Original sin: What to do about your child's sinful nature

The doctrine of original sin is the most misused and misunderstood of Christian teachings. However, original sin is the backbone of Christianity. Without original sin, there would be no reason for a Christ. Most parents deal with their child's sinful nature by punishing them. However, the fact of the matter is that children are capable of self-improvement, and so parents should hold space for children to work on improving themselves and centering their entitlement.

The sinful nature of children is dealt with using the Christian doctrine of mutual submission. See Ephesians 6:1-4 KJV:

Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long upon the earth. And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to anger, but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. 

The Greek root word translated "obey" is υπακουο (Latin: hupakouo) and refers to secure, vulnerable rest in the love and submission of parents. Children are to rest securely in the sacrifice of parents, just as parent believers rest securely in the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ. This commandment was intended by the Apostle Paul to lift up the customary law commanding a secure attachment between parents and children. This secure attachment comes from parent submission, where parents submit to children just as they would to God while expecting absolutely nothing in return.

The Greek root word translated "provoke...to wrath" is ποροργίζο (Latin: parorgizo) and refers to damages or offenses, namely the slightest of personal offense perceived by a child, including, but not limited to, the slightest of offensive touch or speech perceived by a child, stemming from entitlement. This commandment was intended by the Apostle Paul, and understood in its original context, as a moral statute prohibiting all forms of punitive parenting, including any punishments or controlling demeanor towards children. In the Old Testament, punitive parents were put to death by way of bloodletting, after punishing their children one last time. Parents who punished their children were charged with kidnapping, with "kidnapping" being defined under the Law as the slightest of damages or offenses stemming from hostage-taking - child punishment was seen in biblical times as holding your child hostage merely for things that they did wrong, thereby treating your child as a quartered slave. Paul here was lifting up the Law in order to convict a group of Greek Christian parents who brought their pagan custom of spanking and punishing children into the church at Ephesus. Paul, contrary to popular legend, was anti-spanking, and opposed any and all punishment of a child in his writings.

The Greek root word translated "nurture" is παιδεία (Latin: paideia) and refers to here, in this context, modeling Christian discipline to children. The Christian standard of discipline is deserving of absolutely nothing, therefore grateful for absolutely everything, coming from a sinful nature, leading to a chastened up example for children to follow. Christian parents in biblical times centered their entitlement in view of their children, with children following in their footsteps. Children in biblical times were caught being good, not caught being bad. When children were caught emulating the disciplined example of parents, they were lavishly praised and encouraged to "keep going down the straight path". Children were otherwise allowed to behave in a childish or immature manner, such as cry and throw temper tantrums, and mothers especially comforted and reassured children when they were upset. Sometimes, children needed direct parental instruction. The Greek root word translated "admonition" is νουθεσία (Latin: nouthesia) and refers to direct parental instruction. Parents could not issue lawfully binding orders on children, as children had eminent authority over their parents. Parents instead pleaded with their children, expecting absolutely nothing in return, knowing they'd get nothing in return. Parents simply asked children favors, from the bottom of their hearts, expecting absolutely nothing in return.

Children are sinful human beings, with a depraved and entitled sin nature, like us all as human beings. That is not up for debate. But, the answer to your child having a sinful nature is not to beat it out of them, as that only worsens the child's sinful condition. Children are capable of self-improvement, if given the space to work on their sin nature and improve themselves. The key to children improving themselves is YOU stepping up to the plate and improving yourself, meaning YOU declaring yourself a depraved and decadent sinner who is deserving of absolutely nothing, including nothing even from your children. Once you come to know that you are deserving of absolutely nothing, you become grateful for absolutely everything, and then become a much happier person. Then, children will copy your good work on yourself, and apply that disciplined example to themselves. Whenever you notice your child showing discipline or self-control, praise them lavishly, and encourage them to "keep going down the straight path". That way, they will know how to behave and not to behave.

What leads to self-improvement in children more than anything? Children should have a secure attachment with their parents - primarily their mother, and secondarily their father. Children, for the first 6 years of childhood, were in constant closeness to mothers, meaning that wherever the mother went, so did the child. The Early Christians practiced birth nudity, meaning that mothers and children were in the nude next to each other, in skin-on-skin format. This birth nudity exposed raw separation anxiety, in which case mothers reassured their children of their presence by picking them up and co-snuggling with them in skin-on-skin format. Children who had separation anxiety then bellowed a deathly cry, and the mother's job was to fan the flames of such a cry, and try their best to reassure the child of their presence. When mothers were out and about in public, children were swaddled next to the bosom of mothers in swaddling blankets, with mothers breastfeeding in public if summoned to by her child. This warm, sustaining upbringing of a child leads to children being able to absorb the Christian example of parents better. Most children don't show discipline until late childhood-early adolescence, when raised in Christian attachment parenting. During the first 6 years, the focus is on nourishing and sustaining the child with breastmilk and skin-on-skin warmth, thus accommodating the child's separation anxiety. The formative years of a child's life prepare them for becoming more disciplined as they get older.

The depraved and entitled parents who provoke children to anger through punitive parenting will not inherit the Kingdom of God! Let them forever be cast into the lake of fire and burning sulfur, which is the second death prepared for Satan and his accomplices! Let them descend into the abyss which is the ever-burning Hell of fire and torment, suffering God's Wrath forever and ever! Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!