According to Merriam Webster... the state of sin that according to Christian theology characterizes all human beings as a result of Adam's fall.
According to Britannica... original sin, in Christian doctrine, the condition or state of sin into which each human being is born; also, the origin of this state. Traditionally, the origin has been ascribed to the sin of the first man, Adam, who disobeyed God in eating the forbidden fruit and, in consequence, transmitted his sin and guilt by heredity to his descendants.
According to Wikipedia... original sin is the Christian doctrine which holds that humans, through the fact of birth, inherit a tainted nature in need of regeneration and a proclivity to sinful conduct.
According to The Gospel Coalition... original sin is a term that defines the nature of mankind's sinful condition because of Adam's fall.
According to Got Questions Ministries... the moral corruption we possess as a consequence of Adam’s sin, resulting in a sinful disposition manifesting itself in habitually sinful behavior.
According to Christianity.com... Original sin, also described as ancestral sin, is a Christian view of the nature of sin in which humanity has existed since the fall of man. Original sin arose from Adam and Eve's transgression in Eden, the sin of disobedience in eating the forbidden fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Original sin can be explained as “that sin and its guilt that we all possess in God’s eyes as a direct result of Adam’s sin in the Garden of Eden.”
According to beliefnet.com... The doctrine of original sin holds that every person born into the world is corrupted by the Fall and people are powerless to restore themselves unless rescued by God.
According to bbc.co.uk... Original sin is an Augustine Christian doctrine that says that everyone is born sinful. This means that they are born with a built-in urge to do bad things and to disobey God. It is an important doctrine within the Roman Catholic Church. The concept of original sin was explained in depth by St Augustine and formalized as part of Roman Catholic doctrine by the Councils of Trent in the 16th Century.
According to theologian Charles C. Ryrie... inherited sin is that sinful state into which all people are born.
According to theologian Richard Phillips... Original sin is a term that defines the nature of mankind’s sinful condition because of Adam’s fall. It teaches that all people are corrupted by Adam’s sin through natural generation, by which—together with Adam’s imputed condemnation—we all enter the world guilty before God. Original sin shows that we sin because we are sinners, entering this world with a corrupt nature and without hope apart from the saving grace of God in the gospel.
According to author Matt Perman... Biblical texts indicate that human nature is corrupt. Therefore, even infants are corrupt because they are human. And if infants are corrupt, then this is the same as saying that we are born corrupt... which means we are born with original sin.
According to Roman Catholics... According to Catholic theology original sin was when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit of the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Original sin is an Augustine Christian doctrine that says that everyone is born sinful... that means that we are born with a built-in urge to do bad things and to disobey God. Catholics believe that the soul is created by God and joined to the body at the precise moment of conception and that the soul remains united to the body until death... after which the soul continues in a disembodied state. Catholics believe that original sin is a state, that infants are guilty at birth, and that original sin is the guilt of disobedience to God passed on from Adam and Eve to all subsequent generations.
According to Methodists (umc.org)... Article 7 of the Methodist Church... "Original sin standeth not in the following of Adam, but it is the corruption of the nature of every man, that naturally is engendered of the offspring of Adam, whereby man is very far gone from original righteousness, and of his own nature inclined to evil, and that continually".
According to Baptists... Baptists denominations and churches believe in the doctrine of original sin. It’s their conviction that the Bible teaches that people are sinful from birth. Different sects have different wording of "original sin"... here is one - “By his free choice man sinned against God and brought sin into the human race. Through the temptation of Satan man transgressed the command of God, and fell from his original innocence whereby his posterity inherit a nature and an environment inclined toward sin.
According to Lutherans... The Lutheran Churches teach that original sin "is a root and fountain-head of all actual sins."
According to Seventh-day Adventism... Though believing in the concept of inherited sin from Adam, there is no dogmatic Adventist position on original sin.
According to Jehovah's Witnesses... They believe that all humans are born sinners, because of inheriting sin, corruption, and death from Adam. When they disobeyed God by eating from “the tree of the knowledge of good and bad,” they committed what many call the original sin. Adam and Eve passed on their sinful condition to all their descendants.
According to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints... The LDS Church rejects the doctrine of original sin. The church's second Articles of Faith reads, "We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam's transgression."
According to Quakersim... Some believe in "original sin" and some do not.
According to Pentecostalism... Pentecostals believe all humanity is born into sin, but that sin is not counted against the person until they teach the age of accountability. So all have sinned, and all have fallen short because of Adam and Eve.
Biblical references... (words in brackets are my comments)
Genesis 3:6... When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.
Genesis 6:5... Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of mankind (all of us) was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually.
Genesis 8:21... ---man’s heart is evil from his youth (all of us);---
1st Kings 8:46... When they sin against You (for there is no person (all of us) who does not sin) and You are angry with them and turn them over to an enemy, so that they take them away captive to the land of the enemy, distant or near...
Psalms 51:5... Behold, I was brought forth in guilt, And in sin my mother conceived me.
Psalms 58:3... The wicked have turned away from the womb these who speak lies go astray from birth (original sin).
Psalms 103:14... For He Himself knows our form; he is mindful that we are nothing but dust.
Proverbs 3:32... For the devious are an abomination to the Lord; but He is intimate with the upright.
Proverbs 22:15... Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child (all of us);---
Jeremiah 4:22... For My people (all of us) are foolish, they do not know Me; they are foolish children and have no understanding. They are skillful at doing evil, but they do not know how to do good.
John 3:16... “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life.
Acts 2:41... So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls.
Acts 8:12... But when they believed Philip as he was preaching the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were being baptized.
Romans 5:12... Therefore, just as through one man (Adam) sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all mankind, because all sinned.
Romans 5:15... But the gracious gift is not like the offense. For if by the offense of the one (Adam) the many died (all of us), much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many.
Romans 5:18-19... So then, as through one offense (Adam) the result was condemnation to all mankind (all of us), so also through one act of righteousness the result was justification of life to all mankind. For as through the one man’s disobedience (Adam's) the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the One (Jesus) the many will be made righteous.
Romans 3:23... ---for all (all of us) have sinned and fall short of the glory of God---
1st Corinthians 15:22... For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.
Ephesians 2:1-2... And you were dead in your offenses and sins, in which you previously walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons (all of us) of disobedience.
Ephesians 2:3... ---and were by nature children (all of us) of wrath---.
1 Peter 3:21... Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience - through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
1 John 1:7... but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.
1 John 4:10... In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
Discussion thoughts...
This is another one of those studies where it is difficult to conclude specific answers... over the years beliefs have become policies that sometimes cannot be confirmed by actual scriptures! Biblical translations and scholars disagree... this increases the difficulty for us “laymen” to arrive at answers! Some aspects of “original sin” are confusing and sometimes controversial. So lets discuss the various aspects “analytically”.
Why is it called “original sin”?
Under Definitions and Beliefs above, are listed 20 discussions about "original sin"... why are they all so very different... everyone seems to agree that the "original sin" was committed when Eve took a bite of the apple, then she gave it to Adam and he took a bite... so why is it not called "Eve's sin", or "first sin", or "humankind's first sin"... maybe the answer is not important... through the years the "first sin" has become known as "original sin", so lets not try to change history!
Why is Adam blamed for the “original sin” when Eve was the “first” to eat the fruit?
General consistence it that, in general, the bible assigns the responsibility of leadership to husbands, thus Adam is responsible for the sin!
Does “original sin” permanently alienate us from God?
No... God does not blame us for what Adam and Eve did. He understands that we are imperfect, and He does not expect more of us than He knows is reasonable (Psalm 103:14). Even though we suffer from inherited sin, we have the opportunity and privilege of having a close friendship with God (Proverbs 3:32)
Can we be set free from the results of “original sin”?
Yes... it is important to know that sin has been prevalent in our world all the way back to Adam and Eve... and that "original sin" and other sins are forgivable! The Bible says that Jesus died “as an atoning sacrifice for our sins (1 John 4:10). Jesus' sacrifice can free us from the effects of inherited sin and allow us to have what Adam and Eve may have lost... the prospect of everlasting life in perfect health (John 3:16).
Does baptism free a person from original sin, so babies need to be baptized?
No... Although baptism is a vital step toward gaining salvation, only faith in Jesus' sacrifice can cleanse a person from sin (1 Peter 3:21 and John 1:7). Because biblical faith is based on knowledge, it is not possible for infants to have faith. The bible, therefore, does not endorse infant baptism. This fact was evident among the early Christians. They baptized, not babies, but believers... “men and women” who had faith in God's word (Acts 2:41 and 8:12). Please also read our study on “baptism”.,
Definition of "original sin"...
(1) Notice the definitions above... some say “original sin” is inherited, some say transmitted, some say manifesting itself, some say born sinful, some say passed on, some say born guilty, some say it is not actually “passed” but simply inherent in mankind, etc.
(2) Most everyone, and most every denomination, base the belief of “original sin” being passed on to future generations n the scripture of Psalms 51:5 which answers a couple of questions... the “original sin” was “created” at conception and the child was guilty a birth! Psalms 51:5, Proverbs 22:15, Jeremiah 4:22 and Genesis 8:21 confirms the guilt and suggests the child is guilty, foolish, has no understanding, skillful at doing evil, does not know how to do good and their heart is evil from their youth.
(3) The “first” sin, from which the term “original sin” was derived was as explained in Genesis 3:6 when Eve and Adam ate the apple.
So... based on the above 3 sub-sections... here is my definition of “original sin”... “original sin” is the sin that was first enacted when Eve and Adam ate the apple in the Garden of Eden and is the sin that has ever since been passed on to all humankind.
Also closely intertwined with "original sin" is the subject of "The Age of Accountability" (please also read that study). And... read our study "Do Stillbirths, Miscarriages, Aborted Babies and Infant Deaths go to Heaven"?
My Beliefs...
(1) "original sin" is the sin that was first enacted when Adam and Eve ate the apple in the Garden of Eden and is the sin that has ever since been passed on to all humankind (how it is passed is controversial and not important... the facts are, that as it says in Romans 3:23 and Romans 5:12, "all have sinned".
(2) Jesus' sacrifice, as promised in John 3:16, can free us from the effects of inherited sin (the original sin) and "other sins" and allow us to have everlasting life in perfect health.
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