The doctrine of original sin

Various authors

(You will find it helpful to LISTEN to the Audio, as you READ the text below.)

The doctrine of original sin is one of the most humbling truths revealed in Scripture. It declares that every human being, apart from the Lord Jesus Christ, enters the world in a state of sin inherited from Adam, our first father. This is not merely a matter of copying Adam's example, or following a bad pattern, but of sharing in his guilt and corrupted nature from the moment of our conception.

When Adam sinned in the Garden, he acted as the federal head and representative of the entire human race. God had entered into covenant with him, so that his obedience would bring blessing upon all his descendants, and his disobedience would bring condemnation upon them. Scripture states plainly, "Sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned" (Romans 5:12). Adam's sin and guilt was imputed to the entire race, and his corrupt nature was transmitted to all his offspring.

David confessed this sobering reality when he wrote, "Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me" (Psalm 51:5). This does not mean that the physical process of conception is sinful, but that the corrupt nature which every person inherited from father Adam is thoroughly depraved. Every part of man's being--mind, will, emotions, and affections--is tainted by sin. The result is not that man is as bad as he could possibly be, but that sin has affected him in every part, rendering him spiritually dead and utterly unable to come to God in his own strength.

The effects of original sin are evident in every generation. We do not need to teach a child to lie, to be selfish, or to disobey; these come naturally because they spring from every child's sinful heart. As Jeremiah observed, "The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can understand it?" (Jeremiah 17:9). This inward corruption is why the human race continually resists God, and chooses sin over Him.

The doctrine of original sin destroys any hope of salvation by human merit. If man is born spiritually dead, then no amount of moral reform, religious activity, or human effort can produce spiritual life. Our only hope is in God's sovereign grace, accomplished through Jesus' sin-atoning death. Just as guilt and corruption came through the first Adam, so righteousness and spiritual life come through the last Adam. Paul exults in this contrast: "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" (Romans 5:19).

Original sin magnifies the glory of the gospel. It shows the depth of the pit from which God has rescued His people, and the absolute necessity of regeneration by the Holy Spirit. Salvation is not a matter of God assisting us to improve ourselves; it is a wondrous miracle--making the dead live, the guilty forgiven, and the corrupt made new in Christ.

The doctrine of original sin, rightly understood . . .
  strips man of all pride,
  casts him entirely upon the mercy of God,
  and magnifies the grace of the Lord Jesus.
It reminds us that apart from faith in Christ alone--there can be no salvation.

 

Our short four page article on Original Sin covers the following aspects:

Its nature

Its transmission

Its extent

Its enormity

Its evidences

Its consequences

Its ramifications

Its remedy