In a recent issue of the Old Paths Advocate Brother Brett Hickey wrote an excellent article on Original Sin. As he began to discuss the age of innocence an interesting thought came to my mind. Total hereditary depravity states that, “Adam became sinful, and hence all of his posterity are born in a state of sin, or with a sinful nature.”
Taking verses like Psalms 51:5, Romans 5:12 and Exodus 20:5 out of context the doctrine of original sin goes so far as to say that we are separated from God, by the sin of Adam, before we are even born! There is much discussion over the question of when life begins. Most Evangelicals agree that life begins as conception (and I agree) but I wonder when condemnation begins? According to the creeds it begins even prior to birth! The undelivered fetus is bathed in iniquity and guilt and, should that fetus die before being delivered and baptized, by the justice of God it is doomed to Hell! It is quite unusual to me to hear proponents of this doctrine speaking out against abortion.
In my home town of Springfield, Missouri I have been put into a deeply religious community and the radio and television is flooded with religious programs pushing Fundamentalist values and so-called “conservative” activism. I have heard several of these “Conservatives” and “Fundamentalists”, who teach hereditary depravity, condemn abortion as one of the seven things God hates, “hands that shed innocent blood”(Proverbs 16:17). And I read a letter from a Presbyterian (Calvinist) preacher who condemned the abortion doctor by citing that, “Cursed be he that taketh reward to slay an innocent person.” (Deut. 27:25). Does anyone else see the inconsistency here? If the “wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23) and the unborn infant is covered in the sin-guilt of Adam he is guilty, not innocent, and deserves to die!
Brother Hickey stated that a host of plain scriptures confirm the conclusion that there is an age of innocence and an age of accountability and that unborn fetus’ (though already human), infants and young children fall under the former. “Jesus himself said when infants were brought to him in Luke 18:16, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God.” And again in Mt. 18:3, “And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Paul says essentially the same thing in 1 Cor. 14:20, “Brethren, do not be children in understanding; however, in malice be babes…” (NKJV) Young children, like the invalid and mentally deficient are not accountable. “Your little ones… have no knowledge of good and evil.” (Deut. 1:39) “The imagination of a mans heart is evil from his youth.”(Gen. 1:21)” The word youth in that passage refers one about the age of twenty (Wilson) not an unborn child.
Among the arguments put forth to prove the depravity of infants that I have heard, one that I found particularly interesting, and in all honesty one that gave me pause for a few days to consider it was this: “If infants are not full of sin and iniquity why then did not Abraham gather up ten infants and present them to God in order that the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah might be spared.” (A private conversation between myself and a Reformed Church minister) At first this seemed to me a very difficult question to answer, but considering the scripture I believe that it can be answered rather simply. The incident that the minister referred to was that which is recorded in Genesis 18 when Abraham was visited by the Lord’s angels and told of the impending doom that was to come upon Sodom and Gomorrah for their grotesque wickedness and Abraham in his pleading intercession begged the Lord to have mercy on the cities. Let us notice the conversation recorded in verses 22-33, “Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the LORD. And Abraham came near and said, “Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there were fifty righteous within the city; would You also destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous that were in it? Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” So the LORD said, “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.” Then Abraham answered and said, “Indeed now, I who am but dust and ashes have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: Suppose there were five less than the fifty righteous; would You destroy all of the city for lack of five?” So He said, “If I find there forty-five, I will not destroy it.” And he spoke to Him yet again and said, “Suppose there should be forty found there?” So He said, “I will not do it for the sake of forty.” Then he said, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Suppose thirty should be found there?” So He said, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.” And he said, “Indeed now, I have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: Suppose twenty should be found there?” So He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of twenty.” Then he said, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak but once more: Suppose ten should be found there?” And He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of ten.” So the LORD went His way as soon as He had finished speaking with Abraham; and Abraham returned to his place.” Now, the Minister says that Abraham should have pointed out to God that there were ten babies in the city and thus ten righteous people! Well, there is one problem with this argument and that is that the term righteous means “one who does right.” Can that be said to describe and infant? Certainly not! Infants do not do right, neither do they do wrong, they are undeveloped both physically and mentally so that they do nothing moral or immoral, obedient or disobedient. Thus infants are not righteous or unrighteous, they are unaccountable. Some ask if infants are saved and the answer is NO! Infants are not saved because in order to be saved you would have had to have been lost at some point, infants are safe, not saved!
Thanks be to our loving God that the Child is innocent, free from sin and the curse of it. It is true that God hates “hands that shed innocent blood” but when faced with man’s doctrine of Original Sin we have a problem for under such a doctrine the babe is not innocent. This is one of many dire moral consequences of Calvinism. This error proves that the doctrine is not of God. We need not worry for the souls of countless infants slain in this country every day. Fear not mothers who have lost your children for as was said by J. V. Updike, “Just because you are born in a Potato patch, that doesn’t make you a potato.”- CED