17:30 – The Logical Fallacy of a False Dilemma is when a person presents only two options when there more options in existence. For example, only presenting the option of infant baptism to original sin instead of presenting the option of innocence of sin guilt based on the ignorance of children, and the option of unlimited atonement that clears the guilt of both the mentally handicapped and small children (Westminster Confession 10.3). But Finney ignores these other options it seems. And so, in a desire to possibly uphold infant baptism based on the learned behavior view, he downplays original sin to absolve the smallest infants, and to open the way for the repentance and faith of adults, leaving things in quite a vague state for all other children who don’t understand the nature of repentance and faith. It would be more Biblical and reasonable to assert:

1. Infants, children, teenagers, and adults are all born with an inbred sinful nature (Gen. 6:5; Ps. 51:5; Rom. 7:23).

2. Eternal damnation in the lake of fire is only revealed in Scripture as containing adults in the following categories: those too afraid to witness, unbelievers, mean people who always say mean things, pimps, fornicators, adulterers, homosexuals, thieves, extortioners, drunkards, sorcerers, idol worshipers (including the greedy), murderers, and liars (1 Cor. 6:9-10; Rev. 21:8; 22:15).

3. Infants, children, and the mentally handicapped are not going to be found in the list above. To be any of those things in that hell-deserving vice list, you would have to at least be a spiritually blind and heart-hardened teenage gang member.

4. Therefore, Wesley’s view on the subject is the most reasonable: the unlimited atonement of Jesus: his blood that was shed for the whole world (1 John 2:2; John 1:29; Isa. 53:6), must automatically apply to infants, children, and the mentally handicapped without the requirement of conscious repentance and faith. But every intelligible soul with a mind adult enough–the so-called age of accountability–every person adult enough to be included in the vice lists of 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, Revelation 21:8, and 22:15, is totally doomed if they do not make a conscious effort to avoid those vices, repent, and trust in the blood of Jesus Christ for forgiveness on a regular basis. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9, KJV). Most infants I’ve known about could never perform such a prayer; and probably most children wouldn’t know what such a prayer would really mean. Those that are mentally handicapped are probably unable to pray at all in most cases. So we have to conclude that conscious moral responsibility, in the form of prayers of repentance, faith in the blood, and obedience to the Bible, has to only apply to that same class of adults that could just as easily drop into hell through the vice list above-mentioned. –J.B.

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VII. OF ORIGINAL OR BIRTH SIN.
(Articles of Religion)

Original sin standeth not in the following of Adam (as the Pelagians do vainly talk), but it is the corruption of the nature of every man, that naturally is engendered of the offspring of Adam, whereby man is very far gone from original righteousness, and of his own nature inclined to evil, and that continually.