What does the Pelagian View say about the effect of Adam's sin?

• A. It condemns the world.
• B. It merely provided a bad example.
• C. It weakened our ability to not sin.
• D. It imputes guilt to all mankind.

Answer: (B)

Pelagianism teaches that sin does not corrupt human nature or transfer guilt to all people. Each person is born morally neutral and has the full ability to choose good or evil. In this view, Adam’s sin did not bring a fallen condition to humanity; it merely serves as a bad example showing what humans ought to avoid and as a model of temptation. Because free will remains intact, the effect is not inherited guilt or corruption, but simply an instructive example. That’s why this option—merely providing a bad example—fits the Pelagian position best. The other ideas imply inherited guilt or a diminished human ability, which Pelagianism denies.