What is original sin?

When our Puritan forefathers taught their children the alphabet, they made sure to include small doses of theology along the way. So, for example, the New England Primer, first published in 1690, used this couplet for the letter A:

In Adam’s Fall,
we sinned all.

That’s about as succinct a statement of the doctrine of original sin as you’ll ever find. The original sin is “Adam’s Fall,” his disobedience of God’s commandment in the Garden of Eden. Unfortunately, Adam’s disobedience brought death into the world as God’s judgment against sin. But that judgment did not just affect Adam. It affects us too.

Here’s what Paul writes about the topic in Romans 5.12-14:

Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned-for before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come.

Notice the logic of Paul’s words.

First, Adam introduced sin into God’s creation by disobeying God’s commandment. The story of Adam’s disobedience is found in Genesis 3.1-19. Here’s the background to the story. God had created a perfect world and placed Adam and Eve in the middle of a garden paradise. He told them that they could eat from any tree in the garden except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Instead of rejoicing in the bounty of food God had provided them, Adam and Eve chose to eat the one fruit God had forbidden them. Why? Because a snake told them to go ahead and try it. The lesson here is that sin always begins with ingratitude and ends with irrationality.

Second, Paul teaches us, disobedience requires punishment. According to Genesis 2.17-19, the punishment for disobedience of God’s commandment is death. Death is first and foremost separation from God and his blessings, then it is physical death, then it is eternal punishment. Death in all its dimensions entered the world through Adam’s sin.

But it is not as if God were unfairly punishing us for Adam’s sin. Paul goes on to say, “in this way death came to all men, because all sinned.” Adam’s actions brought about negative consequences for him and for us. But we should never think that God is treating us unjustly. Adam is not to blame for our shortcomings. We’re very capable sinners all on our own.

Paul concludes this paragraph by talking about the law. What he means is the Old Testament law. People sinned and experienced God’s judgment even before God revealed the law to Israel through Moses. What God expects of us is written in the Book of Nature as well as the Book of Scripture. So, none of us can claim ignorance as an excuse for our behavior. One way or another, we know what is right, but choose to do what is wrong nonetheless.

Is there any hope for us sinners? Yes! Paul speaks of Adam as “a pattern of the one to come,” that is, Jesus. We’ll talk more about him and how he reverses the pattern of Adam’s disobedience next time.