Do we become sinners when we sin or are we born sinful?

Praise the Lord Saints.

The main scripture to understand on this topic is Romans 5:12: “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned”

Acts 17:26 says:  And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth” because we all come from the same original man we inherited his flawed makeup of nature. Sin entered the world through the first man and spread to all his offspring- this happened by Adam sinning. Death is a result of sin, it was the result of sin. It occurred two ways. First God told Adam the day you eat of it you will die, Adam was separated from the Lord he died spiritually and was severed in his relationship. Second- He died physically, which was a result of his nature change. Aging and death began on that day. Both were a result from his disobedience in eating the fruit of the tree. 1 Cor.15:56: “the sting of death is sin,..”

Romans 5:18-19 says: “Through one man’s trespass, judgment came to all men, for by one man’s disobedience all were made sinners.”  We are all born with a built-in death warrant, which is our sin nature, because we have inherited this sin nature from Adam we are already born spiritually dead (separated from God) and die physically. 1 Cor. 15:22: “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.” Death came by Adam and the resurrection can only come to mankind by believing in Jesus Christ.

Later, God brought the law for us to see our sin measured by his standard. Gal 3:19 says: “Why the Law then? It was added because of transgressions…, until the seed should come to whom the promise had been made.” Rom. 5:20-21 “Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Because of our fallen humanity we cannot act apart from our nature. We can see the sin nature at work even in a child who is not trained in behavior as a child disobeys and is selfish naturally; they do not need to learn this. The Bible says we act on our nature.

The Psalmist says Ps.58:3 “the wicked go astray from the womb, they err from their birth speaking lies. Job 15:14”What is man, that he could be pure? And he who is born of a woman, that he could be righteous? Job 25:4How then can man be righteous before God? Or how can he be pure who is born of a woman?

We don’t just make up our mind to sin or make a mistake and go from being perfect to being sinful. Eph. 2:3 “and were by nature the children of wrath”

James 1:14-15: “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; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.”

Sin comes from within man; it can be a reaction from what is outside a person or just what a person is thinking. John tells us we have an enemy on three fronts the world (which is fallen and under sin and the devils control) the flesh (which carries the sin nature) the devil (a personal angel that is sinful and influences mankind to love sin).

Sin has its roots in the heart that influences the intellect and will and ultimately finds its expression through the body when we follow through with the desire (Prov.4:3; Mt.15:19-20; Lk.6:45; Heb.3:12; Jm1:14-15.) The sin nature is the basis for sinful habits; it is not a single act but a process that begins in our heart. You can say the real source of man’s problem is heart disease, our fallen human nature.

Jer. 17:9: “the heart is deceitfully wicked, (incurably sick). Jesus taught that sin begins within us.   Matt 15:18-19 Jesus said, “But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.”

The sin nature affects the immaterial part of man, which consequently affects our outward actions. We sin because we have the nature of sin already in us. Mark is even more specific. (7:20-23) And He said, “What comes out of a man, that defiles a man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, “thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. “All these evil things come from within and defile a man.”

The heart was representative of the innermost being of man. Jesus was affirming what Jeremiah wrote in 17:9-10: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.”

Till next week,

God Bless.

Rev. Dr. Robert L. Harrison, PhD