“What is wrong with the expression, ‘Sinful Nature’?” someone inquires. First, standard, tried and reliable Bible translations do not use that phrase in the biblical text (e.g., KJV, ASV, NKJV, ESV, etc.). Rather, the words “sinful nature” appear in a small number of translations of the New Testament (e.g., NIV, TEV, and Wuest New Testament), in contradistinction from long revered Bible translations that were brought about by universally recognized scholarship and proficiency in the biblical languages. That alone may be worthy of reconsidering one’s use of some Bible translations, such as the NIV, regarding their fidelity or lack thereof in communicating God’s message from the original languages in which the Bible was penned to contemporary languages.
Secondly, the phrase “sinful nature” represents a doctrinal error that is associated with John Calvin, namely, what is popularly referred to as Calvinism. This doctrine crosses denominational lines and is observable in such modern churches as the Presbyterian and most Baptist denominations. Calvinism is summarized and committed to memory through the acrostic, TULIP—which stands for Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace and Perseverance of the Saints.
Note the following quotation for the association between Calvinism and the expression “sinful nature.” “All of us have a sinful nature, and it affects every part of us. This is the doctrine of total depravity…” (“What is…”). The appearance in a translation of the Scriptures the words “sinful nature” and that for which it stands—Total Depravity of Calvinism—is an example of denominational doctrine from denominational bias—rather than from scholarship—making its way between the covers of a book on which the front cover may have inscribed “Holy Bible.” Such Bibles are “holey” instead of “Holy”!
Works Cited
“What is the sin nature?” Gotquestions?org. 3 Mar. 2017. <https://www.gotquestions.org/sin-nature.html>.
