Original Sin

Growing up in the Catholic church, the idea of Original Sin was a concept deeply embedded into my psyche at a very young age. In fact, I never questioned it, nor really stopped to re-evaluate this idea until much later in life.

For those not familiar, the idea of "Original Sin" presumes that all of humanity is born into moral deficiency - or - "guilty", due to the sin of Adam and Eve. In this tradition, humanity is doomed from birth. When compounded with other misconstrued ideas, particularly the dynamics of "Atonement", the idea of an "Eternal Hell", and "Salvation," - you can understand the emergence of infant baptism and other remedial measures to escape this grim destiny.

It seems Eastern Christian traditions do not hold this particular understanding and retain something similar to the Jewish view. Interestingly, because Protestant Christianity has not retained the practice of infant baptism, the presupposition of Original Sin leaves many Christians wondering about the "salvational" status of babies and young children.

A general consideration when approaching ambiguous concepts in the New Testament is to remember that the original audience needed no further written explanation. They seemed to possess some level of institutional knowledge through the oral tradition. This is very much the case with the concept of Messiah.

This tradition has been largely inaccessible and unavailable to later readers as the Church emerged as a separate entity from the Jewish roots from which it started. Subsequently, the gaps formerly occupied by the Jewish tradition have birthed a vast array of alternative explanations over the last 1,500 years.

By exploring this concept, we will hopefully understand the intended purpose and meaning of human life and correct a few common misconceptions.

Problems

A few problems emerge when we take the Western concept of Original Sin at face value. Immediately, we are confronted with the proposition that life is cruel and lacking in justice.

Imagine that someone does not meet the criteria of the prevailing idea of "Salvation" - whether it be through circumstances, untimely death, someone born without an awareness of G_D, mental disabilities (G_D forbid), or some other condition that precludes understanding. Their outlook is quite hopeless. Life is a rather perilous endeavor for a soul. Why risk it? What is the purpose of it all if so many are doomed from the start?

Another problem to contend with - this idea obscures the meaning of life. As a result, the emphasis can often be placed on future salvation, not life's day-to-day purpose. It is commonly believed that if one is saved, they are more or less free from any further expectations, often looking at the idea of works pejoratively.

Origins

The classic proof-text supporting Original Sin is taken from Romans 5:12.

Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all have sinned - Romans 5:12

If we read further, we find something interesting:

... for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned like the sin of Adam... - Romans 5:13-14

Paul makes some important statements to take note of:

1. The pre-existence of sin
2. Some had not sinned, yet still suffered death

1. Pre-existence of Sin

This touches on the deep Rabbinic tradition underlying Paul's comparison of Messiah and Adam¹. In this tradition, Adam was created with the job of elevating and perfecting all of creation. This means a measure of deficiencies is a feature and not a bug.

To enable this work, mankind was given free will to utilize. For free will to truly exist, there must also be the inherent potential to make the wrong choice. This decision-making process is discerned between (2) competing inclinations, known as; the Evil inclination² and the Good inclination³. Thus, the potential for sin seems to have already existed upon the creation of Adam.

2. Some Had Not Sinned?

Now, if we are to assume that all of humankind is guilty of sin at birth, how can it be that some had not sinned? Jewish tradition teaches that some people died in a state of righteousness, having no sins of their own to add to their condition - though they still had to endure a physical death due to the sin of Adam⁴.

This is not impossible to achieve as the Bible provides many methods of repentance and atonement that cover a multitude of sins for both the personal and the collective.

The Jewish Perspective

Perhaps the fundamental difference between the Jewish and Christian perspectives is this; it is death that was imparted to all of humankind through Adam's sin⁵.

While it is true that Adam's sin brought damage to the human soul, this does not imply that all humanity is naturally destined for eternal punishment. In His mercy, we enter life with a clean moral slate, and what we do with it matters greatly! In Ecclesiastes, we are told:

"G_D made men upright,.." - Ecclesiastes 7:29

We are thus born with the fullness of potential to live blamelessly. When we fail, we repent and get back up. If we hurt someone, we make amends to the best of our ability. Like Adam, we, too, have been created to bring elevation and repair to our part of the world.

Be Perfect

The Rabbinic language encourages us to seek "perfection", which in Hebrew is "Shleimut", meaning wholeness. This is what Yeshua himself said in Matthew:

You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. - Matthew 5:48

This language is hardly doom and gloom. This is the language of empowerment and inspiration that we can attain a form of personal perfection in our lives.

With this understanding, we should use our time wisely - not living in fear, but striving for 'wholeness' making the best of every situation, and encouraging others in their growth.

Notes:

¹ The Mission of Messiah https://www.thehiddenorchard.com/the-mission-of-messiah/

² https://www.thehiddenorchard.com/the-evil-inclination/ or https://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/15083-yezer-ha-ra

³ https://www.britannica.com/topic/yetzer-ha-tov

⁴ Bava Batra 17a - There were four people who died only because of the counsel of the primordial snake, in the wake of which all of humanity became mortal, and not on account of any personal sin. And they are: Benjamin, son of Jacob; Amram, father of Moses; Yishai, father of David; and Chileab, son of David.

⁵ Derech Hashem Part 1 3:9