What Is Original Sin?

Original sin is a theological term that goes back to the fall of man. As I said before, man was created in God's image, righteous and free. He was a free moral agent, freely able to choose God or turn away from Him. By eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he did the one thing he was asked not to do. Breaking God's one commandment to him was sin. At that point he was driven from the Garden of Eden and cut off from the tree of life (seeGenesis 3:2-24CloseGenesis 3:2-24 "Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden," the woman replied. "It's only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, `You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.'" "You won't die!" the serpent replied to the woman. "God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil." The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves. When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man* and his wife heard the LORD God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the LORD God among the trees. Then the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?" He replied, "I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked." "Who told you that you were naked?" the LORD God asked. "Have you eaten from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat?" The man replied, "It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it." Then the LORD God asked the woman, "What have you done?"  "The serpent deceived me," she replied. "That's why I ate it." Then the LORD God said to the serpent,"Because you have done this, you are cursed  more than all animals, domestic and wild.You will crawl on your belly,  groveling in the dust as long as you live. And I will cause hostility between you and the woman,  and between your offspring and her offspring.He will strike* your head,  and you will strike his heel." Then he said to the woman,"I will sharpen the pain of your pregnancy,  and in pain you will give birth.And you will desire to control your husband,  but he will rule over you.*" And to the man he said,"Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree  whose fruit I commanded you not to eat,the ground is cursed because of you.  All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it. It will grow thorns and thistles for you,  though you will eat of its grains. By the sweat of your brow  will you have food to eatuntil you return to the ground  from which you were made.For you were made from dust,  and to dust you will return." Then the man—Adam—named his wife Eve, because she would be the mother of all who live.* And the LORD God made clothing from animal skins for Adam and his wife. Then the LORD God said, "Look, the human beings* have become like us, knowing both good and evil. What if they reach out, take fruit from the tree of life, and eat it? Then they will live forever!" So the LORD God banished them from the Garden of Eden, and he sent Adam out to cultivate the ground from which he had been made. After sending them out, the LORD God stationed mighty cherubim to the east of the Garden of Eden. And he placed a flaming sword that flashed back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life. OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) ).

From that moment on, the spirit of man was damaged. It is as if man is now born with a moral handicap. He is lame in the most important part of his being--his spirit.

That is original sin. The Bible says, "They go astray as soon as they are born, speaking lies" (Psalms 58:3ClosePsalms 58:3 These wicked people are born sinners;  even from birth they have lied and gone their own way. OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) ). There is a rebellious nature in most children. They just like to do whatever you tell them not to do. This natural rebellion stems from man's original sin. Instead of being morally free, man has a decided tendency toward sin--urged on toward evil by what is called "the world, the flesh, and the devil."

Only those who come to Jesus can be rid of this tendency. That is the whole concept of being born again. Our spirits are re-created. Our spirits are now joined with God's Spirit, and we have the ability to live a godly, holy life in Jesus Christ. On our own, we simply cannot do it. The apostle Paul says, "O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death" (Romans 7:24CloseRomans 7:24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) )? He says, the thing that I want to do, I cannot do. The good I would do, I cannot do, whereas evil lies close at hand (seeRomans 7:15-20CloseRomans 7:15-20 I don't really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don't do it. Instead, I do what I hate. But if I know that what I am doing is wrong, this shows that I agree that the law is good. So I am not the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature.* I want to do what is right, but I can't. I want to do what is good, but I don't. I don't want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. But if I do what I don't want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it. OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) ).

Paul struggled against his fallen nature until he realized that "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit" (Romans 8:1CloseRomans 8:1 So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) ). He also said, "The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death" (Romans 8:2CloseRomans 8:2 And because you belong to him, the power* of the life-giving Spirit has freed you* from the power of sin that leads to death. OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) ). The renewal and change in Jesus Christ can free people from the bondage of original sin.

We should keep in mind that original sin is a tendency to do evil, not an act of evil. Guilt comes when we commit acts of evil. There is no such thing as "original guilt." God does not punish people for tendencies, only for what they do in light of what they know. Therefore, little babies do not go to hell because of original sin, because babies have never committed any sinful acts.

Excerpt taken from Answers to 200 of Life's Most Probing Questions, Copyright 1984 by Pat Robertson.