John Calvin’s doctrine of Total Hereditary Depravity has become so ingrained in the minds of various religious groups that it is hard for them to see anything in Scripture other than Calvin’s idea that individuals are born into this world condemned in the eyes of God, having inherited sin from previous generations. But, the doctrine of Christ must prevail over any man-made doctrine.
God lays out His principles regarding sin very clearly. No passage is clearer than Ezekiel 18:20. “The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.” Mark this verse in your Bible. Next to it, you might write 1 John 3:4, which states, “Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.” Deuteronomy 24:16 affirms, “A person shall be put to death for his own sin.”
From the very first sin, we learn that sin is a choice (1 Tim. 2:14), not an inheritance.