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Answer
A common accusation against Christianity is that it unfairly judges people. Some individuals claim that God sets us up for failure and then punishes us for the failure that He caused. If this were true, it would indeed be an unjust situation. Does Christianity operate in this manner? Does God unjustly judge us for circumstances beyond our control? The answers can be found in the Bible.
To start, we need to explore what the Bible states about our inherent sinfulness. David, a man after God’s own heart, wrote in Psalm 51:5, “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.” The apostle Paul mentioned that we all indulged in “the cravings of our sinful nature” «among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. », (Ephesians 2:3). This indicates that there is an inherent inclination towards sin within us.
Therefore, the Bible does indeed teach that we are born in sin. Did God simply decide arbitrarily that people would be born sinful? The answer lies in the story of the first man, Adam. When God created Adam (without sin) and placed him in the garden of Eden, He also gave him a simple law (Genesis 2:16-17). Adam disobeyed God’s law, and as a result, God found him guilty and sentenced him to death. It was Adam’s decision to disobey that rendered him guilty before God. As the progenitor of the human race, Adam passed on his traits to his descendants. Romans 5:12 explains that sin entered the world through Adam, and death followed sin, because all sinned. As Adam’s descendants, we inherited the sin nature transmitted from our forefathers. This condition results in us being born in sin, with a natural tendency.
Some may argue that we cannot choose our family, so God cannot hold us accountable for the sin nature. While we may not have a choice in how we are born, the Bible is clear that we do have a choice regarding our sins. Previously, we examined Ephesians 2:3, which states that we indulge in the desires of our sinful nature. This is a decision. Romans 5:12 states that “all have sinned.” We are sinners not only by nature but also by our actions. Our personal sins condemn us, not just Adam’s. We are born into sin, yet we persist in sinning by our own volition. When we choose sin, we become culpable before God, and His judgment is just.
God is not only just but also merciful. The Bible’s teachings on personal sin do not conclude with a pronouncement of man’s guilt. Romans 5, which explains that sin and death entered the world through one man, also reveals the greatest blessing that came through another man. God’s grace was bestowed through Jesus Christ «But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. », (Romans 5:15) and overflowed to many. Verse 19 affirms, “For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.” God is equitable in imputing Adam’s sin to the entire human race, and He is just in applying Jesus Christ’s sacrifice to all who accept Him through faith. Jesus Christ gave His life for the sins of the world, so that through faith in His sacrifice, the world might have life. That’s not “fair”—that’s grace!
