Original sin is what we call the first sin committed by Adam and Eve, which separated humanity from God. We are all sinners because of that first sin. But Jesus came to deliver us from sin and to restore our relationship with God.
What was the original sin?
The original sin was when Adam and Eve ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, disobeying God . Adam and Eve were in Eden and could eat the fruit of all the trees except this one, because it would cause their death. But the serpent (Satan) said that God was lying to them, so that they would not become powerful like Him. Instead of trusting God, Adam and Eve believed in the serpent and ate. Then they found out that the snake had lied, not God. They lost their innocence and ended up being expelled from the garden of Eden. – Genesis 3
See also: what is mortal sin?
What were the consequences of original sin?
- Death– the Bible says that the consequence of sin is death; when they committed that first sin, they died first spiritually and later physically. God warned that they would die and they did ( Romans 6:23 ).
- Separation from God– that is the meaning of spiritual death. Before, they talked to God every day in person. But after sin they lost that right because they were contaminated with sin.
- Contamination of the land– the land was cursed with sin; it was no longer all good, it was also evil ( Genesis 3: 17-19 ). The devil gained power on earth.
- Suffering– everything good comes from God, then when they were separated from Him, they came to know suffering (pain and difficulty).
- Sinful nature– Adam and Eve went through and have a tendency to sin. This means that sin has become a natural thing to do and very difficult to resist. But they were still aware that sin is wrong and could choose.
Because of Adam and Eve’s sin, all of humanity suffers these consequences . The Bible says that we are all sinners, separated from God. No one is without sin. Hence original sin also means this condition that everyone has sinned.
See more about what the consequences of sin are here.
The Bible does not explain why we all suffer because of that first sin. But just as through Adam everyone was in sin, through Jesus’ sacrifice everyone who wants can be free from sin and have a personal relationship with God again ( Romans 5: 16-17 ). The choice is of each one. It’s your choice.
