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[Newbie]

Isn't a newborn supposed to be pure? Why is he born "into" sin? He/She hasn't done anything yet!

[jimwalton]

"Sin" has many definitions and nuances. As far as a baby being "born into sin," what it means is that child is born separated from God, and not having God's spiritual life in him/her. It doesn't mean the baby is wicked or evil or has done anything wrong, but only that it is separated from God from birth. Maybe I can use this as an illustration (though illustrations always collapse somewhere when pressed hard enough): Suppose a pregnant woman leaves the country of her birth and gives birth to a baby in another country. Now that baby (for the sake of the illustration) is a foreigner to the other country. Let's say the mom was French, and she moved to England. For the sake of analogy, the baby is a citizen of England, not of France. It is born separated from France and from French life. He or she hasn't done anything wrong; he/she is just the citizen of another country, so to speak. When we say a child is "born in sin," we mean he/she is not a citizen of the kingdom of God, but is born separated from God.