Psalm 51:5 (ESV)
Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
and in sin did my mother conceive me.
Psalm 58:3 (ESV)
The wicked are estranged from the womb;
they go astray from birth, speaking lies.
These two passages from the Psalms are, without doubt, favorites to the Catholic and Calvinistic promotion of “original sin.” But let’s look deeper.
- “brought forth” – Q: Was David saying that he was born guilty of “original sin” or was he “brought forth” into a context of “iniquity?”
- “my mother” – Q: Was David saying that he was born guilty of “original sin” or was he describing the sin of how he was conceived?
- “speaking lies” – Q: Do newborns come out of the womb speaking or is this another of example of Divine hyperbole, rhetorical overstatement used to emphasize the prevailing condition of the world?
Note: In their rush to promote this false doctrine, they often point to the “selfishness” of children as evidence of “original sin.” In fact, I once had a Calvinist tell me that when a baby kicks in the womb, it is evidence that the baby is evil.
Another, more famous, Calvinist once said this about babies – “It’s not a little angel. That’s a viper in a diaper … The angry cry happens early. The demanding cry happens early. The stiffening up of the body, that happens early … One of the reasons God makes them so small is so they don’t kill you. And one of the reasons He makes them so cute is so that you won’t kill them.” – Voddie Baucham
But, let me ask you this:
Is a baby sinfully selfish or is a baby designed by God with inherent survival skills before she ever learns to communicate verbally? Are a child’s earliest demonstrations of need to be misconstrued as evil or are they a necessary defense mechanism placed there by the Creator?
Sometimes, questions like these are best left to the Creator!
Mark 10:15 (ESV) “Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”
Conclusion: With no understanding of their new context, a child must demonstrate need in order to survive. God knit them together this way. Children are NOT evil. They are learning by cause and effect.