New Testament Doctrine Of Original Sin example essay topic

Doctrines are used as a foundation to Christian beliefs. They serve to many churches as fundamentals in the direction their members chose to live their lives. It is important to understand the historical backgrounds of the doctrines that pertain to one's particular beliefs. I will be discussing this very information for the doctrine of original sin. The doctrine of original sin mostly pertains to the Roman Catholic religion. I will be covering when, where, and why the doctrine was originated.

Original sin is the theory that every man is born into sin because our mother and father have sinned. The definition given by the Catholic Encyclopedia is: " (1) the sin that Adam committed; (2) a consequence of this first sin, the hereditary stain with which we are born on account of our origin or descent from Adam". # Saint Augustine was the fundamental theologian in the formulation of this doctrine, which states that the essentially graceless nature of humanity requires redemption to save it. The purpose of Baptism is to wash away original sin and to restore the individual to an innocent state, although even after baptism a tendency to sin remains as a result of original sin.

Although the concept of original sin is derived from the story of Adam and Eve's disobedience recorded in Genesis, the term 'original sin' and the concept of a hereditary sin passed on to the entire human race are totally absent from the Old Testament and the gospels. Jesus is not recorded as ever having mentioned original sin, and Genesis relates only that the sin of the first parents brought consequences upon them. The theology of original sin developed out of questions that arose in the third century concerning the custom of infant baptism. "St. Augustine (354-430 A.D.) is credited with developing the traditional doctrine in response to Pelagius, who denied original sin".

# Augustine appealed to Scripture to blame Adam for original sin and to the existing practice of infant baptism to defend the idea that the sin is passed on to all Adam's descendants, an idea subsequently endorsed by St. Thomas Aquinas. Original sin was taught by the Council of Carthage in 418 A.D. and the Second Council of Orange in 529 A.D. "The doctrine was formally defined by the Council of Trent in its Decree on Original Sin (1546 A.D.) "# The basis of this doctrine comes from Paul's Letter to the Romans. Ro 5: 12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church ( ), "the doctrine of original sin is in some sense the reverse side of the doctrine of Redemption". # "In 529, a moderate form of Augustinian ism was adopted, involving the theory that every man as a result of the fall is in such a condition that he can take no steps in the direction of salvation until he has been renewed by the divine grace given in baptism, and that he cannot continue in the good thus begun except by the constant assistance of that grace, which is mediated only by the Catholic Church". # In the old testament according to the account in Genesis 3, the original humans lived in a state of intimate fellowship with God, and enjoyed a perfect harmony with one another and with nature.

They were, however, forbidden by God to eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The serpent persuaded Adam and Eve to disobey this commandment. "This led to several dire consequences, including the loss of intimate fellowship with God, man's susceptibility to physical death, a distortion of the relationship between the man and the woman, a predisposition to sin, and the loss of man's harmonious relationship with nature". # All these consequences were inherited by Adam and Eve's descendants. The experience of original sin, and the spiritual pain it produces in the person who wishes to please God, is dramatically summed up by Paul in the following verses: 'I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.

Now if I do what I do not want, I agree that the law is good. So then it is no longer I that do it, but sin which dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin which dwells within me.

So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inmost self, but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin which dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?' (Romans 7: 15-24) The solution to this problem is stated by Paul in these terms: 'For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the just requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

' (Romans 8: 3-4) "Though the New Testament doctrine of original sin is most clearly expressed by Paul, it is also implicit in the teachings of Jesus: for example in such words as: 'And Jesus said to him, 'Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. ' (Mark 10: 18) and 'I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. ' (John 15: 5) "# The symptoms of original sin demonstrate our need for God.

Original sin is the loss of original holiness and justice due to Adam's sin. As a result man is alienated from God and also other men. Man has a wounded nature inclined towards evil. A denial of this fact can only lead to serious errors in education, politics, social action and morals. The revelation of original sin cannot be compromised without also compromising the revelation of our Salvation. the doctrine of original sin cannot be proven by natural reason, but it is easily witnessed by its symptoms: the need for police, the collapse of great civilizations, suicide, suffering and so on. Another symptom is war.

People have always and will always kill each other in mass quantity. The more advanced, civilized cultures merely execute war more efficiently. War is not exclusively reserved for nations. Street gangs, families or a single terrorist can rage war. But war is exclusively a human endeavor. Monkeys, though nimble with their fingers, do not make bombs, guns or even knives.

Man on the other hand has fashioned the most primitive weapons out of stone before he could record history. In recent years, man has successfully sent robots to explore distant planets but still lives under the threat of nuclear holocaust. Even though man is intelligent and capable of doing great works, war quickly reminds us of our fallen state; a state sometimes appearing to be beneath animals. Without the doctrine of original sin, this paradox of humanity would be an even deeper mystery.

The Doctrine of Original Sin is an important aspect of Christian theology. It helps the believer understand the cause for the universality of sin and the way in which everyone inherits the guilt and sinful nature of Adam. It also shows man's need for redemption in Christ. We have concluded that Augustine is the one credited with the development of the doctrine that is based on the writings of Paul. We learned that original sin is the belief that we are born into sin because our parents have sinned.

The Roman Catholics believe that Christ was not part of this original sin. They believe that Mary was perfect and had lived without sin and that the only sin was that of Joseph, and since Mary was a virgin there was no sin passed along. I have also discussed that since this doctrine believes that everyone is born with sin that everyone has to be saved and baptized to receive the gift of heaven. The purpose of Baptism is to wash away original sin and to restore the individual to an innocent state. The Doctrine of Original Sin is a very controversial subject among the denominations today for many reasons, there will probably always be differences in beliefs about this doctrine and there is probably not going to be any advances for common ground in the near future.

Bibliography

The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume XI Copyright (c) 1911 by Robert Appleton Company by K.
Knight Nihil Obst at, February 1, 1911.
Remy La fort, S.T.D., Censor Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York Reverend M. James Div is, Original Sin web B. Lindley, Original Sin (New York, New York 1972) Jim Stoffel's, Original sin: an understanding from human psychology (c) Copyright 2001 J.
Weatherman, "The Importance of Doctrines", (1984) 101-102 Wikipedia: The free Encyclopedia Copyright (c) 2001 by Penguin Publishing Company.