Can someone explain to me the ocncept of original sin? Thanks!?

Question

I just dont understand why babies have to be absolved of sin in Baptism. they are just babies after all.

Bible quotes gratefully received!

Answer 1

Original Sin is not biblical, it is a theological statement of the church. The question runs, why is salvation necessary and why must Christ have died.

Augustine first wrote of Original Sin in the 4th century, as a hereditary condition of human sinfulness due to the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden. Through their disobedience, all of their offspring are born in a condition of sin. Augustine also saw this Original Sin as connected to the tangible lusts for sex. Since sex is an outcome of the "knowledge" received in the Garden, the lust for sex and the conception of all humans through sex passes on the characteristic of Original Sin.

Many theologians through the centuries have refined the general understanding of Original Sin... many connecting the concept with self centeredness (certainly a basic human characteristic).

Infant Baptism is certainly a controversial topic, and it divides major denominations which use or deny the practice. Some will claim that it is not scriptural. But for those who believe in the tradition will claim that in the Bible, where households were baptized, they would have included the children and infants.

There are those who would claim that baptism without the ability to voice their commentment to Christ is meaningless. For those that believe in infant baptism, it is a means of marking the active grace within the child by the work of the Holy Spirit. The grace at work is wholly manifest by God and does not require the comitment or understanding or assent of the participent. It is a welcoming of the infant into the congregation and a covenant by the whole of the congregation to care for and nurture the child. Baptism is a sign of the dying and rising with Christ, it is emblematic of new birth. Very few, if any, denominations would still hold that that infant baptism is required to absolve Original sin.

Answer 2

Infant baptism is common in some denominations, but it does not have any scriptural authority. This baptism comes from men--not from God. The Bible clearly tells us that the kingdom of God belongs to the little children (Matthew 19:14; Mark 10:14; Luke 18:16). They are considered to be pure in heart. God's Word teaches that unless we become like little children, we will never enter the kingdom of God (Matthew 18:3; Mark 10:15; Luke 18:17). This means we are to be pure in heart and follow Jesus without questioning why.
Some who practice infant baptism attempt to use scriptures such as Psalm 51:5 and John 9:34 to claim we are born with sin and are unsaved. But this is not a correct interpretation of the scriptures. We are born with sinful nature, but not with sin which a baby could not repent of. Jesus Himself was born of a woman. If we are born with sin, then Jesus would not have been sinless. Yet, even though he was tempted as we are, He was always sinless (Hebrews 4:15).

Answer 3

The problem is, original sin in and of itself isn't necessarily Biblical. Churches that don't go in for it point to the "age of accountability" instead, when a child is rational enough to understand the cause and effect of sin. (It's not a set age, but I think most kids can grasp it around ten if not younger.)

Original sin has different origins in different religions branching off from the Abrahamic God. In Christianity, it came from an early church father proposing that it was indeed possible to live a sinless, blameless life, if one tried hard enough (I believe this was Pelagius); another church father (I believe this was Augustine) came back with the doctrine of original sin. (Which is also how the doctrine of limbo came about--mothers with babies dying before baptism were horrified by the idea of original sin, and a place for those babies was created.)

And, for the record, original sin or not: I think Pelagius was nuts for even thinking that, but there you go.

Answer 4

Also known as 'The Original Sin" meaning we still acrry the mistakes of Adam and Eve with us to this day.

This was one of the reasons that some early Christian men felt women had no right to be in the Church. They blamed ALL of womankind for Eve's transgression. It is still a powerful factor in the reasons for not wanting female priests in the Church.

It is because they have not accepted Jesus Christ as their personal savior. For the longest time 'Purgatory' existed for people who died in original sin without the ability to make this decision, then in 1975 the Pope declared Purgatory was no more and *poof* 100 million souls went somewhere (God knows where ...... 'pun' intended).

It is a very archaic tradition, and one of the key points that made the Hebrews finally break with early Christianity. Seems Paul screwed up quite a few things in his interpretations of the Gospels.

Answer 5

Babies cannot be absolved of sin, but that is another issue entirely.

Original sin refers to the Fall of Mankind in the Garden of Eden. Adam disobeyed God and his spirit died towards God in that day. As a result, everyone born in the human race is now a soulish, selfish creature who does not seek the will of God above their own will. The nature of mankind is "sinfull' in that regard. Adam was our covenant head, since he was the first man.

Answer 6

No Bible quotes here as it is "all" equally inspired. Original sin is man's propensity to sin. It goes like this. Children of alcoholics have some genetic disposition to become addicted to alcohol. It is inherited. Original sin is inherited from Adam & Eve because they chose to sin. We have natural dispositions to sin but we don't have to. This original sin puts up a barrier between us and God's grace. Baptism washes away this barrier so that we can be filled with God's grace through part two of baptism, Confirmation. Besides washing away this barrier, baptism unites us to the mystical body of Christ's Church. This is why babies are baptized, to join the Church and to have that propensity washed away.

Answer 7

The Introduction of Sin. Sin occurred first in the spirit realm before its introduction on earth. For unknown ages full harmony with God prevailed in the universe. Disruption came through a spirit creature referred to simply as the Resister, Adversary (Heb., Sa·tan′; Gr., Sa·ta·nas′; Job 1:6; Ro 16:20), the principal False Accuser or Slanderer (Gr., Di·a′bo·los) of God. (Heb 2:14; Re 12:9) Hence, the apostle John says: “He who carries on sin originates with the Devil, because the Devil has been sinning from the beginning.”—1Jo 3:8.

By “the beginning” John clearly means the beginning of Satan’s career of opposition, even as “beginning” is used to refer to the start of the discipleship of Christians at 1 John 2:7; 3:11. John’s words show that, once having introduced sin, Satan continued his sinful course. Hence, any person that “makes sin his business or practice” reveals himself to be a ‘child’ of the Adversary, spiritual offspring reflecting the qualities of his “father.”—The Expositor’s Greek Testament, edited by W. R. Nicoll, 1967, Vol. V, p. 185; Joh 8:44; 1Jo 3:10-12.

Since cultivation of wrong desire to the point of fertility precedes the ‘birth of sin’ (Jas 1:14, 15), the spirit creature who turned opposer had already begun to deviate from righteousness, had experienced disaffection toward God, prior to the actual manifestation of sin.

Answer 8

Baptism before accountability accomplishes nothing.
Dedication does.
The difference is with dedication the child is not making a decision, it is the parents making a decision to raise the child in a Christian environment.

As to the concept of original sin, Adam was created by God with out any influence from human parents, and he sinned.
He and Eve who had both sinned became the parents of Cain, Abel, and Seth. Their sin nature was passed genetically on to their sons and daughters. Thay cycle continues on today.

Answer 9

According to Christian tradition, original sin is the general condition of sinfulness (lack of holiness) into which human beings are born (Psalm 51:5[1]). Original sin is also called hereditary sin, birth sin, or person sin. Used with the definite article ("the original sin"), it refers to the first sin, committed when Adam and Eve succumbed to Satan's temptation. This Biblical story of original sin is the sign and seed of future evil choices and effects for the whole human race. Christians usually refer to this first sin as "the Fall". Original sin is distinguished from actual sin as cause and effect: Matt. 7:17b: "the bad tree bears bad fruit". Original sin is not "personal" (in the modern sense of this word) - in that it is not the consequence of personal choice or personal failure to act - but nevertheless it is "personal" in the sense that every individual person is personally subject to the effects of original sin.

Answer 10

Well the logic is that because Adam and Even sinned, we are all tainted by it. The same logic was applied to the idea that since Jews killed Christ, they were fair game for persecution over the ages.

This is why atheism is such a comfort to me in my old age.