Questions Of Responsibility
Some religions teach that God condemns people even if they did not sin. One idea goes like this: Adam’s sin passes to every human, and so all humans – even babies – are evil. Even as adults they cannot make good choices. God must do all the choosing. God chooses who will be saved, and who will go to hell. This means Jesus died, not for all sinners, but for some. Adam’s sin, they say, keeps even the select few from any ability to believe or obey. Again, God must do everything. So, they say, God’s Spirit enters the chosen sinner and forces him to believe and be born again. Does Jesus say such things?
- They speak as if man has nothing to do with faith and receiving God’s gifts. Yet Jesus speaks as if Nicodemus has a part in believing and in receiving new birth.
- They speak as if man has no real choice. Yet Jesus speaks as if people have both choice and personal responsibility.
- They speak as if God’s love and salvation are available to just a few. Yet Jesus states that God’s great love and Gift are for “the world,” so that “whoever” believes will be saved.
- They speak as if God plays favorites in the way He chooses some individuals and rejects others. Scripture states the opposite.
“Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him” (Acts 10:34-35).
See Matthew 22:16; Romans 2:11, Galatians 2:6; Ephesians 6:9; Colossians 3:25; 1 Peter 1:17.
- They even use the term “limited atonement” for their doctrine. Yet 1 John 2:2 is clear on this point:
“He is the propitiation [sacrifice for forgiveness] for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.” - They speak as if children are totally evil. Yet, who does Jesus use to illustrate greatness in God’s kingdom? The little children!
If their idea is so different from Jesus’ teaching, we should go back and see where the roots went wrong. One root has to do with the meaning of sin. They treat sin like a disease that is passed from parent to child. This leads to the idea that we must sin, and have no power to change or to look for God’s help. After all, can you avoid a weakness – like bad eyesight – that came from your parents? How terrible to think that you cannot even try to find a doctor to provide glasses! We all see how unfair it is to blame people for physical weakness they cannot prevent. Yet this teaching presents God as eternally condemning every human – including babies – for the original sin of Adam.
The Bible treats sin, not as something you get from your parents, but as something you do – the breaking of God’s law. Notice the active definition: “Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness…. All wrongdoing is sin” (1 John 3:4; 5:17). Since people are active and make choices, they are held responsible. “So then each of us will give an account of himself to God” (Romans 14:12). Also in 2 Corinthians 5:10. This is quite different from being sent to hell for Adam’s sin. God speaks plainly on this matter. We are not guilty of our parent’s sin.
The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself (Ezekiel 18:20).
Why then is there so much sin and death in the world? There is no biblical teaching of sin spreading through birth. There is clear teaching of sin and spiritual death spreading because people themselves sin.
Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned… (Romans 5:12).
People choose Satan’s way. Likewise, they can choose God’s way (Deuteronomy 30; Joshua 24; Proverbs 1; Isaiah 7; Luke 10; John 7). That is why Jesus presents the new birth as a command. God places before us a choice. If we choose to accept birth of water and Spirit, we will live. If we reject it, we will remain in spiritual death.
The Bible reminds us that some have not yet developed ability for moral choices. Isaiah 7:16 speaks of a time “before the boy knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good.” God describes “your little ones” as “have no knowledge of good or evil” (Deuteronomy 1:39). This sounds just like the innocence of Adam and Eve in Genesis 3. Can babies explain their thoughts and actions? No. Yet this is the basis for judgment (Matthew 12; 25; Hebrews 4; Revelation 20). It should be obvious that children are not judged in the same way as responsible adults. The New Testament offers no way for babies to be saved. Babies do not need to be saved because they are not yet responsible. Paul may be suggesting this by speaking of a time when he was “alive” before he came to know law and sin (Romans 7).
Sin is a matter of one’s choice and responsibility. In the same way, one’s response in receiving salvation is a matter of choice and commitment. The Bible clearly shows that one must believe, humble himself, confess, repent and be baptized. Babies cannot do this because they cannot have personal faith and make the decision to change. (See Mark 16; Acts 2,8,16,22; Galatians 3; Colossians 2; 1 Peter 2.) Sadly, those who think they were baptized as babies went through a human action mistakenly called ‘baptism.’ As adults who believe, they still need to receive biblical baptism to be truly “born again.”