The consequences laid out in Genesis for the sin of Adam and Eve:
1 – To the women God says “I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; In sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee”
2 – To the man God says “Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. And Adam called his wife’s name Eve; because she was the mother of all living. Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them.”
3 – The Lord God said “And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.”
Other than the consequence God gives to the serpent these are what we find in Genesis 3. There is no talk of sin being passed down from Adam to his children and his children’s children. If we go to the next chapter in Genesis God even tells Cain “If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door”. If man was born totally depraved due to the sin of Adam it would be impossible for Cain to do what God said to him, and therefore God would be a liar. Many say that physical death is a proof that we are born sinners, after all does not the scripture say “The soul who sins shall die”. But this is talking about spiritual death and not physical.
We all die physically due to what is said in consequence 3. Mankind is now cut off from the tree of life, as a consequence to Adam and Eve’s sin. I would like to share something on this subject from A to Z prophecy “In Genesis 2 God establishes the Garden of Eden. In its center he plants two trees: ‘The tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil’. (Gen 2:9)
God tells Adam that he is free to eat of any tree in the garden except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (2:16-17). This command implies that it is alright for Adam and Eve to eat of the tree of life. Also it shows in Genesis that access to the tree of life provided immortality. Thus as long as Adam and Eve have access to this tree, they enjoy immortality.
However, after Adam and Eve disobey God and eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, God banishes them from the garden, removing them from access to the tree of life, thus taking away their immortality and introducing the human race to death. God then places cherubim to guard the way back into the garden, stating explicitly that the cherubim are to keep them from accessing the tree of life (Gen 3:24).
The truth – The human race is now excluded from access to the tree of life and that all people, therefore , will experience death.
The tree of life emerges again in Revelation, where access to it once again represents eternal life or immortality. In Revelation 2:7, God tells the church at Ephesus that “To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God”
We can clearly see from the Genesis account there is no such thing as inherited sin and being born with a sinful nature. Now we must see if the Bible teaches this anywhere else in the next section.
What else does the Bible tell us about the nature of man?
The Bible tells us in Ecclesiastes 7:29 “Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.”. This one passage shows us that it is impossible that man is created with a sinful nature, as how could one be both upright but also sinful at the same time? It is illogical and goes against reason and what we know to be true.
What else does the Bible tells us in regards to this doctrine? Let’s go to Ezekiel 18 we find that it teaches the exact opposite of vice/unrighteousness being transferred from one to another, and also virtue/righteousness to one another. “ Yet say ye, Why? doth not the son bear the iniquity of the father? When the son hath done that which is lawful and right, and hath kept all my statutes, and hath done them, he shall surely live. The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.” (Ezekiel 18). This doctrine of inbred sin being imputed from Adam to all his descendants is foreign in the scriptures, we find the exact opposite to this theory in the scriptures. I know many will say this is heretical but it’s been shown here, that the doctrine of Original Sin/Inbred Sin is contrary to the scriptures. It’s the scriptures that should be believed and not the traditions of men.’
source: Jamie RA Gerrard (holyandpure).
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