â..In Adamâ..s Fall, we sinned all.â. Thatâ..s the doctrine of original sin according to The New England Primer. But is the doctrine fair?

Consider what Paul writes in Romans 5.18-21:

Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.

The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

To be perfectly honest, the doctrine of original sin seems unfair. Why should we experience the negative consequences of Adamâ..s sinful choice? To borrow Paulâ..s words, why should Adamâ..s trespass result in our condemnation? Why should his disobedience make us sinners? Why should his sin usher in the reign of death over us?

In lieu of a decisive answer to the question of fairnessâ..which I donâ..t haveâ..let me offer three questions of my own.

First, have you acted any better than Adam? We think the doctrine of original sin is unfair because we seem to get punished for Adamâ..s sin. Or at least we suffer the consequences of it. But itâ..s not as if weâ..re all that innocent ourselves. Itâ..s not as if, in other words, we hadnâ..t sinned ourselves. Adamâ..s sinful choice had consequences for all of us, but weâ..re pretty good at making sinful choices all on our own.

Second, do you realize that your choices affect others, for better or worse? If parents choose to work hard, live frugally, and spend wisely, their children reap the benefits. But if they choose to slack off, live beyond their means, and spend their money on booze, their children suffer. Is that fair? Perhaps not. But thatâ..s the way the world works. What our parents did affects our lives to this day. What we do affects our children in the days to come.

Third, is it fair that we receive the benefits of Christâ..s death? We criticize the doctrine of original sin because we seem to be punished for Adamâ..s sin. The argument seems to be that we should receive only what we deserve. Oddly, however, we donâ..t make that argument when it comes to salvation. We certainly donâ..t deserve salvation. We havenâ..t earned it through sinlessness. So why donâ..t we stand on our rights when it comes to grace?

As I said, I donâ..t have decisive answers to the question of the fairness of original sin. I can only tell you how I think about the matter. When I consider my own sinfulness and the consequences of my actions on others, I can see how Adamâ..s sin might affect my life today. But when I go on to consider the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, I realize that fairness is not the only thing in life, or even the most important thing. Grace is. And â..where sin increased, grace increased all the more.â.