BORN IN SIN
What Does the Term "Born in Sin" Mean in the Bible?
The idea of being born in sin or inheriting ancestral sin at birth is not a biblical concept. The most commonly misapplied passage relating to the notion that children are "born in sin" is Psalm 51:5. For several reasons, this text cannot be teaching that infants are born sinful; such a view would contradict numerous other passages of Scripture. See: INFANTS. What, then, does this passage from Psalms teach? There are several possible views.
Psalm 51 is one of David's penitent psalms, revealing the anguish resulting from his adulterous conduct with Bathsheba. Some feel that verse 5 contains words that are figuratively put into the mouth of the child conceived by that illicit union (2 Sam. 11:5). This imagery would highlight the sinfulness of that relationship. In that case, the sin would be attributed to the parent, not the child.
Others have suggested that David alludes to an incident in his ancestral lineage, an adulterous affair (Gen. 38), whereby he was considered ceremonially defiled because he was of the 10th generation of that unlawful intercourse (Dt. 23:2). This is probably only a remote possibility.
Most likely, Psalms 51:5 refers merely to David's being born into a sinful environment. We are all conceived in and brought forth into a sinful world, but we do not actually sin until we arrive at a state of spiritual responsibility.
Perhaps David also, by using dramatic language, alludes to the fact that sin had characterized his whole life, relatively speaking. In a similarly poetic section, for example, Job denied that he had neglected his benevolent responsibilities and affirmed that he had cared for the orphan and the widow from his mother's womb (Job 31:18). Surely, no one believes that from the day of his birth Job was out ministering to the needy! The Hebrew parallelism of this verse indicates that the word "womb" is used in the sense of "youth."
Those who employ Psalm 51:5 to bolster the doctrine that sin is inherited from one's mother face a severe problem. Jesus was both conceived by and brought forth from a human mother (Lk. 1:31). If original sin is inherited from one's mother, Christ was "tainted." If, however, someone should suggest that depravity is received only from the father, then Psalm 51:5 cannot be used to prove it, for it mentions only the mother!
Psalm 51 is one of David's penitent psalms, revealing the anguish resulting from his adulterous conduct with Bathsheba. Some feel that verse 5 contains words that are figuratively put into the mouth of the child conceived by that illicit union (2 Sam. 11:5). This imagery would highlight the sinfulness of that relationship. In that case, the sin would be attributed to the parent, not the child.
Others have suggested that David alludes to an incident in his ancestral lineage, an adulterous affair (Gen. 38), whereby he was considered ceremonially defiled because he was of the 10th generation of that unlawful intercourse (Dt. 23:2). This is probably only a remote possibility.
Most likely, Psalms 51:5 refers merely to David's being born into a sinful environment. We are all conceived in and brought forth into a sinful world, but we do not actually sin until we arrive at a state of spiritual responsibility.
Perhaps David also, by using dramatic language, alludes to the fact that sin had characterized his whole life, relatively speaking. In a similarly poetic section, for example, Job denied that he had neglected his benevolent responsibilities and affirmed that he had cared for the orphan and the widow from his mother's womb (Job 31:18). Surely, no one believes that from the day of his birth Job was out ministering to the needy! The Hebrew parallelism of this verse indicates that the word "womb" is used in the sense of "youth."
Those who employ Psalm 51:5 to bolster the doctrine that sin is inherited from one's mother face a severe problem. Jesus was both conceived by and brought forth from a human mother (Lk. 1:31). If original sin is inherited from one's mother, Christ was "tainted." If, however, someone should suggest that depravity is received only from the father, then Psalm 51:5 cannot be used to prove it, for it mentions only the mother!
