Original Sin?

       A topic that many people in the religious world debate over, is the subject of original sin. Many people believe that we are born sinners, and that sin is carried over from not only our parents, but as far back as Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. However, if this were true, there would be many contradictions in the scriptures themselves as we will see. This issue has often been so heatedly argued, that some have even gone as far as changing the words of verses in many of the new translations of the Bible.
       In Psalm 51:5, the KJV, ASV (1901) reads as follows: "Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity; And in sin did my mother conceive me." Now in this translation which was taken from the ancient Koine Greek, we can see that the author is saying he was born by the result of his mother's sin. However, the author's of some of the modern day versions such as the NIV and NEB have rewritten this to say: "Surely I was born in sin.", clearly the opposite of the King James version. Which one is the correct translation though? Well, if you can read the Koine Greek, you can decide for yourself, but if your like me, we can either rely on what someone else says, or look for more evidence of the matter in the Holy Scriptures themselves.
       The first verse we need to look at is found in Ezekiel 18:20 which reads: "The soul that sinneth shall die, the son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, and the father shall not bear the iniquity of the son...". This verse is quite clear in its meaning, in fact so clear, that the NIV and other versions left this in, even though it clearly contradicts their own translation of Psalm 51:5. The only way to understand this is that sin does not carry over.
       The next verse is found in Romans 14:12, which again can only be translated in one way. "So then each one of us shall give an account of himself before God." If we are born with original sin, or sin carried over from our fathers, why would Paul write that we will have to give an account of...ourselves? Now some might say that Christ died to forgive us of our sins, which is absolutely true. He died for OUR sins, not for others. Each person will sit before God on the Day of Judgment and explain themselves. Would it be fair to have defend the actions of others? Of course not, and the Bible does not say anywhere that we do.
       In Genesis 8:21, God let's us know the truth in another way. The verse clearly states that we begin sin in our youth, not as infants. Granted, some might consider infancy as part of our youth, but this is not the context here. In Isaiah 7:15-16, this becomes clearer as we read that a child must reach a level of maturity before he CHOOSES between good and evil. Can an infant choose anything? If no, then how can he choose to be evil, or sin? If yes, he still must choose, not be born with it already on board, at least if we are to believe the scriptures.
       So now let's take a look at this subject from a different angle. How does God and Christ view children in comparison with the Kingdom? In Matthew 18:3, Jesus says this, "Except ye turn, and become as little children, ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven." We must turn and become like children. This doesn't mean we are to act like children and be immature, it means we are to be innocent like children, for God cannot allow anything unrighteous into heaven. So if children are born with sin, why should we become like them if they can't enter into heaven due to their sin? Again, another contradiction that modern versions cannot explain away.
        Finally, we have to take into consideration the following passages in Ecclesiastes 12:7 and Hebrews 12:9. Here, we can see that it is God who gives us our spirit, NOT our parents. If it is God, why would He give us something that is tainted with sin, especially when we know He does not create anything evil, but everything is created in its perfect, purest form. If this is true, our spirit is created the same way, without sin. Besides, if we can believe that we get our sins from our parents, what about Jesus who had an earthly mother? Would He have sin at His birth as well?
        The authors of the modern day translations have misinterpreted the Bible, and try to push their beliefs by rewriting scriptures to better fit their needs. In doing so, they failed to rewrite all the passages that pertain to this subject, creating many contradictions in their Bible. By reading all the passages that deal with this subject, I think it is pretty clear that no, we are not born with sin, but born innocent and unfortunately become sinners once we are old enough to choose between good and evil. This of course, is why baptism is essential for our salvation. Jesus died for our sins, but we must do something to attain that salvation, which is to choose to obey all that God has said. An infant cannot choose, as the scriptures have shown us, because they are born innocent, and are perfect and pure. We spend the rest of our lives trying to be as little children, just as Jesus said.