Serpent seed doctrine: Cain was offspring of Eve and Serpent; original sin tied to this
Branhamism rejects the Augustinian doctrine of inherited original guilt but teaches a distinctive alternative: the 'serpent seed' doctrine. According to this teaching, Eve's sin in the Garden of Eden involved a literal sexual union between Eve and the Serpent, resulting in Cain as their offspring. This introduced a satanic seed-line into humanity—people without the divine seed who are incapable of redemption.
The fall is not merely Adam's disobedience but Eve's sexual transgression, which corrupted the human race with two competing seeds: the seed of woman (elect, redeemable) and the seed of the serpent (reprobate, eternally lost). Abel represented the righteous seed; Cain represented the serpent seed. This unique doctrine shapes Branham's understanding of predestination, election, and the irredeemable nature of the non-elect. It is a form of dualism that explains why some respond to the Gospel and others do not.
Key Distinctions
- Doctrine type:
- serpent seed doctrine — Cain was literal offspring of Eve and the Serpent; original sin tied to sexual Fall
- Free will effect:
- the elect will be drawn to Truth; the serpent seed cannot accept it
- Infant guilt:
- implied guilt through seed lineage; elect are foreordained
Scripture References
Sources
- William Branham, The Spoken Word sermons
- William Branham, Church Age Book