It’s understandable to feel that babies seem innocent, because they have never committed a personal or deliberate sin. They have no awareness of right or wrong, and they certainly do not choose to disobey God. In terms of conduct, infants are completely innocent. The Bible makes a distinction, however, between personal wrongdoing and the inherited condition we all receive through Adam. Even though babies have not sinned willfully, they are still born under the effects of Adam’s fall.

Scripture explains that when Adam disobeyed, he lost his perfection and entered a dying state. Because he could only pass on what he himself possessed, all of his descendants inherited the same imperfect, dying nature. Job 14:4 asks, “Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? Not one.” This means that even though a newborn child has done nothing wrong, the life they receive comes from a source that has been damaged. David acknowledges this inherited condition when he says, “I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me” (Psalm 51:5). He was not describing a personal sin he committed at birth, but the imperfect nature he inherited.

The Apostle Paul teaches the same principle. In Romans 5:12 he explains that sin and death entered the world through one man, and that death passed upon all because all were in Adam when he fell. In 1 Corinthians 15:22 he summarizes it simply: “As in Adam all die.” This inherited mortality is the clearest evidence that infants share in Adamic condemnation. Babies suffer sickness, weakness and even death long before they reach an age where they could knowingly choose sin. If infants were born sinless and possessed a perfect right to life, death would have no claim on them at all.

Being “born in sin” does not mean that babies are depraved or malicious. It simply means they are born without the perfect life Adam once had, and they inherit physical, mental and moral weaknesses because of the fall. Their innocence of behavior is real, but their inherited condition is also real. The only partial exception Scripture mentions is that children of believing parents are counted “holy” in a tentative sense because of their parents’ standing with God, but even they still inherit Adamic imperfection. See 1 Corinthians 7:14.

Because no child chooses to be born into this condition, God has provided a complete remedy through Jesus Christ. Just as Adam’s disobedience brought condemnation to all his unborn family, Jesus’ obedience and ransom sacrifice provide deliverance for that same entire family. Every child who has ever lived, including those who died in infancy, is included in the purchase made by Christ. In God’s future kingdom, all will be raised and given a full, fair opportunity to learn righteousness under perfect conditions.

So while babies are innocent in their actions, the Bible teaches that they are still born under Adamic imperfection. This is why they experience sickness and death, and why they need the Redeemer just as much as adults do. God’s plan lovingly provides for them, and through Christ, every child will one day be freed from the inherited effects of Adam’s fall.

Additional Resource:
Christian Questions Podcast
Episode #1335: “What Is the Broad Road That Leads to Destruction?”
Uncovering what role this road to destruction plays in God’s plan
Preview Video
CQ Rewind Show Notes