If we are born sinners, doesn't that make sinning unavoidable?

Question

The bible says that we all have sinned in Adam. My understanding is that we inherit the seperation from God through our relationship to Adam by birth. I see that our will being commited to selfish ends manifests the acts of sin and we are therefore guilty. In the Word we are told that all have sinned and that all are withoput excuse. However if our acts of sin stem from doing merely that which is our nature by birth how then are we culpable for doing that which we have a propensity to do without our choice in being born with such a propensity? If the word says we are without excuse? Does it not appear the best of excuses being born with a sinful nature?
I have examined this doctrine which ultimately justifies universalism but think it was the influence of Aristotlean philosophy that created this wrong way of seeing the doctrine of moral depravity. Charles Finney's Systematic Theology was helpful to me but I am curious as to how other Christians resolve this dilemma....comments?

Answer 1

Exactly. We are all sinners, no one is immune from sin except God.

Answer 2

The answer to the top question is 'yes'; sinning is unavoidable.

You further ask, "....if our acts of sin stem from doing merely that which is our nature by birth how then are we culpable for doing that which we have a propensity to do without our choice in being born with such a propensity?"

A more modern definition of sin is "an action or attitude that is harmful, or the lack of action to prevent harm". Whether it is learned behavior or genetic disposition or both, we inherit certain dispositions from our parents who inherited such from their parents and so forth. Hence, we have all "sinned in Adam" as the Bible puts it. Now, if we inherit these tendencies say for example to be cruel and abusive to others (abused children most often perpetuate abuse later in life), does this mean that it is OK to be cruel and abusive towards our own children or to other people? No, of course not! This propensity is something that must be confronted, confessed and overcome. It is necessary to understand this pattern of behavior from generation to generation Not to find excuse from causing such harm but to recognize it as harmful and stop such behavior from perpetuating by facing the truth, seeking forgiveness and receiving healing. The same principles can be applied to addictive or violent behaviors. Is it excusable to be an alcoholic because your folks were? Or to commit violent crimes because your parents did? No. But, by looking at heredity as a reasonable cause for the behavior we begin to understand the behavior and confront it as a problem.

Answer 3

Well then, even more so the need for God. Sin is within our human nature and we cannot work our way to heaven by good deed, work, or otherwise in any way dazzle God.
Our righteousness is as filthy rags.

In the scope of things, our sin nature separates us from God. Eternity was given to Adam and Eve along with dominion over the earth and every creature. Adam was a superman type.

All was lost with the fall of Adam and redemption needed then and redemption needed now.

Time is linear with mankind and not so with God. Time is an envelope that folds up at the proper time via the eternal covenant. The new covenant that we are in disappears and thus no more need for redemption, no more sin.

Answer 4

True ... we are all born with a propensity to sin. But as we mature we also develop a conscience. Christians believe they are influenced by the Holy Spirit. And the 10 Commandments along with God's other written laws are still other ways for us to separate right from wrong. So to say we must sin because that is our nature is incorrect. That would bring humans to the level of the other animals who act based on instinct and data hardwired into their brains.

Sinning is avoidable. We just have to make the choice not to. Is it easy? No way.

Answer 5

Psalm 51:5 does not declare any innocence by blaming sin on David's mother. David was only looking a himself, guilty before God from birth. In Adam all have sinned, and if even children were circumcised under a covenant, then it all fits, I agree with your understanding.

How are we culpable? Too many people look at anyone below the age of reason as getting free tickets to Heaven. Great, see you in Mass on Sunday, we've found a way to avoid Hell through living a sufficiently holy life. Protestant thought is supposedly that NO ONE merits Heaven on their own. We live under a federal representation of Adam, and SOME are under a new representation of Christ. Who goes to Heaven? God's own.

Answer 6

There is no such thing as "sin". Sin is defined in the bible as 'missing the mark of perfection' or in other words, not being perfect. Perfection is itself a false concept. It is an idea or an ideal to which one can aspire however, it does not exist in reality. Nothing is perfect and in fact nothing can be perfect as there is no such thing. Think for example of a perfect circle. If you look closely enough at the circle you will find that it has imperfections due to such things as the roughness of the paper it is drawn on and irregularities of the pencil lead etc. However, even if you could have the smoothest surface paper and the most well made pencil to draw the circle, you would still find imperfections due to the fact that when you get down to the molecular scale, molecules themselves have shapes and angles and parts sticking out so that at this level the circle will not be perfect. In other words, there is no such thing as perfection. Therefore there is no "sin". Its only an ideal, a mental concept. God is the same. God is a concept not a reality. The problem people run into is in confusing concepts with reality. This is what has happened in religion.

Answer 7

Wow, man. You are sure more well read on this topic than I am, but I think about one of the main arguments against that whole idea: "God made man imperfect then blamed him for it."

"Born sinners" means different things to different people. But I agree: we're born with that propensity to take the easy way out instead of the loving way, and that separates us from God and each other and that is called sin.

Another way to look at that is we were all born with free will. As soon as we are old enough to use it wisely, but choose not to, we sin. That might be unavoidable or not ... there's the rub, eh?

Answer 8

"We aren't born sinners. Christ's sacrifice atoned for the sins of man that came from the fall of Adam.

Do you think that babies have sin. Cerrtainly not. They are a pure as can be."

Wrong.......and for anyone else who believes this as well. In R.C. doctrine, BABIES are born with original sin, which is the sin from A&E. In the rite of baptism this sin is washed away but as the person asking the question asked "doesn't this make sinning unavoidable?", yes. As babies sin is inevitable, another reason is that in a lot of born again protestant denominations...I dated a southern baptist many many years ago...they are only baptised after they accept jeebus as their lord and personal savior blah blah.

Answer 9

First, you are welcome to engage me in a personal discussion about this subject by contacting me. It is not easy to answer all side issues here.

Heb 12:4-6 shows as you say that sinning is unavoidable, and that as a result, God disciplines his adopted children. (4Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin: ASV)

This resisting sinning refers to day to day minor and sometimes not so minor sins. It does not refer to willful sin, the practice of sin -- this has no forgiveness. (Hebrews 10:26, For when we sin willfully after taking the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more a sacrifice for sins, ACV)


The one that has been adopted by God as a son/daughter has to be paid back for his more serious sins in order to be saved. (1 Corinthians 11:31-32, But being judged, we are disciplined of the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world. )

Paul conducts an extensive dissertation about sin and sinning because of having been born sinners in the book of Romans.

See if the above permits you to understand the following scripture: "he who has suffered in flesh has ceased from sin" ACV

Answer 10

We have broken a series of Covenants with God, the first one being with Adam, there were others, with king David, and Moses, we broke them all.

We do have a fallen nature and sin does remove us from the Grace of God.

God sent his son as a new and everlasting covenant with ALL men, not just the Jewish people, but all people. With Jesus we have the Sacraments to keep us in the grace of God, even with our fallen nature, we now have the tools of Grace given to us and the Church that he started to help guide us to heaven.

This is one of the main reasons I became Catholic. It resolves the dilemma.

Peace be with you!

Answer 11

We aren't born sinners. Christ's sacrifice atoned for the sins of man that came from the fall of Adam.

Do you think that babies have sin. Cerrtainly not. They are a pure as can be.