What Is Original Sin?
Last updated: 2026-09-08
Original sin is the inherited corruption of our entire nature and the imputation of Adam's guilt, which renders all humanity spiritually dead and inclined toward evil from conception. It is not merely an imitation of Adam's sin, but an inward, hereditary disease that can only be remedied by the grace of God in Christ.
The Nature of Original Sin
Original sin is not simply the actions we commit; it is the fundamental state of our existence since the Fall. As stated in the 1689 LBCF Ch.6 §3, Adam and Eve stood as the root of all mankind, and through their disobedience, they conveyed a corrupted nature to all their posterity. This includes the imputation of Adam's guilt, the loss of original righteousness, and a pervasive corruption of our entire nature—our understanding, heart, and will—rendering us indisposed to all that is spiritually good (Westminster Shorter Catechism Q.18).
Sources 1689 LBCF Ch.6 §3 Westminster Shorter Catechism Q.18
The Gospel Antidote
While original sin marks us as "children of wrath" by nature, we find our hope entirely outside of ourselves in the finished work of Jesus Christ. The Scripture declares, "Therefore, as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin; and so death passed unto all men, for that all sinned" (Romans 5:12). It is only because the Lord Jesus sets us free that this hereditary debt is cancelled for the believer (1689 LBCF Ch.6 §3). Our obedience is not the cause of our acceptance, but the thankful response to the righteousness that has been freely credited to us through faith in Him.
Sources Romans 5:12 1689 LBCF Ch.6 §3
Original sin affects every human being by rendering us naturally dead in sin, spiritually corrupt in every faculty, and liable to condemnation. It matters for salvation because our total inability to please God or rescue ourselves necessitates an alien righteousness—the perfect, imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ—as our only hope.
The Universal Reach of Corruption
Original sin is not a peripheral issue; it is the fundamental condition of the human race. Because we were 'in' Adam as our federal head, his fall became our fall. As stated in the 1689 LBCF Ch.6 §2, our first parents fell from their original righteousness, and we in them, resulting in the total corruption of our entire nature. This 'hereditary disease,' as the Belgic Confession Art. 15 describes it, means every thought, affection, and volition is tainted from birth. We are not sinners because we sin; we sin because we are sinners.
Sources Romans 5:12 1689 LBCF Ch.6 §2 Belgic Confession Art. 15
Why It Matters for the Gospel
If we do not understand the depth of our depravity, we will never treasure the height of God's grace. The Westminster Larger Catechism Q.25 emphasizes that we are 'utterly indisposed, disabled, and made opposite unto all that is spiritually good.' If we are truly dead, we cannot contribute one iota to our salvation; we cannot 'choose' God apart from the regenerating work of the Spirit. This is why the gospel is such good news: it declares that while we were dead in our trespasses, Christ made us alive together with Him (Ephesians 2:1-5).
Sources Westminster Larger Catechism Q.25 Ephesians 2:1-5
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