Are Men Born Sinners? - Library of Theology

Those who heartily believe in the doctrine of original sin and believe that God
condemned the whole human race for the sin of Adam "because he is sovereign and can
do whatever he wants to" must have about the same concept of God as the heathen had of
their false gods. They must fear him because he is sovereign and has infinite power over
them. However, it must be difficult to love him with the overflowing love that comes
from a confidence and a delight in his moral perfections, since they believe a doctrine
that requires them to make the excuse that "God can do anything he wants because he is
sovereign."
God cannot make evil become good and good become evil by a sovereign decree. He is
not sovereign in the sense that his "might makes right." He cannot make a law that says,
"Thou shalt lie, steal, blaspheme my holy name, commit adultery, work evil, and hate
your fellow man." God is sovereign, but he cannot do anything sinful or unjust just
"because he is sovereign." The universal law of love and righteousness is his law as much
as it is the law of all his creatures. God does not make evil right by an arbitrary decree,
and for him to sovereignly decree a law which were contrary to his nature and the nature
of his creatures would be as much sin in him as it would be in any of his creatures. God
cannot and will not sin against the righteousness of his nature. He will not put darkness
for light, falsehood for truth, evil for good, or unrighteousness for righteousness.
To defend the obvious unrighteousness of the original sin dogma by saying that "God can
do whatever he wants because he is sovereign" is to demean the holy name of God. The
doctrine of original sin is infinitely dishonorable to God. It makes him arbitrary,
tyrannical, unjust, and cruel in his sovereignty. God has never claimed to be sovereign in
an arbitrary sense, in the sense that he can do whatever he wills, even if it is unholy,
unjust, or unrighteousness. God is sovereign, and justly so, because all his ways conform
to truth, holiness, and righteousness.
9. OBJECTION: You depend too much on reason. You should only use the Scriptures to
prove the doctrines of the Bible. If you depend on reason, you will be led into error.
ANSWER: Would the advocates of the doctrine of original sin object to reason if the
doctrine of original sin were reasonable? Why do the advocates of original sin object to
reason? It is because the dogma of original sin contradicts reason! If our reason told us
that it would be just for a whole race to be condemned for the sin of one man, would they
then object to reason? If our reason told us that the heathen could justly be born sinners,
commit sin because of an inborn sin nature, die in their sins without a knowledge of the
gospel and a chance to be saved, and then be justly condemned to the everlasting
punishment of hell, would they then object to reason? If our reason told us that moral
character or sin, with its guilt and condemnation, could be passed on in the physical
constitution of man, would they then object to reason? If our reason told us that a nonmoral
and non-personal entity called "flesh" could, contrary to its nature, take on
personality and moral character and be sinful, would they then object to reason? No.
They object to reason because they know the original sin dogma is absurd and
unreasonable.