Using Cultural Examples to Challenge Assumptions in Apologetics
Original sin is a foundational theological concept in Christianity, referring to the corrupted spiritual state of humanity inherited from the sin of Adam and Eve. This inherited condition affects all individuals from birth, predisposing them to sin and separating them from God [1, 4]. While the concept is widely accepted, its precise nature, extent, and implications are understood differently across various Christian traditions.
The biblical basis for original sin is often drawn from passages that describe humanity's inherent sinfulness. Psalm 51:5 states, "Indeed, I was born guilty, a sinner when my mother conceived me" [1]. Similarly, Psalm 58:3 notes that "the wicked go astray from the womb; they err from their birth, speaking lies" [1]. These verses suggest an innate human tendency toward sin, present from the earliest moments of life. The Apostle Paul's writings in Romans are also central to the doctrine, particularly Romans 5:12, which states, "Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned." This passage is interpreted by many traditions as establishing a direct link between Adam's sin and the sinfulness of all humanity [5]. John Gill, a Baptist/Reformed commentator, interprets Psalm 106:6 ("We have sinned with our fathers") to mean that people "sinned in their first father Adam" and "derived a corrupt nature from their immediate ancestors" [4].
In Western Christianity, particularly within Catholicism and Protestantism, original sin is understood as a real, inherited condition. Thomas Aquinas, a prominent Scholastic theologian, argued that original sin is a single, unified sin present in every individual, stemming from the first sin of Adam [2]. He explained that this sin is "one in proportion" across all humanity, relating back to its "first principle" in Adam [2]. John Calvin, a key figure in the Reformed tradition, described original sin as a "corruption and perversity of nature" that makes individuals "odious to God" [3]. He emphasized that this corruption is not merely a lack of good but an active inclination toward evil, affecting all parts of human nature [3]. Calvin further noted that the "spirit, which is contrasted with the old man, and the flesh, denotes not only the grace by which the sensual or inferior part of the soul is corrected, but includes a complete reformation of all its parts" [3].
The Augsburg Confession, a foundational document of Lutheranism, articulates original sin as a state where "all men are born with sin, that is, without the fear of God, without trust in God, and with concupiscence" [6]. It further states that this "disease or vice of origin" is truly sin, condemning and bringing eternal death to those not born again through baptism and the Holy Spirit [6]. The Anglican tradition, in its Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion, similarly defines original sin as "the fault and 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 is of his own nature inclined to evil, so that the flesh lusteth always contrary to the spirit" [10]. This inherited corruption, according to the Articles, remains even in the regenerate [10].
Eastern Orthodox theology, while acknowledging the fallen state of humanity due to Adam's sin, typically avoids the term "original sin" in the same juridical sense as Western traditions. Instead, it often speaks of "ancestral sin" or "hereditary sin." This perspective emphasizes that humanity inherits the consequences of Adam's sin—mortality, corruption, and a propensity to sin—rather than inheriting Adam's personal guilt [9]. John of Damascus, an influential Eastern Orthodox theologian, discusses the fallen nature of humanity and the need for redemption, but the emphasis is on the inherited sickness or weakness of human nature rather than a transmitted guilt [9]. The focus is on the disruption of the original communion with God and the subsequent inclination towards sin, which is passed down through generations.
Augustine of Hippo, a pivotal figure in the development of the doctrine in the West, strongly argued for the transmission of guilt from Adam to all humanity [7]. He even suggested the "probability" that infants are "involved in the guilt of the sins not only of the first pair, but of their own immediate parents" before regeneration [7]. This Augustinian view heavily influenced subsequent Western theological thought, particularly in its emphasis on the inherited guilt that necessitates baptism for salvation.
The Jewish tradition, while acknowledging the concept of a yetzer hara (evil inclination) present in every individual, does not typically embrace the Christian doctrine of original sin as an inherited guilt from Adam. Rabbinic thought, as seen in texts like Targum Jonathan, emphasizes individual responsibility for sin [8]. While there is an understanding that humanity is prone to sin, this is generally not attributed to a single, inherited sin from Adam that condemns all humanity from birth. Instead, the focus is on the choices individuals make and their capacity for repentance and obedience to God's law [8].
Sources
- Psalms (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Psalms 58:3: 58:3 All human beings are born sinners (see 51:5); however, whereas the wicked indulge their sinful nature, the godly fight against it (Rom 7:19-23; Jas 4:1-10).”
- theology (Catholic (Scholastic)) “Aquinas, Summa Theologica, First Part of the Second Part (Prima Secundae), Of Original Sin, As to Its Essence, Art. 2: Article: Whether there are several original sins in one man? I answer that, In one man there is one original sin. Two reasons may be assigned for this. The first is on the part of the cause of original sin. For it has been stated (Question [81], Article [2]), that the first sin alone of our first parent was transmitted to his posterity. Wherefore in one man original sin is one in number; and in all men, it is one in proportion, i.e. in relation to its first principle. The seco”
- CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 37: a description of original sin; The same thing appears more clearly from the mode of renovation. For the spirit, which is contrasted with the old man, and the flesh, denotes not only the grace by which the sensual or inferior part of the soul is corrected, but includes a complete reformation of all its parts ( Eph. 4:23 ). And, accordingly, Paul enjoins not only that gross appetites be suppressed, but that we be renewed in the spirit of our mind ( Eph. 4:23 ), as he elsewhere tells us to be transformed by the renewing of our mind ( ”
- Psalms (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Psalms 106:6: We have sinned with our fathers,.... Sinned in their first father Adam; derived a corrupt nature from their immediate ancestors; sinned after the similitude of their transgressions; sinned after their example, in like manner as they did; guilty of the same gross enormities as they were: though sufficiently warned by the words of the prophets, and by punishments inflicted, they continued their sins, a constant series and course of them, and filled up the measure of their iniquities; they rose up in their stead an increase of sinful men, to augment the fierce anger of ”
- CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 2, section 144: 1:23 2:8 2:9 2:22 2:24 2:24 2:24 3:18-19 3:19 3:21 3:22 5:10 2 Peter 1:3 1:3 1:10 1 John 1:1-3 1:1-3 1:7 1:8 1:10 2:1 2:1 2:2 2:2 2:2 2:20 2:20 2:27 3:4 3:16 3:17 3:24 4:9 4:10 4:10 4:10 5:1 5:1-18 5:10 5:12 5:19 Jude 1:4 Revelation 1:5 2:7 5:9 6:9 12:9 13:8 16:10-11 17:14 20:2 20:4 22:2 22:14 22:17 Wisdom of Solomon 2:24 2 Maccabees 7:9”
- Augsburg Confession (Lutheran) “Augsburg Confession (Lutheran, 1530), Article II. Of Original Sin.: Article II. Of Original Sin.”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 3: Augustine — On the Holy Trinity — CHAP. 46.--IT IS PROBABLE THAT CHILDREN ARE INVOLVED IN THE GUILT NOT ONLY OF THE FIRST PAIR, BUT OF THEIR OWN IMMEDIATE PARENTS.: And it is said, with much appearance of probability, that infants are involved in the guilt of the sins not only of the first pair, but of their own immediate parents. For that divine judgment, "I shall visit the iniquities of the fathers upon the children,"(7) certainly applies to them before they come under the new covenant by regeneration. And it was this new covenant that was prophesied of, when it was said by Ezek”
- Targum Jonathan (Jewish (Rabbinic)) “Targum Jonathan, Targum Jonathan on I Samuel 12:23: As for me, far be it from me that I should sin before the LORD and cease to pray concerning you. But I will teach you the way, that you may be in the right and the proper way.”
- CCEL (Eastern Orthodox) “John of Damascus, An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith, section 105: 9:5 9:5 9:5 9:19 9:21 9:21 10:4 10:4 10:6-9 10:13-21 10:17 11:8 11:25-27 11:28 11:32 11:33-36 11:36 11:36 11:36 12:3 12:13 15:10 15:12 16:25-27 1 Corinthians 1:9 1:10 1:17-25 1:20 1:20-25 1:23 1:23 1:23-24 1:24 1:24 1:24 1:27 1:27 2:2 2:7-8 2:8 2:8 2:8 2:10-11 2:11 2:12 2:12 2:14-15 3:8 3:8 3:16 3:17 3:19 7:2 7:25 7:31 8 8:5 8:6 8:6 8:6 8:6 8:6 8:7 10:1 10:17 10:31 11:2 11:24-26 11:29 11:31-32 12:3 12:3 12:3 12:3 12:4-7 12:4-11 12:5-6 12:5-6 12:8 12:8 12:8-10 12:11 12:12 12:24 13:10 14:32 14:37 15:3-4 15:16-17 15:20 15:2”
- Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion (Anglican) “Thirty-Nine Articles of Religion (Anglican, 1571), 9.Of Original or Birth-sin.: 9.Of Original or Birth-sin.”