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Did we all inherit sin from Adam and Eve?



    
    

Clarify Share Report Asked July 01 2013 Mini Anonymous (via GotQuestions)

Community answers are sorted based on votes. The higher the vote, the further up an answer is.

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Shea S. Michael Houdmann Supporter Got Questions Ministries
Yes, all people inherited sin from Adam and Eve, specifically from Adam. Sin is described in the Bible as transgression of the law of God (1 John 3:4) and rebellion against God (Deuteronomy 9:7; Jo...

July 01 2013 4 responses Vote Up Share Report


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Mini Jennifer Henkel Supporter Bible/History Middle School Teacher, Lover of the OT!
yes, we inherit sinful nature from Adam. Every man passes this to his children. 

That's why it is absolutely imperative to believe in the virgin birth of Christ! If Jesus had a human father, He would have a sinful nature and be unable to do anything for us!

March 02 2014 2 responses Vote Up Share Report


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Mini James Bryant Supporter
Sin isn't passed on from any woman, not possible. Sin is passed on from men, we pass it on through our seed to the woman. Through ONE MAN death entered and through ONE MAN death is passed on to all. Romans 5:12.

July 17 2013 1 response Vote Up Share Report


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Mini Ezekiel Kimosop - Pastor & Bible Scholar Supporter
Sin came to all humanity by Adam even though Eve was the first to commit the sin of disobedience. Under the federal headship theology, Adam assumes full responsibility for the sin of his wife, even though he too sinned in his own way by accepting to eat of the forbidden fruit given to him by Eve. Paul often mentions the consequences of Adam’s sin when he compares the first Adam and the New Adam (1 Cor.15:22). We all inherited this sin arising from the disobedience of our first parents without exception and no human sacrifice could have removed this sin except by the sinless blood of Christ. Without this blood nothing could have atoned our sin (11 John 4:10. 
The first consequence of the Adamic sin was to bring fear on the couple and separation from God and the breaking of fellowship with him. One of the original Hebrew texts (WTT) records that God thundered as he sought for the fallen couple and what is often referred to as wind in the cool of the day has the Hebrew idea of a violent storm through which God spoke (Gen 3:8-10). Most English translations fail to capture the mood of the passage because God was certainly furious over the disobedience of Adam and he called out to him in this fury and disappointment. Adam’s fellowship with God was immediately severed and his standing was fallen. This explains why he hid from the presence of God. 

The first act of disobedience obviously dealt a blow on the life of innocence that the couple hitherto enjoyed and removed the divine cover over their lives. God had to drive them out of the Garden because they could no longer access the purity of God’s divine presence. This is what sin did and continues to do in all ages of the human race until the coming of Christ. We who live in the church age or the age of grace now have no excuse to continue to live in the disgrace of this fallenness because God has created a way out for us through Christ’s death and resurrection by which we have received full forgiveness in him (John 3:16).
The Law of Moses could not solve the problem of human sin nor could the strict requirement of Levitical law cure this sin. In fact Paul stated that the law pointed to Christ and was more of a fore-shadow of the new life to come in Christ in which perfect obedience was exemplified in his life (Hebrews 10:1). It is no wonder that the first son of Adam took up the fallen nature of his parents and killed his brother Cain in cold blood and by his made history as the first murderer in Bible history (Gen.4:8). The curse of sin and death continued in all generations until Christ came to fix it on the cross.

February 02 2014 2 responses Vote Up Share Report


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Mini Kenneth Heck Supporter
If original sin were a matter of heredity then it would be possible to find the "sin gene' or group of genes that predispose us to sin. This isn't possible because original sin is only imputed to human beings so that anyone may be saved through Christ. Likewise, to those who are faithful is imputed righteousness. Of the three Abrahamic faiths,
only Christianity believes in original sin. This is because only Christianity with its higher morality promises the royal kingship and priesthood for believers, two of the things lost by Adam's fall.  This promise is unique to Christianity, not found in any other religion, as is original sin.

July 25 2013 1 response Vote Up Share Report


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Q jcryle001 JD Abshire Supporter
David wrote in Psalms 51:5 "Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me."
David was either stating he was illegitimate or born a sinner. I believe it was the latter.

Psalms 58:3 "The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies."

We are not sinners because we sin but sin because we are sinners.

November 09 2013 1 response Vote Up Share Report


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Stringio Vincent Mercado Supporter Skeptic turned believer, Catholic, father of 3
We inherited a STATE from Adam and Eve.

Before they sinned, they have several things unique to them.

1. They are immortals - they don't die.
2. They don't feel pain - no hark work, no pains in child birth
3. They are free from concupiscence - no tendency to sin

After they sinned, they lost all these. And all children born to them inherited this state that they are in.

July 25 2013 0 responses Vote Up Share Report


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Stringio Cassius Ash Supporter
Not entirely. We inherited the knowledge of sin from Adam. Committing the sins are voluntary.

July 25 2013 0 responses Vote Up Share Report


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Mini Roy Clemmons Supporter
The Eastern Orthodox tradition has a different understanding of "original sin" than the Western Church. Eastern Orthodox Christians prefer the term "ancestral sin" because they believe Humanity inherited the consequences but not the guilt of original sin. 

More:
http://orthodoxwiki.org/Original_sin

July 25 2013 0 responses Vote Up Share Report


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My picture Jack Gutknecht Supporter ABC/DTS graduate, guitar music ministry Baptist church
"Every human being has inherited a sin nature from Adam. There are 3 aspects of sin - Inherited Sin (Sin Nature, Sinful Nature, original sin), Imputed Sin, and Personal Sins." --John Piper

But I learned in seminary that this [inherited sin as asked in the question] was called IMPUTED SIN, meaning "that which resulted in man's participation in Adam's first sin." -Professor Charles Ryrie, DTS

The Scripture for this is Romans 5:12 where Paul tells us that "all mankind was in Adam participating in his sin and bearing the resulting guilt." Ryrie Study Bible

December 19 2022 0 responses Vote Up Share Report


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Image Wayne Lewis Supporter
When where conceived we have that seed of sin in us it don't start to grow until we start. We'll let me explain when we know a child around the age of 2 begins to swear and we call it quite we'll we just started feeding that sin that's in that child now he or she learns at an early age between right and wrong

November 28 2013 0 responses Vote Up Share Report


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Mini Anthony Lyons Supporter
Mankind did not inherit sin from Adam and Eve! Mankind did; however, inherit the knowledge from Adam and Eve that we cannot obey even one command of God when we are tempted by that Old Serpent, Satan. When God: Father and Son, with the Holy Spirit crafted a plan to create a special people, He did not want a collection of automatons! He wanted people who chose Him and chose to live with Him forever and ever. God has always wanted a close relationship with all of us based on love here, now and forever! 

It is true that Adam and Eve, who became one, brought sin into the world, but if it had been you and I who were created first, we would have brought sin into the world. Each little child that has been born since Adam and Eve were created, was conceived in the mind of God as he/she was knit in the womb of his/her mother in a state of sinlessness. It is also true that one man, Jesus the Christ, in a sense an Adam, certainly a man, provided the sacrifice for our sins because we cannot save ourselves. 

We each have choices. We have always had choices while yet living. By the time we die, a punishment for sin, we have made our choices concerning God. Hear the words, ".....there is none righteous, no not one.....for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God....." We cannot, must not blame Adam and Eve for our, you and I, own sin. We did not need their "help" at all. We figured sin out on our own and have been perfectly willing to participate.

I know that I have not cited any scripture in this response. I invite you to read the entire Bible, in a word for word translation, letting the Bible interpret itself. It is time that we, you and I, put away the doctrines of our denominations and sorted the Bible out for ourselves. God exists in eternity waiting patiently for us to obey.

Anthony Lyons

January 23 2018 1 response Vote Up Share Report


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Mini James Kraft Supporter 74 year old retired pipeline worker
Yes. We are all born with a sinful nature from Adam. Jesus said ye must be born again to enter the kingdom of Heaven. How do we get born again?

When we confess we are sinners, and believe Jesus died for all our sins, we are born of the Spirit of God. 

We believe the gospel. First Corinthians 15:1-4 That Christ died for our sins, according to the scriptures, that He was buried and rose again on the third day, according to the scriptures. 

When we believe that gospel, we are sealed by he Holy Spirit who is our righteousness before God. Ephesians 1:13-14. Once we have believed on Jesus as the only way of salvation, we are born of the Spirit of God and now we are a child of God forever. John 1:12 But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the children of God, even to them that believe on His name.

First John 5:13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that ye may know ye have eternal life.

Now all of our sins, past, present, and future are paid for by Jesus once blood sacrifice for all sin. We can no longer be condemned. John 3:18.

John 10:28-29. And I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. And my Father who is greater than all, no one can pluck them out of His hand. Double eternal security. 

Second Timothy 2:19 Nevertheless, the foundation of God is sure, having this seal, (the Holy Spirit) the Lord knoweth them that are His, and let everyone that nameth the name of God depart from iniquity. Unbelief.

Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace ye are saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the GIFT of God, not of works, (what we do or do not do) lest any man should boast. We have nothing to boast in because salvation is a free gift and we did nothing for it. Jesus paid it all and we paid 0. It is free.

June 09 2018 5 responses Vote Up Share Report


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Mini Aurel Gheorghe Supporter
The Catholic Church teaches that the fallen sinful nature in itself is sin, and babies are born with a fallen sinful nature, as sinners. That is the reason why they baptize infants. 

But let's see what the Bible is teaches. Sin is the transgression of the law (1 John 3:4). We became sinners when we transgress the law of God. Unless I break the 7th commandment, I’m not an adulterer. I can only become a sinner if I transgressed the law of God. Jesus Christ never transgressed the law of God, thus, He was not a sinner, although was born in flesh. 

Can a baby that inherited the fallen sinful nature from Adam and Eve transgressed the law at the stage of a fetus or at birth? If that would be the case, God cannot make anyone responsible for their sins. Jesus said that “unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:3) as we know, only blameless beings will go to heaven, and according with Jesus statement, little children are without sin.

In order to transgress the law, one must have choice. We cannot become sinners without a choice. Since we inherited the fallen sinful nature without a choice, therefore, the fallen sinful nature in itself cannot be sin. God does not create beings as sinners from birth; we are created with a fallen sinful nature but with the power of choice to either choose Him or Satan. We become sinners by our choices, not by creation or by birth. Therefore, the fallen sinful nature in itself is not sin.

The Bible also teaches that sin is not transferable from the father to the son or from the son to the father (Ezekiel 18:20). The fallen sinful nature is inherited from Adam and Eve without a choice. If the fallen sinful nature is sin, then sin would be transferable from one to another. 

Adam and Eve after the eating of the forbidden fruit, they inherited the fallen sinful nature. The fallen sinful nature was not the cause of their sin but the result of their sin. Since they only inherited a fallen sinful nature after breaking the law of God, therefore, the fallen sinful nature in itself is not sin.

The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). If we are sinners because of our fallen sinful nature inherited without a choice, then how can we be responsible for sin? In fact, God would be responsible for our sin if we are born sinners without our choice. But since we are sinners by choice, we are responsible for sin. 

Furthermore, Christ told to Mary “Go and sin no more.”(John 8:11) If Jesus say to go and sin no more, evidently, a sinless life is attainable. So, no one is conditioned to sin by the human fallen sinful nature.

March 22 2016 13 responses Vote Up Share Report


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