DO HUMANS INHERIT A SINFUL NATURE FROM ADAM?

 By Nana Yaw Aidoo

I hold that if a man resists challenges to his views, that man does not own his views but rather is owned by his views. Hence, it is only right to ask whether we might have been mistaken when we read or hear viewpoints that contradict what we believe to be true. I have encountered two such challenges to certain beliefs that I hold, these past few weeks. An acclaimed gospel preacher made a Facebook post in which he declared; “You are not a sinner because you sinned. You sinned because you are a sinner.” A few days later an even more experienced gospel preacher would make clear what the first one implied in his Facebook post when in an otherwise beautiful sermon, he spoke of “the sinful nature which we inherited from Adam.” In other words, Adam’s nature was corrupted when he sinned, and that very corrupted or sinful nature is inherited by Adam’s race through procreation. This view, called hereditary depravity by theologians, is one that I reject. And after some thinking, I still see no reason to accept it as representing truth. I say this due to the following.

First, it makes absolutely no sense to me that God in the scheme of things would give for the procreation of humans, a law that brings humans into this world with a nature that makes them inclined to sin, and yet expect humans not to do the very thing the nature He has given them (cf. Zec. 12:1; Heb. 12:9), leads them to do. Where is the justice in that? Which right-thinking person looks at this situation and thinks that is consistent with righteousness? However, since the Sacred Writings tell me that the Judge of all the earth shall surely do right (Gen. 18:25; Acts 17:31), I am led to the conclusion that not only are these brethren mistaken but are also teaching a doctrine that negatively reflects on the justice of God.

Second, I wonder to what extent all humans possess this supposed sinful nature and to what extent humans are influenced by this nature. Do all humans possess this sinful nature to the same extent, and does it influence us in the same way? Do some possess a greater sinful nature than others and are some influenced by this sinful nature to a greater extent than others? I ask these because it is plainly evident that humans differ in their propensities towards sin. Put two people under the same tempting circumstances and you’d find that while one succumbs to sin, the other would not yield to the temptation. How do we explain this difference of inclination to sin? However, if it were true that all humans have inherited a sinful nature from Adam, we should expect that when surrounded by the same tempting circumstances both people would do the same thing. If not, then why not? If the cause is the same [sin nature inherited from Adam], and the tempting circumstances are the same, then why are the results not the same in some situations? The man Jesus Christ (1 Tim. 2:5) was tempted in every respect and point as we are yet He never sinned (Heb. 4:16; 1 John 2:16). Does this mean that Jesus didn’t have a sinful nature even though for all intents and purposes He was human just as we are (Heb. 2:9-18)? And if He did have a sinful nature, why then did He never sin, when we supposedly sin because we have inherited a sinful nature from Adam? He was God, you say? True. But what do we do with His humanity? These questions on my mind are another reason I believe that the brethren who are actively teaching hereditary depravity are mistaken in their view and have not thought through the issue the way they ought to.

Moreover, if this supposed sinful nature makes humans inclined to sin, I wonder what led Adam to sin when he was created. In my opinion, only two options exist. Either God created Adam with a corrupted or sinful nature that made him sin or something other than a sinful nature made Adam sin. If the first option is correct, then we must conclude that God created humans with a nature that makes them want to do that which God hates (Psa. 5:5; Hab. 1:13), with God even so, declaring His creation “very good.” This is unbelievable stuff. The only answer that is consistent with God’s character as seen in passages like Habakkuk 1:13 is the second one. And if something other than a sinful nature caused Adam’s sin, then why may not the same thing be the cause of sin today?

While it does not interest me at present to deal with the passages of Scripture that the advocates of this doctrine appeal to, to prove their view, I pray that God will help us think of human nature and the nature of sin in ways that are consistent with the whole counsel of God.

“Behold, this only have I found: that God made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions” (Eccl. 7:29).