Does Psalm 58:3 imply that humans are inherently sinful from birth? Canonical Corroboration: Original Sin Across Scripture • Psalm 51:5 — “Surely I was brought forth in iniquity; I was sinful when my mother conceived me.” David speaks of himself, yet by parallel poetic device in the Psalter it grounds the universal human condition. • Genesis 8:21 — “the intent of man’s heart is evil from his youth.” • Romans 5:12 — “sin entered the world through one man… and death spread to all men because all sinned.” • Ephesians 2:3 — “by nature children of wrath.” Together these passages show that Psalm 58:3 participates in a coherent biblical doctrine: humans inherit a sin-bent nature from Adam. Historical Theology: From Adam to Augustine Second-Temple writings (e.g., 4 Ezra 3:21-22) already read Psalm 58:3 and Psalm 51:5 as teaching innate sinfulness. Church Fathers from Irenaeus (Against Heresies 3.23.1) to Augustine (Confessions 1.7) cited these texts to ground original sin. The Reformation codified the doctrine in the Augsburg Confession II and Westminster Confession 6.3. Psalm 58:3 functions as a linchpin proof-text in each document, showing that its interpretation as inherent sin is not novel but catholic across centuries. Objections Considered 1. “David only condemns corrupt judges, not all humanity.” Answer: Psalm 58:1-2 addresses rulers, but v. 3 intentionally grounds their corruption in the human condition. Similar movement from particular to universal appears in Psalm 14:1-3 (“The fool… ALL have turned away”). 2. “Infants cannot commit sin; therefore the verse is hyperbole.” Answer: The text speaks of nature, not conscious acts. Romans 5:14 teaches that death (a penalty for sin) reigns even over those who have not sinned in the likeness of Adam’s transgression—infants included—affirming inherited guilt apart from personal volition. 3. “The Bible elsewhere calls children blameless.” Answer: Passages praising childlike faith (Matthew 18:3) address humility, not moral purity. Scripture also holds infants subject to covenantal judgment (e.g., 2 Samuel 12:15-18), consistent with original sin while affirming God’s mercy. Pastoral and Evangelistic Implications Recognizing inherent sin clarifies the universality of the gospel invitation: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). It removes false hopes of self-reform and directs every person—infant baptized or adult skeptic—to the sole remedy: Christ’s atoning death and bodily resurrection, historically attested by over 500 eyewitnesses (1 Corinthians 15:3-8) and documented by early creedal material dated within five years of the event. Conclusion Psalm 58:3, read in its Hebrew nuance, immediate literary context, and broader canonical echo, unequivocally affirms that humans enter the world already alienated from God and predisposed to sin. The verse is not mere colorful rhetoric; it is a concise statement of the doctrine of original sin, harmonizing with the whole counsel of Scripture and corroborated by theological tradition, manuscript evidence, and empirical observation. |
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