Article - Does Psalm 51 Teach that Babies Are Sinners? (Part 3)
The context of Psalm 51 does not teach that babies inherit sin: 1) The personal pronouns, “I, me, my” occur 35 times and refer to sins David personally committed and for which he was personally held accountable (not an “inherited” sin from his mother). 2) David is praying that Jehovah will “blot out, wash, cleanse, purge and deliver” David from his own sins (David is not praying, “send someone to sprinkle me from my inherited sin”). Trying to force the false doctrine of original sin into Psalm 51 presents the following problems: a) Does the “inherited” sin occur at conception, birth or both? If conception, how do you sprinkle the unborn child? If both, the baby would have to be sprinkled twice? b) Since Psalm 51:5 refers to personal sins, of what lawless/unrighteous act is a baby guilty? (“sin” is “lawlessness” and “unrighteousness,” I John 3:4; 5:17); c) if Psalm 51:5 “clearly” teaches that all humans inherit sin, then one would have to admit that Christ was conceived/born a sinner because He was “born of the flesh/of a woman” (Romans 1:3; Galatians 4:4). Hence, Psalm 51:5 would be a prophecy of the son of David, stating “Surely I [Jesus] was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me” (quoted from the New International perVersion which I highly urge members NOT to use); d) if Psalm 51:5 “clearly” teaches that babies are sinners, then one would have to admit Psalm 51 contradicts Psalm 58 in the following points: i) A baby is a sinner at conception versus nine months later; ii) a baby is born astray versus has gone astray; iii) a baby speaks lies as soon as he is born (Psalm 58:3); iiii) a baby has teeth at birth that must be broken (Psalm 58:6); e) a baby must be killed so that his venom will not be deadly to others (Psalm 58:4-8).
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