One of the great joys I have in my work as a preacher is the opportunity to interact with the young children all around us. When I look at them now as they sing, pray, or even as some get behind the pulpit and “play preacher,” there is a joy in knowing that, while now they may not fully comprehend what they are doing, their youthful zeal can as easily grow into a mature passion as they get older, thus signifying that the future of the church is bright. Looking at these children a number of characteristics come to mind such as energetic, happy, loving, and even sometimes mischievous. The greatest of traits exemplified by every young child, though, is their innocence. Adolescence is a time of learning and growth, and with this period of maturing comes a natural sense of innocence from sin; and the Bible makes this fact abundantly clear. Many in the world, however, look at children in a completely different way because rather than recognizing that God-given innocence, they are attributed with a sinful nature.
Between the years 1509 and 1564, in the midst of what has been called the “Protestant Reformation,” there lived a man by the name of John Calvin. Calvin’s background, like the other reformers, was in Catholicism; however, as he began to work his way out of Catholicism, rather than restoring the pure truth of New Testament Christianity, Calvin instead resurrected the teachings of a fourth century apostate by the name of Augustine. One of Augustine’s basic beliefs was that through Adam’s sin in Eden a “sinful nature” is hereditarily passed on to all men. When Calvin began to revisit Augustine’s teachings it was truly nothing more than a new robe on an old error. In his Institutes of the Christian Religion, speaking of Adam’s sin, Calvin said it this way:
“Therefore, when the Divine image in him was obliterated, and he was punished with the loss of wisdom, strength, sanctity, truth, and righteousness, with which he had been adorned, but which were succeeded by the dreadful pests of ignorance, impotence, impurity, vanity, and iniquity, he suffered not alone, but involved all his posterity with him, and plunged them into the same miseries. This is that hereditary corruption which the fathers called original sin; meaning by sin, the depravation of a nature previously good and pure; on which subject they had much contention, nothing being more remote from natural reason, than that all should be criminated on account of the guilt of one, and thus his sin become common…” (bold emphasis mine, AJB).
What then is the basic tenet of Calvin’s teaching now known by the term “total hereditary depravity?” Basically his hypothesis is that because Adam sinned and received a consequence for his sin, that every human being is born with their soul bearing his guilt. According to Calvin, and those who accept and advance his error, when you look into the eyes of a child, instead of seeing innocence, you see a soul depraved in sin, wholly given to evil.
In defense of our children, though, what does the Bible say about such a ridiculous notion? First, from the law itself, Moses recorded that: “The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin” (Deuteronomy 24:16). With great force does God declare that every human being shall be held accountable only for their own individual actions, and not the actions of ancestors for offspring. Therefore, first from the law of Moses is Calvin’s blunder defeated and the innocence of our children is defended.
Second, from the prophets, Ezekiel revealed that:
“Yet say ye, Why? Doth not the son bear the iniquity of the father? When the son hath done that which is lawful and right, and hath kept all my statutes, and hath done them, he shall surely live. 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: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him” (Ezekiel 18:9-20).
Spiritual death is affirmed to be endured only by the soul that sins, not from the soul of a child whose ancestry sinned. And then Ezekiel boldly declared that the son will not bear the father’s iniquity. As one has said, that statement is “ungetaroundable” when it comes to proving the innocence of our children. Thus, second, from the prophets is Calvin’s blunder defeated and the innocence of our children is defended.
Then, third, from Christ Himself do we have a clear statement of denial on behalf of this error. On one occasion, Christ took a little child unto Himself in the presence of His disciples to make a point. “And he said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3). How is it that we become as little children? By kindling a “sinful nature?” Such is foolishness. Rather Christ is saying that except we reject sin into which we ourselves have plunged, and revert back to the spiritual innocence made available through the righteousness of Christ, that we shall not have an inheritance in the eternal presence of God. So, third, from our precious Lord is Calvin’s blunder again defeated, and the innocence of our children again defended.
On one occasion the Psalmist wrote, “Lo, children are a heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward” (Psalm 127:3). Why? Because as sinners they represent everything we hope to avoid? Certainly not! But rather because spiritually they represent everything that we as adults should hope to achieve…innocence before God.