The doctrine of original sin, also known as the doctrine of total hereditary depravity, is popular among many religious groups. It is the belief that when we are born into this world we inherit sin from our parents, who supposedly inherited sin from their parents, and so on all the way back to Adam. This stems in part from a gross misuse of Romans 5:12. However, if one closely looks at the verse in question, he can readily see that it is not sin which spread to all men, but death, the consequence of sin. Paul writes, “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.”
There is a great difference in saying that one is born with sin as opposed to one receiving or inheriting the consequences of sin. Death is the consequence of Adam’s sin. It continues to spread to all men. “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). Note that the writer conveys that we all have an appointment with death; therefore we suffer the consequence of Adam’s sin.
But we don’t inherit his sin!
The Bible clearly teaches that sin cannot be passed from a father to a son. “The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son…” (Ezekiel 18:20). And again, “Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee” (Ezekiel 28:15). Sin is not something which can be inherited. The Bible says that it is “the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4). If it is a transgression of the law, then it requires action. And such is not possible with an infant child, for he does not possess knowledge of the law (i.e. right and wrong).
In the Judgment, it is not the sins of others which we must answer for, but our own sins (Romans 14:12; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Revelations 20:13). You alone are responsible for your life and your sins. But thankfully God has made it possible for you to be forgiven of your sins (Romans 5:8-9). Have your sins been washed away? (Acts 22:16). Have you been baptized into Jesus Christ? (Romans 6:3; Acts 2:38).