Refuting Original Sin: A Biblical and Logical Examination

                              Refuting Original Sin: A Biblical and Logical Examination

The doctrine of original sin—the idea that all humans inherit guilt and a sinful nature from Adam—has been a central teaching in much of Christian theology, particularly in Augustinian and Reformed traditions. However, a careful examination of Scripture and reason challenges this doctrine. Below, we will explore why original sin is neither a necessary nor a biblical teaching.


The Bible Teaches Personal Responsibility for Sin

One of the strongest biblical arguments against original sin is the consistent teaching that individuals are responsible for their own sins, not Adam’s.

Ezekiel 18:20
English Standard Version
“The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son.”

NOTE: This verse explicitly refutes the idea that guilt is inherited. Each person is judged based on their own actions, not Adam’s.


Deuteronomy 24:16
English Standard Version
“Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor shall children be put to death for their fathers; a person shall be put to death for his own sin.”

NOTE : If God Himself declares that guilt is not transferable, how can Adam’s guilt be imputed to all humanity?


Exodus 34:6-7
English Standard Version
6 The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, 7 keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation.”

NOTE: This section does not support original sin but instead highlights God's justice, mercy, and the generational impact of sin. The passage does not teach that guilt is inherited, only that sin has lasting consequences on future generations. For example, if a father engages in wickedness, his children may suffer the consequences of his actions (e.g., poverty, broken homes, bad upbringing), but this does not mean they are personally guilty of his sins. Other Scriptures, such as Ezekiel 18:20, affirm that individuals are judged for their own sins, not Adam’s. The teaching of personal responsibility for sin is consistently affirmed in both the Old and New Testaments.


Other Misunderstood Passages

Romans 5:12
English Standard Version
"Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned—"

NOTE:This verse states that death came to all men because all sinned, not because Adam’s sin was imputed to them. Paul is not saying that people inherit Adam’s guilt but that all people sin and therefore face death. If original sin meant automatic guilt from birth, then passages teaching moral accountability (like Ezekiel 18) would contradict Paul’s teaching, which is unlikely. In addition , notice the phrase "because all sinned" suggests that each person is accountable for their own sin. Paul later clarifies in Romans 5:14 that death reigned even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of Adam’s transgression, implying that sin was not directly inherited in the same way as Adam's. If original sin meant inherited guilt, why would Paul say in Romans 7:9 that he was once "alive apart from the law" but then died when he sinned? This suggests personal accountability rather than automatic guilt from Adam.

James 1:14-15
English Standard Version
“But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin.”

NOTE: Sin originates from an individual’s own choices, not an inherited nature.


Genesis 4:7
English Standard Version
“If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.”

NOTE: God tells Cain that sin is something he can resist. If he had inherited sin, this statement would make no sense.


Psalm 51:5
English Standard Version
5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
and in sin did my mother conceive me.

Job 31:18
English Standard Version
18 (for from my youth the fatherless grew up with me as with a father,
and from my mother's womb I guided the widow)

NOTE: These two verses, when interpreted in their proper context, do not support the doctrine of original sin. Psalm 51:5 is poetic hyperbole, not a doctrinal declaration of inherited sinfulness. Job 31:18, if taken literally, contradicts the idea of total depravity by showing a man acting righteously from birth. Also , how can Job guide widows from the womb? Therefore, this is figurative language to describe someone's earliest memory.



Genesis 8:21
English Standard Version
"For the intention of man's heart is evil from his youth."

NOTE: the verse states that man’s heart is evil from youth (נְעוּרִים – neʿurim), not from birth. This implies that people develop a sinful nature as they grow, rather than being guilty at conception. The passage says nothing about Adam’s sin being transferred to all humanity. Rather, it describes the general wickedness of mankind in Noah’s time.This verse could be better understood as describing the universal tendency toward sin, not an inherited guilt from Adam.



Romans 3:23
English Standard Version
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

NOTE: In Romans 3, Paul is making a case that both Jews and Gentiles have sinned and need salvation—not that all people are born totally depraved. The surrounding verses contrast those who trust in works of the law versus those who receive grace through faith (Romans 3:20-24). With that said, Romans 3:23 simply states a historical reality: every accountable person has committed sin at some point—not that they inherited sin from Adam. Paul does not say "all were born sinners", but rather, "all have sinned." This statement is about actual sinful actions, not inherited sin. The phrase "fall short of the glory of God" means that his people failed to live up to his standards—not that they were born spiritually dead.


Ephesians 2:2-3
English Standard Version
2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.

NOTE:The word "nature" (physis) does not always mean inborn nature. It can refer to something learned over time through habitual practice. For example: 1 Corinthians 11:14 – “Does not even nature (physis) itself teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a dishonor to him?”Nature here does not mean an inborn trait, but a socially ingrained norm. In context, Paul is speaking about the former life of Gentile believers before conversion. They became "children of wrath" through disobedience, not birth. Below, I will show how the text flows with this idea.

Ephesians 2:1-2 describes them as having walked in sin due to following worldly influences and Satan.

Ephesians 2:3 says they were formerly in sinful passions like the rest of the world, showing this is about behavior, not inherited guilt.

Ephesians 2:4-5 immediately shifts to God's mercy, proving that sinfulness is something God rescues people from—not an inescapable, born condition.

With this in mind, "children of wrath" refers to people who, by their own choices, placed themselves under God's judgment—not infants guilty by birth.


1 Corinthians 15:22
English Standard Version
"For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive."

NOTE:The context of 1 Corinthians 15 is the resurrection, not inherited sin. P,aul is drawing a parallel between covenant death (which the Israelites experienced as a consequence of Adam's sin) and resurrection (which believers experience through Christ). If this verse meant all are guilty because of Adam, then the second part ("so also in Christ shall all be made alive") would require universal salvation—something not supported elsewhere in Scripture. Instead, the verse emphasizes the consequences of Adam’s sin (death) rather than a transmission of his guilt.




Children Are Innocent

Isaiah 7:15
English Standard Version
15 He shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good

Deuteronomy 1:39
English Standard Version
39 And as for your little ones, who you said would become a prey, and your children, who today have no knowledge of good or evil, they shall go in there. And to them I will give it, and they shall possess it.


Romans 9:10-11
English Standard Version
10 And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, 11 though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God's purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls

NOTE: In these three passages, there is no evidence of original sin or total depravity. Children are considered innocent and learn wickedness from other people and their environment. It is a choice.

Matthew 19:14
English Standard Version
“Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.”

NOTE If children were born guilty due to original sin, why would Jesus use them as examples of those who belong to God’s kingdom?

Matthew 18:3
English Standard Version
“Unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.”

NOTE: Jesus calls people to become like children, implying their natural state is pure and worthy of the kingdom of God. If original sin were true, Jesus’ teachings about children would be misleading.



Human Beings Are Capable of Righteousness

The Bible repeatedly speaks of righteous people who pleased God before Christ’s atonement.

Noah (Genesis 6:9), Abraham (Genesis 17:1), Asa (1 Kings 15:14), Hezekiah (2 Kings 20:3) , King of Tyre (Ezekiel 28:11-12, 15), Job (Job 1:1), Zechariah and Elizabeth (Luke 1:6), and Lot (2 Peter 2:7). For David, see below.


1 Kings 15:5
English Standard Version
5 because David did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and did not turn aside from anything that he commanded him all the days of his life, EXCEPT in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.

NOTE: If take literally, David only sinned one time in his whole life, which we know is not true. However, he was still considered a man after God's own heart.


2 Samuel 22:24
New International Version
24 I have been blameless before him and have kept myself from sin.

John 8:11
English Standard Version
11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”

NOTE: It is possible to keep yourself from sin. There is no such thing as a sin nature. Jesus would not command something that was impossible to carry out. This is about commitment, not perfection.


Conclusion: Original Sin is an Unbiblical Doctrine. The doctrine of original sin is not found in Scripture but rather developed from post-biblical traditions, particularly under the influence of Augustine. The Bible teaches that:

Each person is responsible for their own sin. Sin results from choice, not an inherited condition.

Jesus affirms the innocence of children.

Righteousness is possible without inherited guilt.

Rather than believing that humans are born guilty, we should recognize that people become sinners when they choose to disobey God. This aligns with the biblical teaching of personal accountability and the justice of God.