Yes, I do believe in ‘Original Sin’.
But possibly not the way you think.
When Adam transgresses in the Garden, resulting in sin (a noun reflecting a condition, not behaviors) entering the world, how did God - who knows all - respond?
HE SHOWED UP SAME AS ALWAYS!
At their appointed time and location of meeting, what scripture calls ‘the cool of the day’, their sacred place of communion, God demonstrates His eternal, immutable commitment to mankind. Irrespective of what Adam had done, his behavior was incapable of keeping God away from him (much less prompting God to depart from him as is often taught). Even the removal from the Garden was itself a protective act (read Gen 3 closely, paying particular attention to v.22).
God showed up then and shows up still - always has, always will.
Before sin (the noun) even existed, Adam committed a transgression, a missing of the mark, a decision to act contrary to God’s best - aka he ‘sinned’ (verb). That should make clear from the start that the noun and verb forms of the word are two different things and should be approached as such when reading scripture.
What then was this ‘original sin’ committed by Adam? He believed himself less than what God said he was. And that belief prompted him to distrust God’s goodness, giving ear to the serpent’s claim that there was some part of God, some element of His nature and goodness, that He was withholding from mankind.
Adam was already as ‘like God’ as humans, made in His image and likeness, are capable of being.
Original sin exists. But it’s not the classically understood doctrine that mankind is inherently evil and outside the love of God. That’s clearly disputed by God’s first action after Adam ‘falls’ being to go to him and offer relationship as always. In that sense, the prevailing idea of ‘original sin’ is a lie.
Rather, mankind’s ’original sin’ is a propensity (a behavior pattern, NOT an identity or state of existence) to strive for what he already possesses, to misjudge the character of God - the same God who is eternally for him.
So yes, ‘original sin’ is real. It rears its ugly head every time that we, like Adam and every other person who has walked this earth, believe the serpent’s lie that God is holding back from us instead of the truth: that He has blessed us with absolutely everything He has…and is.
“Rather, mankind’s ’original sin’ is a propensity (a behavior pattern, NOT an identity or state of existence) to strive for what he already possesses, to misjudge the character of God - the same God who is eternally for him.”
A 1000 yes’! As I was reading I was hearing
“Prone to wander Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love…” and more, the God who loves us.
🧡🧡🧡