Paul Not Born Guilty of Sin

Some teach the false doctrine that babies are born guilty of sin. This doctrine has several names like total depravity, inherited sin or some other Calvinistic description. But there was a time when Paul was alive "without the law" (Rom. 7:9). He was a Jew and lived subject to the law of Moses. Violation of that law was sinful. But he was once "without the law," therefore not in sin, because where there is no law there is no sin (Rom. 3: 20; 4: 15). When could Paul have been alive "without the law?"?

The only period of his life when that could have been possible is before he was accountable to the Mosaic Law. But once the commandment was applicable to him he violated it and was sinful. Prior to his violation he was "alive," obviously meaning spiritually alive. If "alive" he was not guilty and condemned like he would have been if he had been born totally depraved and had inherited the sins of his ancestors.

This false doctrine of "born in sin" gave rise to another unauthorized practiced called "infant baptism," of which Scripture knows nothing whatsoever.