Wednesday, December 7, 2022

James E. Bishop (RLDS) on Psalm 51:5

 

 

“Shapen in iniquity” is a parallelism and bears the same meaning as “conceived in sin.” According to the Scripture, this is the heritage of all men.

 

The atonement of Christ has effect on two classes of sin; in the following we note the distinction. (1) “behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”—John 1:29. (2) “And she shall bring forth a son and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.”—Matt. 1:21.

 

In the first Scripture, “sin” is in the singular; here it is considered to be original or Adamic sin, and all come under its effect. “As in Adam all die,” and for which Christ atones, “even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” In the second Scripture the word “sin” is in the plural and has reference to personal sins for which repentance and baptism must precede forgiveness. The second article of our Epitome of Faith reads, “We believe that men will be punished for their own sins and not for Adam’s transgressions.”

 

The atonement of Christ so affects little children who die before accountability that they are saved in the kingdom of God. Of them Jesus said, “Suffer little children and forbid them not, to come unto me, for such is the kingdom of heaven. And he laid his hands on them.”—Matt. 19:14, 15. Mark says of this circumstance, “And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them.”—Mark 10:16. The Book of Mormon is in harmony with this, and is very explicit.

 

“Behold, I came into the world not to all the righteous, but sinners to repentance; the whole need no physician, but they that are sick, wherefore little children are whole, for they are not capable of committing sin; wherefore the curse of Adam is taken from them in me, that it hath no power over them; and the law of circumcision is done away in me.”—Page 769, verse 9.

 

On this question the Inspired Version has interesting and detailed information. Adam is told by God that he is forgiven of his transgression in the Garden of Eden. This is evidently extended to all his posterity, for it goes on to say, “Hence came the saying abroad among the people, that the Son of God hath atoned for original guilt, wherein the sins of the parents cannot be answered upon the heads of the children, for they are whole from the foundation of the world.”—Gen. 6:56, I.V. It definitely states that Adam’s children are conceived in sin and that when they grow up sin conceiveth in their hearts, and they taste the bitter that they may know to prize the good. Parents have the responsibility of teaching the children the gospel plan of faith, repentance, and baptism of water and the Spirit. (Question Time [Independence, Miss.: Herald Publishing Company, 1953; repr., Independence, Miss.: Price Publishing Company, 2003], 40-41)