What is Original Sin? – Part 2

By Engr. Carlos V. Cornejo

Bishop Robert Barron would say that original sin is like a kid being raised in a dysfunctional family.  The child would be prone to committing many wrongdoings because of his upbringing.  Human nature being wounded by original sin makes us easily fall into sin.  G.K. Chesterton says, if you want proof of the effects of original sin on mankind, just look at frontpages of the newspaper (the crimes committed daily).  The good news is original sin was not able to totally corrupt human contrary to the claim of Martin Luther, the founder of Protestantism. Totally corrupted human nature would not be capable of doing anything morally good.  If our human nature is absolutely corrupt, we would be like the devil, who is one hundred percent evil.  Wounded human nature is still capable of doing good but with much effort.  Thus, the Sacrament of Baptism is needed for sanctifying grace to flow into our souls. That in turn would help us tremendously in doing good and avoid evil by strengthening our will (our power to choose), and become holy.

Baptism erases the stain of original sin in us, makes us gain sanctifying grace, and gives us the right to enter heaven again. However, the other consequences of original sin such as suffering and death remain. But they can be turned into spiritual goods as Christ used them in his Passion and Death on the Cross for our salvation.

God gave a test to Adam and Eve, and we might ask, “Why was there a test in the first place?”  Answer: for the same reason the angels were tested (angels were created ahead of man).  The test is obligatory because a creature has to prove his love for his Creator. We have to earn and deserve our reward. It’s logical that out of justice or out of fairness, a creature should love the Creator because he owes his life among other things to the Creator, much like children have an obligation of love towards their parents for giving them life. But God respects the choices of his creatures because love can only be chosen and not forced.  Without freedom, sincere love cannot exist.  God will not coerce us but will only invite us with His free gift of love and salvation.   We all have to earn our reward of heaven.  And so there has to be a test to choose between loving God or loving ourselves.  When we choose love for ourselves (in a disordered manner) it would mean that we prioritize ourselves over and above everything else in this world (God and others would just be secondary or last in the order of priorities).  In the case of the angels, some chose themselves over God with their “non serviam” (I will not serve) and thus they became devils.  Hell is the place for exclusive love for oneself.

Adam and Eve were married to God in the beginning.  Our first parents chose divorce.  God offered redemption for that marriage through Jesus Christ, and each one of us will be spending our lives here on earth either recovering that marriage or remain in divorce.