There is, and has often been in times past, controversy regarding the doctrine of original sin. Some say God is unfair in punishing all of mankind for the sin of Adam and Eve. Some say it is unfair that Adam is blamed and not Eve. Still others claim that sin is not a result of the fall, but of imitation. When faced with so many controversial opinions regarding the fall it is best to go back to the Bible to find solid answers.
When people claim that Adam is not to blame for original sin because Eve was the first to eat the fruit they utilize erroneous logic. Often times people defend Adam saying that he was only trusting Eve in taking the fruit, and perhaps he was unaware that the fruit she offered him was the forbidden fruit. These arguments fail when the Biblical account of the fall is read in Genesis three for Eve “also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it” (Genesis 3:6b). It was Adam who was given the command not to eat of the fruit, and Adam who held responsibility for his wife’s actions; he heard the whole conversation she had with the serpent yet he did not try to stop her. The blame is three-fold; the serpent, Eve, and Adam all participated yet because Adam held the responsibility he is forevermore recorded in the Bible as the ‘one man’ through which sin entered the world (Romans 5:12).
It stands therefore, that because of the original sin committed all of mankind is now enslaved to sin. According to an article on original sin found at the answers.com website,
The Calvinistic doctrine states that Adam’s sin has resulted not only in our having a sin nature, but also in our incurring guilt before God for which we deserve punishment. Being conceived with original sin upon us (Psalm 51:5) results in our inheriting a sin nature so wicked that Jeremiah 17:9 describes the human heart as being ‘deceitful above all things and beyond cure’. Not only was Adam found guilty because he sinned, but his guilt and his punishment (death) belong to us as well (Romans 5:12, 19).
The article clearly shows by using the Bible that Adam’s sin is passed on to all mankind, the Belgic Confession makes a similar inference “We believe that through the disobedience of Adam original sin is extended to all mankind; which is a corruption of the whole nature and a hereditary disease, wherewith even infants in their mother’s womb are infected…”.
The statement above defends the doctrine of original sin and refutes the idea that sin is a result of imitation. All of mankind is affected by original sin, but inherently and not through imitation. No one needs to teach a child to have a temper tantrum or to be disobedient; a child does not need to see a sin committed so he can imitate it. If imitation was the case who did Eve see sin? Adam saw Eve, in fact as seen before he was with her, and thus also tempted. No, even a child in his mother’s womb is condemned. Sin is deeply engrained in every human heart and cannot be avoided, yet God provides the blessing of enmity between the seed of the serpent and the seed of woman in Genesis 3:15 out of His great love. It is because of this enmity that Jesus came, died for our sins, and gives life to those who repent, and believe. Sadly, though all are affected by sin not all will be saved; everyone dies but not everyone lives.
Original sin affects all of mankind, and even taints the way through which the Bible is interpreted. Wrong thinking results not from unclear passages of scripture, but by man wanting to shift the blame of sin onto someone else and make God look as though He is unfair. As seen above, the truth is found not through speculation but the Word of God.
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