Everything about Original Sin totally explained
Original sin is, according to a doctrine in
Christian theology, humanity's state of
sin resulting from the
Fall of Man. Like other theological terms, the terms "original sin" and "ancestral sin" are not found in either the
Old or the
New Testament, though the sinfulness of humans is frequently addressed, but the doctrine that the terms express is claimed to be based on passages in the New Testament written by
Paul the Apostle, such as and .
In the history of Christianity this condition has been characterized in many ways ranging from something as insignificant as a slight deficiency, or a tendency toward sin yet without collective guilt, referred to as a "sin nature," to something as drastic as
total depravity or automatic guilt by all humans through collective guilt.
Western Christian tradition regards original sin as the general condition of
sinfulness (lack of holiness) into which human beings are born, distinct from any
actual sins that a person may or may not commit later. Different views exist as to whether a person bears real guilt or personal responsibility only for actual sins that they personally commit, while being tempted by original sin, or whether they bear actual guilt for the sins of ancestors.
Eastern Christian tradition too identifies original sin as physical and spiritual death, the spiritual death being the loss of "the grace of God, which quickened (the soul) with the higher and spiritual life" Others see original sin also as the cause of
actual sins: "a bad tree bears bad fruit" (
Matthew 7:17,
NIV), although, in this view, original and actual sin may be difficult to distinguish.
While Christians cite references to original sin in the Old Testament (such as ), the doctrine isn't found in Jewish theology.
The Fall of Man
Original sin is said to result from the Fall of Man, when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit of a particular tree in the Garden of Eden. This first sin ("
the original sin"), an
action of the first human beings, is traditionally understood to be the cause of "original sin", the fallen
state from which human beings can be saved only by God's grace.
For more on this cause of original or ancestral sin, see
Fall of Man.
History of the doctrine of original sin
There are wide-ranging disagreements among Christian groups as to the exact understanding of the doctrine about a state of sinfulness or absence of holiness affecting all human beings, even children, with some Christian groups denying it altogether.
Original sin in the New Testament
The scriptural basis for the doctrine is found in two New Testament books by
Paul the Apostle, Romans 5:12-21 and 1 Corinthians 15:22, in which he identifies Adam as the one man through whom death came into the world.
Original sin in Roman Catholicism
The
Catechism of the Catholic Church says:
By his sin Adam, as the first man, lost the original holiness and justice he'd received from God, not only for himself but for all human beings.
Adam and Eve transmitted to their descendants human nature wounded by their own first sin and hence deprived of original holiness and justice; this deprivation is called "original sin".
As a result of original sin, human nature is weakened in its powers, subject to ignorance, suffering and the domination of death, and inclined to sin (this inclination is called "concupiscence").
Catechism of the Catholic Church, 416-418
Catechism of the Catholic Church explains that in "yielding to the tempter, Adam and Eve committed a
personal sin, but this sin affected
the human nature that they'd then transmit in a
fallen state … original sin is called "sin" only in an analogical sense: it's a sin "contracted" and not "committed"—a state and not an act" (404). This "state of deprivation of the original holiness and justice … transmitted to the descendants of Adam along with human nature" (
Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, 76) involves no personal responsibility or personal guilt on their part (cf.
Catechism of the Catholic Church, 405). Personal responsibility and guilt were Adam's, who because of his sin, was unable to pass on to his descendants a human nature with the holiness with which it would otherwise have been endowed, in this way implicating them in his sin.
Though Adam's sinful act isn't the responsibility of his descendants, the state of human nature that has resulted from that sinful act has consequences that plague them: "Human nature, without being entirely corrupted, has been harmed in its natural powers, is subject to ignorance, suffering and the power of death, and has a tendency to sin. This tendency is called concupiscence" (
Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, 77), but is distinct from original sin itself, since it remains even when original sin is remitted.
The Church has always held baptism to be "for the remission of sins", and, as mentioned in
Catechism of the Catholic Church, 403, infants too have traditionally been baptized, though not guilty of any actual personal sin. The sin that through baptism was remitted for them could only be original sin, with which they were connected by the very fact of being human beings. Based largely on this practice, Saint
Augustine of Hippo articulated the teaching in reaction to
Pelagianism, which insisted that human beings have of themselves, without the necessary help of God's grace, the ability to lead a morally good life, and thus denied both the importance of baptism and the teaching that God is the giver of all that's good.
The Roman Catholic Church didn't accept all of Augustine's ideas, which he developed to counter the claim by Pelagius that the influence of Adam on other human beings was merely that of bad example. For instance, the Church didn't adopt the opinion that involvement in Adam's guilt and punishment takes effect through the dependence of human procreation on the sexual passion, in which the spirit's inability to control flesh is evident. Rather, the Church teaches that original sin comes to the soul simply from the new person taking his nature from one whose nature itself had original sin. In this way, the Church argues that original sin isn't imputing the sin of the father to the son; rather, it's simply the inheritance of a wounded nature from the father, which is an unavoidable part of reproduction.
The Roman Catholic doctrine of the
Immaculate Conception of
Mary is that Mary was conceived free from original sin: "the most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of the human race, preserved immune from all stain of original sin." The exceptional character that Catholic doctrine attributes to the conception of Mary thus depends on the reality of original sin. If, as some hold, original sin didn't exist, not only she, but all human beings would be conceived "immune from all stain of original sin".
Original sin in Eastern Christianity
Eastern Orthodoxy,
Oriental Orthodoxy and
Eastern Catholicism, which together make up Eastern Christianity, acknowledge that the introduction of ancestral sin into the human race affected the subsequent environment for mankind, but never accepted Augustine of Hippo's notions of original sin and hereditary guilt. The act of
Adam isn't the responsibility of all humanity, but the consequences of that act changed the reality of this present age of the cosmos. The Greek Fathers emphasized the metaphysical dimension of the Fall of Man, whereby Adam's descendants are born into a fallen world, but at the same time held fast to belief that, in spite of that, man remains free.}}
Original sin in mainstream Protestantism
The notion of original sin as interpreted by
Augustine of Hippo was affirmed by the Protestant
Reformers Martin Luther and
John Calvin. Both Luther and Calvin agreed that humans inherit Adamic guilt and are in a state of sin from the moment of conception. This inherently sinful nature (the basis for the
Calvinistic doctrine of "
total depravity") results in a complete alienation from God and the total inability of humans to achieve reconciliation with God based on their own abilities. Not only do individuals inherit a sinful nature due to Adam's fall, but since he was the federal head and representative of the human race, all whom he represented inherit the guilt of his sin by imputation.
John Calvin defined original sin in his
Institutes of the Christian Religion as follows:
The
Methodist Church, founded by
John Wesley, upholds Article VII in the
Articles of Religion in the
Book of Discipline of the Methodist Church:
Because of this
conundrum, Protestants believe that God the Father sent
Jesus into the world. The personhood, life, ministry, suffering, and death of Jesus, as God
incarnate in human flesh, is meant to be the
atonement for original sin as well as actual sins; this atonement is according to some rendered fully effective by the
Resurrection of Jesus.
Original sin for Seventh-day Adventists
One authoritative Adventist position is outlined by reference to publicly available theological positions available on the
General Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s official website on theological doctrine, the
Biblical Research Institute. One such article commenting on original sin can be found
here.
Denial of original sin
Restoration Movement
Most Stone-Campbell
Restoration Movement Churches, such as the
Churches of Christ,
Christian Churches, and the
Disciples of Christ, reject the notion of original sin, believing only in the sins for which men and women are personally responsible. Such churches don't object to the idea that Adam and Eve brought sin into the world by introducing disobedience. Disobedience influenced further generations in much the same way other ideas spread, thus making sin likely in any individual above "The Age of Accountability."
In the Old Testament, in the
Book of Ezekiel, God's people are rebuked for suggesting that the children would die/suffer for their father's sins:
» The word of the Lord came to me: "What do you people mean by quoting this proverb about the land of Israel:
'The parents eat sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge'? As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign Lord, you'll no longer quote this proverb in Israel. For everyone belongs to me, the parent as well as the child—both alike belong to me. The one who sins is the one who will die.
—Ezek. 18:1-4, TNIV
The Lord then gives examples of a good father with a bad son, of a good son with a bad father, etc. and states:
» "Yet you ask,
'Why does the son not share the guilt of his father?' Since the son has done what is just and right and has been careful to keep all my decrees, he'll surely live. The one who sins is the one who will die. The child won't share the guilt of the parent, nor will the parent share the guilt of the child. The righteousness of the righteous will be credited to them, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against them.
—Ezek. 18:19-20, TNIV
God concludes: "house of Israel, I'll judge each of you according to your own ways … Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin won't be your downfall. Rid yourselves of all the offenses you've committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit" (Ezek. 18:30-31, TNIV).
Many Restoration movement churches and individuals, however, do believe that Adam's sin made us depraved (that is, with a tendency towards sin) without making us guilty of Adam's sin. Man is predisposed towards sin, but though every person sins, they're not intrinsically
forced to sin.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Mormons don't believe in the concept of original sin as it's used in modern Christendom, but that everyone will be punished for their own individual sins and not for any transgression of Adam or Eve. Neither do Mormons believe that children are conceived in sin or come into the world with any kind of "impurity" whatsoever. Rather, Jesus Christ atoned for any "original guilt" and the sins of parents can't be answered upon the heads of their children. Furthermore, Mormons hold that little children are incapable of even committing sin and as such have no need of baptism until age eight when they can fully discern right from wrong, and are thus capable of sin and can be held accountable. Little children who die before reaching the age of accountability (even though they're unbaptized) are automatic heirs of salvation and are saved in the Celestial Kingdom of God.
Islam
Islam teaches that all humans are innocent by birth and they become sinful only when they consciously commit a sin. Islam regards the concept of “original sin” and the need for atonement by God Himself - via dying on the Cross - as a pure invention of those who came after Jesus Christ, declaring themselves as Christians.
Another important point to bear in mind about the Islamic concept of sin is that one man’s sin can't be transferred to another; nor can the reward due to a person be transferred either. Every individual is responsible only for his or her actions, for God is never unjust. This is made clear in the following in Surah 17, Al-Isra, Verse 15:
A person isn't held responsible until he or she reaches puberty. Then two angels are assigned to each person to record their good and bad deeds.
Extraterrestrial beings and original sin
In an interview, entitled "Aliens Are My Brother", granted to
L'Osservatore Romano, the Vatican newspaper, Father Gabriel Funes, director of the Vatican Observatory, stated: "In my opinion this possibility (of life on other planets) exists"; "intelligent beings, created by God may exist in outer space" and "some aliens could even be free from original sin" concluding "there could be (other beings) who remained in full friendship with their creator".
Further Information
Get more info on 'Original Sin'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://original_sin.totallyexplained.com">Original sin Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
