Drearyweather,
Psalm 51:5 is known to any average Bible reader. But this
particular thought is not shared by other OT writers, hence it is like an
isolated thought. In OT we find many references to sinless persons (Gen 5:24;
Ezekiel 14:14 and compare Habakkuk 2:4) Interestingly, even God does not think
humans are sinful from birth. (Job 1:8) What was an isolated thought was
launched as main subject by Paul, thus Paul became the Father of this school of
thought that says we are all sinners by birth. Because people like the idea
that we are sinners by birth because of which we are not responsible for the sins
we commit, nobody bothered to think that this is actually Paul’s experience not
of mine, and experiment to the contrary.