Original Sin—A Lesson in Biblical Contradiction

• Rom. 5:12, "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned."


• Rom. 5:19, "For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners"


• 1 Cor. 15:22, "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive."


• Rom. 3:10, "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one." (Also see 1 John 1:8 and 10, Rom. 3:12)


• Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

Although most evangelical protestant denominations preach about original sin, the phrase does not exist in the Bible or Jewish writings. According the evangelical interpretation, the Hebrew god sets up the scenario, watches a talking snake (which is never described as “Satan”) coerce his creation into sinning, punishes Adam and Eve, then tells the world (through humans) that he is loving, caring, and will redeem us.

Paul introduces the concept of original sin and the “inheritance” of sin and teaches it as the heart of his Christian theology. He establishes Jesus as a human/deity sacrifice to atone for the alleged “sin” of Adam. It is interesting to note that while Paul invents a theology of atonement based on the offering of Jesus as a human sacrifice for sin, Jesus does not preach death as atonement. The gospel according to Matthew, Jesus says: “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” (Matt 9:13 and Matt 12:7 NIV). This is an explicit rejection of Paul's teaching.

Further, the concept of Original Sin is unsupported in the Jewish scriptures:

• Deut. 24:16, "The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin."


• 2 Kings 14:6, But the children of the murderers he slew not: according unto that which is written in the book of the law of Moses, wherein the LORD commanded, saying, The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, nor the children be put to death for the fathers; but every man shall be put to death for his own sin."


• Ezek. 18:20 "The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him."


• Ezek.33:20, "Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. O ye house of Israel, I will judge you every one after his ways."


• Jer. 31:29-30 In those days they shall say no more, The fathers have eaten a sour grape, and the children's teeth are set on edge. But every one shall die for his own iniquity: every man that eateth the sour grape, his teeth shall be set on edge."


• Gen. 7:1 "And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation."


• Job 1:1 There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.


• Job 1:8 "...my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?" (Job 2:3)


• Luke 1:5-6 "In the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, there was a priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abia: and he had a wife of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. (RSV)

Why are we responsible for the sins of Adam and Eve? How can a person be “guilty” of ancient sin he did not commit? How can one be morally flawed when he is in the womb? A god who allows people to be punished for something they did not do is not just. A god who is supposedly omnipotent, omniscient, and benevolent should simply erase such flaws. Can he? Is he unable or unwilling?

This concept of atonement and redemption are entirely Pauline and are not part of Jesus’ or Jewish doctrine.