"Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me." (Psalm 51:5) Those who teach and try to prove that we inherit Adam's sin use this verse as a proof text. Does it really say that David was born a sinner because of what Adam did hundreds of years before David's birth? Are you and I born sinners because of another man's action? With all my heart, I believe that the Bible clearly answers these questions.
In the book of Ezekiel, the prophet plainly said that the son does not bear the guilt for his father's sin; nor is the father responsible for his son's iniquity. "The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself." (Ezekiel 18:20) We occasionally suffer the consequences of sins that others commit; yet, we are not guilty before God because of another person's sins.
The nature of sin itself denies the fact that we are born sinners because of the actions of others. Sin is a transgression of God's law (1 John 3:4). It does not transfer from one sinful person to others simply because they are the sinner's descendants. When Mary gave birth to Jesus, did He inherit Adam's sin? The Bible says Jesus was without sin (1 Peter 2:22). If we were indeed born sinners because of the actions of others, then Christ would have been born a sinner, as would all other babies. To avoid this logical conclusion, the Catholics teach the immaculate conception of Mary. Merriam-Webster defines the immaculate-conception doctrine as, "The conception of the Virgin Mary in which, as decreed in Roman Catholic dogma, her soul was preserved free from original sin by divine grace." (Online Version) This is how Catholicism attempts to avoid a very apparent contradiction in their teaching.
The truth of the matter is, that no one is born a sinner. We become sinners when we understand and violate God's law and are, therefore, accountable to Him. The Bible tells us that the God we serve is holy and just (Psalm 7:11; 1 Peter 1:16). How righteous and good would the Lord be if He condemned a child to the eternal fires of hell because of what Adam did? Do you think a judge and jury in the United States of America would find a son guilty of a crime they knew his father committed? I think not! It is hard for us to imagine that someone would make such a charge against a loving, caring, and compassionate God. Yet those who teach this doctrine do just that!
When we stand before Jehovah in judgment, every man will answer for his own-not another's--misdeeds. Paul wrote, "who will render to each one according to his deeds: eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness--indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek; but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For there is no partiality with God." (Romans 2:6-11) The apostle didn't say that God would render to each one according to what Adam did. No, we're accountable to God because of our own failures or good deeds, not because of what mom and dad did or didn't do.
What was David saying in Psalm 51:5? Robert Taylor said, "He was born into a world where sin abounds and where men ultimately do sin. He was born into a world where temptations to sin run strongly, and to one of them--fleshly passion--he surrendered in a moment of weakness." (Studies in Psalms, Robert R. Taylor, Jr. p. 56) Sin was all around; yet David became a sinner when he yielded to his own desires and violated the Lord's will. Also read Ezekiel 28:15 and Ecclesiastes 7:29. Enough said!