Original sin

SolitaryRoad.com

Website owner:  James Miller

[ Home ] [ Up ] [ Info ] [ Mail ]

Original sin

Original sin. The term “original sin” is not found in the Bible. I have often wondered just how people conceived of this idea of original sin because I have gotten the idea that some people think that everyone will be punished in hell not because of their own sin but because of the sin of Adam. Well, let me say immediately that every person will be punished because of his own personal sin, not because of the sin of his father or his grandfather or of some distant ancestor such as Adam. God is a just God and he doesn’t punish someone for someone else’s sin. The following is from Wikipedia:

Original sin is the Christian doctrine that humans inherit a tainted nature and a proclivity to sin through the fact of birth. Theologians have characterized this condition in many ways, seeing it as 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 total depravity or automatic guilt of all humans through collective guilt.

The doctrine of original sin has little basis in the Bible. It began to emerge in the 3rd century but only became fully formed with the writings of Augustine of Hippo (354–430), who was the first author to use the phrase "original sin" (Latin: peccatum originale).

From this we see that different theologians have different ideas of the concept and carry different assumptions in their use of the term.

I say this: No one is going to go to hell because of “collective guilt”. Each person is held responsible for his own actions. Each person is punished for his own sin.

The Bible does teach that we are all inclined towards sin and we are all guilty of sin.

Rom 3:23 “for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God,”

If we consider what kind of things that God regards as sin, it is obvious that the human race is strongly inclined toward sin. The following scripture give an idea of what God regards as sin:

Gal 5: {19} Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are:

adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, {20} idolatry,

sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath,

selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, {21} envy, murders,

drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you

beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those

who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

{22} But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,

longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, {23}

gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

1 Cor 6:9-10 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not

inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither

fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals,

nor sodomites, {10} nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards,

nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.

Col 3: {5} Therefore put to death your

members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness,

passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. {6}

Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the

sons of disobedience,{8} But now you yourselves are to put

off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language

out of your mouth. {9} Do not lie to one another, since you

have put off the old man with his deeds,

With this understanding of what things God regards as sin anyone who has seen much of life knows how inclined mankind is toward sin. Any serious reading of history gives a lesson in the basic nature of man. And it is not good. It is just filled with all kinds of tricks and treachery. Man is just not very kind and good to his fellow man. He is just strongly inclined towards lust, selfishness, and badness.

Let us now consider the passages in the 2^nd and 3^rd chapters of Genesis that gave birth to the concept of original sin:

_____________________________________________________________________________

Gen 2:8 The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed. 9 And out of the ground the Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

15 Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

21 And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. 22 Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man.

23 And Adam said:

“This is now bone of my bones

And flesh of my flesh;

She shall be called Woman,

Because she was taken out of Man.”

24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

3:1 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”

2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ”

4 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.

8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.

9 Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?”

10 So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.”

11 And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?”

12 Then the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.”

13 And the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”

The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

14 So the Lord God said to the serpent:

“Because you have done this,

You are cursed more than all cattle,

And more than every beast of the field;

On your belly you shall go,

And you shall eat dust

All the days of your life.

15 And I will put enmity

Between you and the woman,

And between your seed and her Seed;

He shall bruise your head,

And you shall bruise His heel.”

16 To the woman He said:

“I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception;

In pain you shall bring forth children;

Your desire shall be for your husband,

And he shall rule over you.”

17 Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’:

“Cursed is the ground for your sake;

In toil you shall eat of it

All the days of your life.

18 Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you,

And you shall eat the herb of the field.

19 In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread

Till you return to the ground,

For out of it you were taken;

For dust you are,

And to dust you shall return.”

20 And Adam called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.

21 Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin, and clothed them.

22 Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”— 23 therefore the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. 24 So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.

_____________________________________________________________________________

I call attention to the following:

4 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

So Adam and Eve disobeyed God and ate of the fruit that God had forbidden them to eat and on that became like God, endowed with a conscience, knowing right from wrong. From that, sin came into the world.

The Apostle Paul made reference to it in

Rom 5:12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned— 18 Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. 19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous. 6:22 But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

What is he talking about? He is talking about Christ’s death on the cross constituting the supreme sacrifice for sin, thus enabling our salvation.

Eph 1:7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.

Eph 2:8, 9 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

I Pet 1:18 knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.

Matt 20:28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.

29 Dec 2020