Sin Nature - Psalm 58:3

Sin Nature – Psalm 58:3

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

Another verse which is commonly referred to in support of a sinful nature is Psalm 58:3. This verse presents a difficulty for some as attention is drawn to the references to birth. The verse is clearly speaking about one select group of people – namely “the wicked.” There is no reference whatsoever to all of mankind.

It is said of the wicked that they are “estranged” from the womb. This word is found five times in the Bible. Advocates of sin nature point to the fact that man is separated from the womb as a sinner. This word does mean “separation,” however, it has an even fuller meaning than just separation. All five times this word is found in the Bible, it teaches separation by means of an action. The first time “estranged” is used is in Job 19:13. Job who was under much grief, looked around and noticed that all had “estranged” themselves from him as if Job had some horrible sin for which God was punishing him. Their estrangement was a literal action that was performed by their separation from Job. The next verse is Jeremiah 19:4, which is perhaps the best verse to define “estranged.” The Israelites were guilty of idolatry. They had profaned the very place designed by God to be the center of worship to Him – the Temple. They forsook God and their idolatrous practices “estranged” the temple from being a place designed for God, into a place designed for offering incense unto their idols. Their actions led to separation. Ezekiel 14:5 shows that the people “estranged” themselves from God through their worshipping of idols. The last verse where the word “estranged” is found in Psalm 78:30. In this verse, the Israelites did not separate themselves from the lust of their flesh, namely fulfilling every desire they had despite the instructions given by God (example: hording mannah). Therefore, as can be seen in Scripture, the wicked are not passively “estranged” from the womb or from birth, but estrange themselves by the very actions they perform.

The second half of this verse is in agreement with what is said above. Focus is often drawn to the end of the verse, and the phrase “go astray” is overlooked. In order to “go astray” from anything, one must have been in the right way to begin (2 Peter 2:15). This is congruent with other verses which teach that man was made “just and upright” (Ecclesiastes 7:29), “fearfully and wonderfully” (Psalm 139:14), “beautiful” (Ecclesiastes 3:11), “for his pleasure” (Revelation 4:11), etc. There is nothing wonderful about a sinful nature. There is nothing beautiful in an inherited fallen nature. It would bring no pleasure to God to simply condemn all mankind to hell simply because they were born. Man will not give an account to God for his being born, because man had nothing to do with his birth. He will instead give an account of every action he performs on earth after he is born (Romans 14:12). Imagine the scene, there is man standing before God. God says to the man “Depart from me for you never asked me to forgive you of the sinful nature with which you were created.” The man looks at God and says, “But God, it is you that made me this way.” What blasphemy! This is not justice! Man is condemned to hell because he breaks God’s commandments (“sin is the transgression of the law” I John 3:4).

Psalm 58:3 is using figurative language to discuss how wicked the wicked are. In fact, there is figurative language throughout the Psalm. The first example of this language is in the phrase “they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies.” A newborn child does not have the ability to speak the moment they are born. They do not know or understand the words of the people around them. This is something they have to be taught. Unfortunately, many philosophize that when a child is in a crib crying and screaming at the top of his lungs as if they were about to die, that they are lying to their parents. They surmise that the child has deceived his parents into thinking something was completely wrong, when all they wanted was to be held. Sadly, the same people who teach this excuse all kinds of gross sin in their lives and their churches as it being the outworking of the old man/sinful nature. The child is using the only means of communication available to him at that moment to communicate a need to his parents – crying. To teach that their crying is the sin of lying, is to charge them foolishly. On this topic, we quote from Mike Miller who has written ten articles on this very subject:

“The zealous proponents of this doctrine of devils try to prove it by pointing to an infant crying for its mother and calling that sin. Wow! That should bring up a red flag to anyone who is thinking! That child is innocent and as pure as the driven snow. He has no evil thoughts! He has no depraved thinking! He is not lying there and thinking about how he can deceive his mother! He is simply reaching out for help in the only way available to him – crying. There is nothing sinful about wanting to be in the arms of his mother. There is nothing sinful about being hungry or needing a diaper changed! What kind of a mind calls this sin? Think about it!

“Allow me to point something out to you. The same kind of mind that calls this infant’s crying a sin will call other things in adults simply “Christian liberty.” Isn’t that amazing? We have no right to call things sin when Christ gave us “liberty” but they charge an innocent infant with sin and he has no defense. We’re to the point now where fornication is considered “Christian liberty” by many. Hellish music is “Christian liberty.” Dirty habits that abuse your body, ruin your testimony, and dishonor God are “Christian liberty,” and a baby crying for his mother proves that we are born sinful and uttering lies. How can anyone possibly believe such as that?”

A popular Christmas song indicates that Christ did not cry when He was born (Away in a Manger). Although a nice song to sing, we can not be so sure that Christ did not cry – the Bible does not clearly teach this. In fact, we learn that Christ grew and increased in stature. We even learn that later in life that Christ wept. Some may falsely charge me of being blasphemous with what was stated above, but on the contrary, it shows just how much Christ humbled himself when he “took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men.” As pointed out previously, to deny that Christ had the same human characteristics that we have is to have the spirit of antichrist (I John 4:3). Crying isn’t a sin. It is the result of pain or great joy in one’s life. For every child, it is his way of communicating a specific need to his parent. Our duty as parents is to minister to that need.

There are other examples of figurative language in Psalm 58. If verse 3 is taken literally, then so also must be the rest of the Psalm! v.4 – “Their poison is like the poison of a serpent: they are like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ear.” The wicked do not literally have poison like a snake. v.6 – “Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth: break out the great teeth of the young lions, O LORD.” If the wicked are born speaking lies, then they must also be born with teeth – not just regular teeth, but the great teeth of young lions! v.7 – “Let them melt away as waters which run continually.” v. 8 – “As a snail which melteth, let every one of them pass away.” The danger in using one verse without regard to its context is that you lead yourself into teaching things that are completely beyond reason (example: the wicked are a poisonous snail with teeth like a lion who speak lies from their birth). This idea is completely ridiculous! However, if one of the passages used to support an inherited sin nature lead to this foolishness, how many more significant and damnable ideas are introduced?! (These ideas will be discussed later)

As mentioned before, if this verse were teaching that all mankind are born liars and estranged from the womb, then it is in outright contradiction to Psalm 51:5 which man supposes supports the teaching that man is sinful from conception. When is a man considered sinful – at conception or at birth?

Man is not born astray, rather they “go astray.” Man has to be reconciled to God because he went astray. He has broken God’s commandments and for that he is guilty before God. God has created all mankind with a knowledge of the right way (Romans 2:15 – “the law written in their hearts”), yet man chooses to go astray. This is why man needs to repent and turn back to the Lord Jesus Christ for forgiveness. Forgiveness isn’t necessary if a crime hasn’t been committed. A crime was committed by all, however, and forgiveness is more than necessary. Some have tried to downplay the importance of taking a stand against the teaching of an inherited sin nature. Because this “doctrine of devils” has so marred the glorious message of salvation is reason enough to take a stand in these latter times.

2 Corinthians 11:13-15

¹³ For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.

¹⁴ And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.

¹⁵ Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

Let us be mindful of the fact that the devil is a deceiver. He has ministers that are transformed as ministers of righteousness proclaiming many damnable teachings contrary to Scripture. The very works of these ministers reveal that they are deceitful workers. If their preaching and teaching provides excuses for sin and leads people to think that they can never overcome sin, then they are not ministers of Christ, but of the devil.

“And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21

Are We Born Sinners? (Part 4 - Objections: Scriptures Used to Support Original Sin) by Mike Miller

Third most common objection:
What about all those Scriptures that teach we are born sinful?
It always amazes me that folks seem to assume that we have never seen those verses in the Bible. Most of us who have rejected the doctrine of original sin were once just as strong in believing it as our critics are now. We have taken a second honest and closer look at those verses that appear to teach this doctrine of devils and found that we had been looking at them with a preconditioned bias that made us see what we wanted to see in those verses. It is amazing how stubborn and blind we can be when we get an idea in our mind. We can look so deeply and at the same time miss the most obvious and simple facts. If we hope to understand God's Word correctly we must lay aside all our prejudices and fears of what others might think and be totally honest in our heart before God. If we have no intention of accepting or obeying what God shows us then you may be assured that God is not going to reveal anything to you.
Of course, the kingpin of all the verses that "teach beyond a doubt" that man is born sinful would be found in Psalm 51:5:
Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. - Psa. 51:5
Just yank this verse out of context and it looks like the issue is settled doesn't it? However, that violates every rule of interpretation by anyone's standards, and so anyone who is going to be honest is going to have to look a little closer. There are several ways to look at this, unless you have your mind already made up and don't intend to change it.
First of all, this is David's prayer of deep and thorough repentance. He sees himself as very low in the light of God's holiness. He has sinned against God and his guilt is great. He is humbling himself before God, as we all have to do. He is saying that he is just unworthy of anything from God. His best has not been anything to compare with God's holiness, and the best he has ever done now looks very worthless in view of his sin. His sin is all that is before him now and it is the great obstacle between him and God.
This is figurative language and that cannot be denied. If we take this statement and make a literal application with it, then we must also take verse 7 and apply it literally.
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. -Psa. 51:7
But we know that hyssop will not cleanse us from our sins - it is figurative language. The idea is that David wants to be clean from his sin. He is begging God for deliverance and forgiveness and holding forth nothing of his own merit, but putting himself as low as he possibly can. He is saying, "I've never done anything worthy of your mercy, but I'm asking anyway."
Again in verse 8 we see figurative language used:
Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. - Psa. 51:8
God did not literally break his bones, and bones do not rejoice. It is figurative language and in the same context as verse 5. Again it is speaking of David's low estate because of his sin and his desire to have his innermost heart pure and right with God.
Another way of looking at this to realize that he said "I was shapen IN iniquity, and IN sin did my mother conceive me…" Sin entered the world through Adam. David was born IN this world. His mother conceived him IN a sinful world and he was shapen as he grew IN the midst of a world full of iniquity. This is the way that Jewish writers of old interpreted this verse. We are all in the same boat. We were born into a world full of sin and we have been exposed to it from the day we entered the world. How can anyone imagine that it would not be a factor in our "going astray" or "becoming filthy?"
Some have put forth the idea that David was saying he was conceived when his mother committed fornication. I completely disagree with that idea. I see no evidence to even justify thinking such a thing. In my opinion it is far from a satisfying explanation for this verse.
We can also start dissecting the words in this verse and see much more than the "obvious" meaning that has filled so many textbooks and doctrinal books. "Shapen" means to "writhe or twist in pain." He says he was "shapen in iniquity." It is connected to the later part of the verse, which says, "and in sin did my mother conceive me." The word "sin" there means "a crime or its penalty." Take a look at Genesis 3:16: Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. - Gen. 3:16 Part of the result of sin entering the world through Adam and Eve is that childbirth is painful. David is saying that he entered the world in the midst of writhing and pain and it was because of the fact that sin had entered the world long ago. We surely see the effects and results of sin everywhere, but that doesn't mean that it is physically transmitted from generation to generation. It is a moral problem - not a physical problem. Sin has definitely affected the entire creation, but INFLUENCE is the way sin is spread - it hasn't done so by physically transmitting itself from one being to another.
Of course, Augustine, the father of this doctrine of devils, believed this verse to say that the union of David's parents in which he was conceived was sinful in itself. Augustine believed that intimacy between a man and woman was sinful because it involved lust. The fact that they were married made no difference, as far as he was concerned. He believed that sin was transmitted to the child because of the lust that was involved in the intimacy between husband and wife. Never mind that it is a natural desire given by God and also blessed by God inside a marriage relationship.
Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge. - Heb. 13:4
Of course, when you look at a verse with your mind already made up you just don't think about all those other verses that contradict your private interpretation.
So you see that there are other interpretations for Psalm 51:5, and they also fit much better with the rest of the Bible and its teaching on sin.
Second proof text for original sin:
The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies. - Psa. 58:3
Once again we see the words "go astray." If this verse teaches us anything it teaches that we are NOT born sinful - it is something that BEGINS at birth. By the way, infants do not "speak" anything, they only cry. They have to be able to "speak" before they can "speak" lies. Infants only have physical needs, they do not have the ability to reason and make choices. They are not capable of the scheming and planning required to "speak" a lie or deliberately deceive someone.
They "go astray as soon as they be born." The trouble begins when they are born into a sinful world. By the time their reason starts to develop they have already made physical pleasure their number one priority. Self-gratification is what their life is about. Before they know anything about God they have already known the lust of the flesh. Paul said: For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died. (Rom. 7:9) Sin is not imputed where there is no law. Infants do not know or understand the law of God and therefore are not sinners according to the Bible definition. As soon as they come to the age where the law of God is revealed to them they become accountable and therefore are sinners in the eyes of God. When they obtain the "knowledge of good and evil" that is when they begin to be accountable to God for choosing evil over good.
Third proof text for original sin:
Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: - Rom. 5:12
This verse is used to "prove" that we are born sinners. However, it is one of the easiest to refute. The verse says plainly that DEATH passed upon all men - NOT SIN! By one man SIN ENTERED INTO THE WORLD. Death entered BECAUSE of sin and DEATH passed upon all men BECAUSE all have sinned. This verse does NOT teach that sin is passed physically through the genes to all the generations since Adam. It is simply reaffirming the fact that all men have sinned, and "sin when it is finished bringeth forth death" 100% of the time. Read it and interpret it correctly and it fits with all other Scripture. Interpret it through original sin-stained glasses and you have added to the Word of God, a crime which carries a stiff penalty according to Revelation 22:18.
Our critics might say that the fact that all people will inevitably become sinners is no different than saying all men are born sinners. Either way it isn't our fault and therefore we could still blame God for letting us be born in a sinful world where we have no chance. Let me remind you that it wasn't God who ruined the world, but men. And it wasn't just Adam who has made such a mess of this world, all his descendents have done their full share, also. Sin is MAN'S fault - NOT God's fault. God has done far beyond what any man would do to save us from sin. God has provided a cure for it. He has provided an escape from its bondage. You can trade your sin for Jesus and get a renewed mind, a new heart, a new life, a new song, new desires, eyes that can see, ears that can hear, and a home in heaven, all to boot!
Fourth proof text for original sin:
For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. - Rom. 5:19
In the first place, if we are going to be consistent then we must say that if Adam MADE ALL men sinners then Jesus MADE ALL men righteous. You cannot change your interpretation between two identical phrases in the same verse. The Universalists use the doctrine of original sin to prove that all men are going to heaven. If you believe in original sin then you have no grounds on which to argue with them - they win the debate. The word used here is not ALL, but MANY. This verse is speaking of the INFLUENCE of Adam - not what he physically passed to his descendents. We are not trying to lessen the significance of Adam's sin because it surely did bring sin into the world. It was the beginning of every heartache and misery that has been experienced by men since that day, not to mention all the death. However, the doctrine of original sin is a terrible distortion and misrepresentation of what really happened.
For example, we could say that Hugh Hefner of Playboy magazine has made many men immoral, adulterers, and perverts. That is certainly true, but we don't think of the sins of Hugh Hefner being imputed to others! That would be a ridiculous twist of reason! We could say that all the devil-possessed rock musicians of our day have ruined multitudes of people with their music and their message of drugs and rebellion. That would be true, but we would not think of them being ruined in the sense that the rock singers' sins were imputed to them by some physical means. Again, we might see a family where the father was a drunkard and all his sons were drunkards, too. We would say that father made drunkards out of his boys with his drinking, and that would be true. But you would never think that the father somehow passed that to his children physically. We understand that it was his INFLUENCE that caused his boys to be drunkards also. We have sense enough to understand these things correctly but when it comes to the Word of God we put a twist on it that doesn't fit with reason, or with the rest of the Scripture.
Along that same line of reasoning, we all have known wicked fathers who had sons who were righteous. The Bible is also full of examples like that. Likewise, we have seen righteous men who have had wicked sons. It is the INFLUENCE - NOT THE GENES! It is whether or not they submit their heart to God and his law or rebel against it. EVERY person must choose for themselves - and they DO!
Fifth proof text for original sin:
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. - Eph. 2:3
This is another verse held up as PROOF that we are born sinful. The word used here is WRATH - not a thing said here about being born sinful. The book is written to a Gentile church. The context and emphasis of the chapter is that he is speaking to Gentiles who have been saved. They were born Gentiles - by nature they were Gentiles. The Jews considered the Gentiles to be "dogs" and enemies of God. There wasn't much hope for a Gentile as far as the Jews were concerned. They were "children of wrath." They were wicked and estranged from God and would be recipients of his wrath on Judgment Day.
It is just a terrible strain to try to make this verse "prove" that we are born sinful. The only way someone can believe that is because they come to this verse with an idea already fixed in their mind and every verse must be FORCED to fit their preconceived idea. Try reading it IN CONTEXT while forgetting about the doctrine of original sin.
There are other verses that are also used to support this false doctrine, but these we have discussed are the strongest and most commonly misinterpreted. The Bible does NOT teach the doctrine of original sin. Anyone who is willing to look honestly at the Scripture and lay aside their biased opinion will have to acknowledge that fact.

Next Part: How Can We Sin Without a Sinful Nature?