Well, approximately 14 years ago, I had the pleasure and blessing of meeting Alfred T. Overstreet who is a very godly and humble man. He has great knowledge in the Holy Word of God as has been portrayed in his book, “ARE MEN BORN SINNERS? The Myth of Original Sin”. This book is filled with God’s Holy Word and has opened my spiritual eyes to the light of Scripture upon a theory fabricated mostly by Augustine in the 5th century A.D. This theory is held up and esteemed as the Sin Nature Doctrine and Original (Inherited) Sin as understood and taught in Christian Seminaries and Churches almost universally today around the globe. So, the vast “Majority” and those in “Authority” support this orthodox doctrine and way of thinking.
How and why could all these people, especially the well-educated at seminary schools, be bamboozled, duped, deceived into a belief system that is contrary to God’s Holy Word, and that would have a tendency to keep Christians in their sins? This is what they are taught. We know that Christianity is not a democracy, but for anyone to go against anyone’s teachings (especially one in authority and well-respected) or any orthodox doctrine that has remained for centuries is like David going against Goliath. It is like a little fish swimming upstream with its powerful currents of opposition.
One word, “HERESY”, will stop anyone from truly and honestly using God’s Holy Word to investigate the validity of this false doctrine. Why don’t we all “LET SCRIPTURE SPEAK” (along with our reason), and not man or his fabricated doctrines if they are truly in conflict. We stop short in curable error intimidated into believing that we are actually going against God Himself by going against this false doctrine.
This theory has so deceived multitudes of intellectuals, good Christian Pastors, and lay people by convincing them that sin can be inherited by infants even though this totally defies Scripture and reason. Everyone knows that an infant has no intellectual or moral capacity to know or to choose good or evil (See Romans 9:10-12 and Isaiah 7:15,16). However, “proof-texts” (figurative or poetic and not clear literal Scriptures such as Psalm 58:3, Psalm 51:5, and Ephesians 2:3) are held up as evidence that the unreasonable, unthinkable and absurd assumption that infants are as guilty, condemned, and under the wrath of God, just as much as Adam for his sin, at the time of their birth and even at their conception. Literal Scriptures such as Romans 9:10-12, Ezekiel 18:20, Deuteronomy 24:16 and 2 Chron. 25:4, Ecclesiastes 7:29, Genesis 6:12, Romans 2:14, James 3:9, 1 Corinthians 11:7, etc. clearly dispute the figurative and/or poetic Scriptures used above as “proof-texts” to support this theory.
Even before this book, I have had the pleasure of reading the Bible and many books (sermons) by Charles G. Finney, one of the greatest evangelists responsible for the conversion of many souls. Charles Finney and Alfred Overstreet both strongly disagreed with the Sin Nature Doctrine and Original (Inherited) Sin as introduced and defined by Augustine in the 5th century A.D. However, both Finney and Overstreet embrace God’s biblical view of the nature of sin and its consequences denying that sin itself along with its guilt and condemnation can be inherited (such as a gene can be transmitted to our offspring which takes on a physical aspect without any moral choice being involved) as is depicted in the Sin Nature Doctrine and Original (Inherited) Sin definition.
Why am I taking my time, which really is God’s time that He has given me, to dwell upon this Sin Nature Doctrine? This false doctrine most importantly dishonors God by charging Him with the creation of our Sin Nature or we must deny that God is our creator who gives life to all things. It makes sin a calamity and a misfortune with the “sinner” deserving pity, rather than blame for the crime for which sin is and deserving of punishment. It charges Christ as a sinner or it must deny His humanity.
How can anyone truly repent (have a godly sorrow) for the Original Sin that we have supposedly inherited from Adam when we were not even in existence when Adam sinned? No rational, reasonable, and honest human being could ever say that they could truly repent for a sin they didn’t commit, and that it would have been impossible for them to commit, because they did not then exist. Sin is a crime demanding punishment. Never has it been a crime or a sin to be born especially when we know that we (not just Adam), but we are created in the image of God. If we say that God is not our Creator, then we deny these Scriptures: Psalm 119:73, Psalm 139:13,14, Job 31:15, Jer. 1:5, Mal 2:10, Eccl. 12:1, Psalm 100:3, Gen. 6:7, Gen. 1:26,27, Psalm 82:6, Gen. 9:6, 1 Cor. 11:7, James 3:9, Zech. 12:1, Job 33:4, Acts 17:25, Rev. 22:16, Eccl. 7:29 and 1 Tim. 6:13.
Why is it thought by some that we must have a Sin Nature to sin? How did Adam sin? How did Eve sin? How did a third of the Angels in heaven sin who fell away? We know that none of these above had a Sin Nature and yet they all sinned against God. Each one corrupted that which was not corrupt by suppressing the truth in unrighteousness. Knowing that we are all created in the image of God as is clearly stated in the multitudes of Scriptures listed in the paragraph above; it would be slander to charge God for creating us with a Sin Nature which causes us to sin (as the doctrine is defined) and imputing to us the Original Sin inherited from Adam. We must believe that God’s image is somehow sinful if we truly believe in the Sin Nature Doctrine and Original (Inherited) Sin or we must deny that the Scriptures in the paragraph above are true and God is not our Creator. Not only does God not create us in sin, as this false doctrine delineates, but God cannot and will not be charged with tempting any man as per James 1:13-15 says, “13 Let no one say when he is tempted, I am being tempted by God; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. 15 Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.”
Not only is this false Sin Nature Doctrine charging God with tempting man, because of its claim that this Sin Nature imputed to us can only do evil, but it has the boldness of charging God with imputing sin to the nature in which God created us. Oh, how dishonoring to God’s character!!!
1 Timothy 4:4,5 says, “4For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude; 5for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer.”
In the Church we have expressions such as: “We aren’t sinners because we sin; we sin because we are sinners” as a direct result of believing this Sin Nature Doctrine. Why don’t we now replace the word “sinners” and “sin” with any type of sin and see what we come up with. “We aren’t murderers because we murder; we murder because we are murderers”. “We aren’t thieves because we steal; we steal because we are thieves”. “We aren’t homosexuals because we practice homosexuality; we practice homosexuality because we are homosexuals.” Well, this list could go on and on, but I think the point is very well illustrated. These expressions all spell “EXCUSE FOR SIN” blaming a nature for our sin, but Romans 1:20 says that man is without excuse. If there is excuse for our sin, then why can’t it be found anywhere in the Bible?
This expression and others used above label man as a sinner with a Sin Nature because this is what the Original (Inherited) Sin Doctrine claims that all mankind have inherited from Adam, and this is why we are corrupted (Not our natures) and why we sin. This doctrine is so far from the truth of the Scriptures which clearly state that all man has corrupted himself and not Adam for us. Please look at Genesis 6:11, 12, Romans 1:18-32, James 1:14, 15, 2 Peter 1:4 (Corruption that is in the world is by lust. Just how can it truly, honestly, and reasonably be explained that any man’s lust for anything can be charged to the account of another when it contradicts Ez. 18:20, Deut. 24:16 and 2 Chron. 25:4).
I thank God that I was presented a book titled, “Over One Hundred Texts From The Bible that show the Doctrine of Original (Inherited) Sin is unbiblical and false” by Alfred T. Overstreet. This 54 page book is a condensed version of the 266 page book “Are Men Born Sinners? The Myth of Original Sin” written by the same author Alfred T. Overstreet. This condensed version is a “must read” to expose the darkness of this false doctrine. In John 8:32 Jesus said, “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
Sermons that I have heard on “TRADITIONS” AND “DECEPTION” have rekindled a fire within me to expose the darkness of this false doctrine. Information that I have learned about the detrimental effects of labeling patients with disorders such as Schizophrenia, Bipolar or Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) secondary to a “Chemical Imbalance”, “Biological Defect” or “Medical Disease Model” all explain away or excuse the behaviors of these people as uncontrollable or as a manifestation of this disease or label. This psychiatric labeling process has revealed to me the strong analogy of the Sin Nature label placed upon all mankind which would seemingly and reasonably excuse man’s behavior if it were true.
An excerpt from the book, “Broken Brains or Wounded Hearts, What causes mental illness”? says, “Although labeling might seem both helpful and harmless, it can become part of a very destructive process that often perpetuates a person’s emotional condition. For example, as Bob, his doctors, and his parents began to focus on the label and what drugs worked for that particular label, no one searched for the truth behind his behavior. The label of schizophrenia puts Bob at the mercy of his doctor and the rest of society, who now feel free to perceive him according to this label. Now that he has been “properly” diagnosed, it is easier to assume that he is someone who might be dangerous, an idiot, weird, or suffering from a brain defect.”
Oh, as I read this book, God revealed so powerfully to me the strong correlation and analogy of the “Psychiatric Chemical Imbalance Label” and the “Spiritual Sin Nature Label” and how very destructive both are to mankind. An extremely important and indispensable truth I learned is that: A disease is something that you have, and a behavior is something that you do!!! This statement is absolutely critical to believe in order to clearly understand why any label which strongly implies, suggests or states that it (any psychiatric label or “sinful nature” label) is the cause of any addiction, behavior or sin must be false. Because Scripture and reason do affirm that addictions, behaviors, and sins are all choices that we make and do. If any of us could truly and honestly blame a label for the choices that we make, then we would truly have an excuse before God. However, God states in Romans 1:24 that we are without excuse.
Alcoholism cannot, accurately and specifically, be labeled as a disease (as it is listed in the American Medical Association), because it is in reality a behavior. (While it is absolutely true that this behavior or choice to over indulge in alcohol may produce a disease; the choice or action is strictly a behavior that some choose not to control). Certainly God must have been ignorant of the fact that Alcoholism is a disease because God says in 1 Corinthian 6:9-11 that drunkards will not inherit the kingdom of God; and verse 11 states how we are all cleansed and set free of various sins. Sin of any kind cannot be caused by a Sin Nature, because sin is a choice or a behavior. The A.M.A. has also labeled Adolescent Obesity as a disease.
Oh, how sad that this well-respected medical association has many times falsely labeled members of our society. They call these labels diseases and/or addictions which manifest in many the socially unacceptable behaviors which are excused by this so-called disease or psychiatric label (Bipolar, Schizophrenia, etc). Churches use the Sin Nature label ignorantly, because if our natures created by God could cause us to sin, then we would have the greatest excuse. We have all been deceived into thinking that all these behaviors (sin) are caused by diseases, psychiatric, or Sin Nature labels. The Bible, God’s Holy Word, calls all these behaviors sin and clearly tells us how we sin against the good nature in which God creates us, (James 1:14, 15, Romans 1:18) and what sin is (1 John 3:4, 1 John 5:17 and James 4:17) and how to get free of sin and established in the state of holiness(1 John 1:9, John 8:32, 36).
And, of course, every disease must require a medication to cure and/or relieve this disease. When is the truth ever going to emerge that our choice to gratify our desires which are contrary to God’s known will for lives is to us sin, and not a disease, chemical imbalance, or a Sin Nature out of control? Oh, when are we ever going to be reasonable and accountable people before God as He created us to be? It is essential to know that it is not specifically our actions that God will judge, but rather the motives and intent of our hearts behind them!!!
Our hearts (will or choice-center) allow or render operative the desires of our flesh. The flesh (desires, emotions, passion, pain, pleasure, propensities, appetites, sensations, and every kind and degree of feeling as the term is commonly used) is not sinful in and of itself, but its unlawful indulgence is. Our NATURE, in which God created us, is totally INVOLUNTARY, and therefore, impossible to be sinful since sin must involve a voluntary choice. Our CHARACTER is determined by the voluntary choices that we make, good or bad. Our CHARACTER is totally VOLUNTARY, and only determined by our choices; not our creation or NATURES. Only that which is VOLUNTARY can possess a MORAL QUALITY. That which is INVOLUNTARY can never possess a MORAL QUALITY. Therefore, our NATURES are “good” because God created them, but no moral quality can be ascribed to our NATURES as representing our virtue or our evil of any kind. Please don’t blame our NATURES for habitually choosing our fleshly desires to be gratified contrary to the will of God which strengthens our behaviors (sinful choices and motives).
The Gospel is the “good news” that the mercy of God will withhold the deserved penalty for sin, the grace of God will treat the sinner as if he had never sinned, in consideration of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, on condition of faith in Jesus Christ with confession and repentance of sin by the sinner. Receive a “new heart” and a “new Spirit” which God promises in Ezekial 36:25-27.
Love in Christ,
Guy