A fun and safe resource for kids, provided by Got Questions.
Do animals sin?
Great question! Here's the answer:
No, animals do not sin.
Humans are capable of sinning because sin is breaking God's laws. In order to be able to break God's laws, someone has to know that what they are doing is wrong. Animals do not sin because they are incapable of understanding right and wrong, as humans do. Animals can be extremely smart, but they are not capable of breaking God's laws.
In the fall, it was only mankind who sinned (Genesis 3). Sadly, animals have had to deal with the consequences of sin, even though it wasn't their fault sin entered the world. This is why animals kill other animals. God did not design animals to operate in this manner before the fall. Fighting and killing came after the fall.
Animals were created by God, and they are dearly loved by Him (Psalm 147:9). Despite their innocence in the fall of man, they will still face the pain of seeing bad things in the world and dying. While animals are not commanded to keep the Law of God, humans need to ensure we are faithfully obeying Him. Animals are not sinners, but we are, and we need to ensure we have truly repented and placed faith in Jesus Christ.
Bible Truth
“All of us are like sheep. We have wandered away from God. All of us have turned to our own way. And the Lord has placed on his servant the sins of all of us” (Isaiah 53:6).
“Sin entered the world because one man sinned. And death came because of sin. Everyone sinned, so death came to all people” (Romans 5:12).
“Everything God created looks forward to the future. That will be the time when his children appear in their full and final glory. The created world was held back from fulfilling its purpose. But this was not the result of its own choice. It was planned that way by the one who held it back. God planned to set the created world free. He didn’t want it to rot away. Instead, God wanted it to have the same freedom and glory that his children have” (Romans 8:19–21).
