Original Sin never really made sense to me as a literal punishment passed down to everyone.
That's a VERY good sign! It never made sense to you because it does not make sense - period. It means that your innate sense of justice is still intact, as is your ability to think clearly.
It feels more like a way to explain why humans are flawed and tend to mess up. I think the idea developed over time, especially with Augustine’s influence, and the Catholic Church kind of ran with it. I don't think it was just made up out of nowhere, but it definitely evolved with theology. Whether you take it as symbolic or historical probably depends on how you read the Bible overall.
Augustine is almost single-handedly responsible for the doctrine of original sin as we know it, but instead of coming at it from that direction, it seems more impactful to debunk the notion on the basis of justice. Is God just or isn't He? If He is then original sin is foolishness to the point of abject stupidity. If God is unjust then who cares to even bother discussing it?
Some teach that Adam’s one act imposed condemnation on all his descendants, yet Scripture insists each person bears responsibility only for their own sin. Ezekiel 18 (i.e. the entire chapter) makes this plain, and Paul clarifies in Romans 5 that “death spread to all men
because all sinned,” not because we were born guilty as a consequence of Adam’s choice but because each of us walked through the door he opened and succumbed to our own sin.
God’s justice is rooted in His nature as Reason, Love and Righteousness woven together in perfect harmony. His judgment on sin is not arbitrary punishment but the restoration of the moral order He designed. When Christ died, He satisfied justice; when He rose, He broke the power of sin and death. Our union with Him in His death and resurrection is not mere theological poetry but the very means by which the corruption inherited from Adam is dismantled. Trusting Christ baptizes us into His death and raises us to new life, crucifying the old self which was enslaved to sin so that our new identity is “alive to God in Christ Jesus.”
Paul’s cry in Romans 7 captures the agony of every believer striving to live rightly in the flesh. He longs to do good yet finds himself doing evil, identifying sin as dwelling within him while refusing to excuse himself. That honest confession, “Who will deliver me from this body of death?” leads him to the only answer: “I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Victory is found not in moral willpower but in the One who has already won!
The battlefield is the mind. With our minds we choose to serve the law of God even as our flesh wars against us. Transformation comes through renewing our minds so we discern God’s will; no amount of rule-keeping changes our hearts. Filling our thoughts with truth, meditating on what is noble and pure, and taking every thought captive to Christ allows the Spirit to reprogram our desires and empower us to live righteously.
Romans 8 unveils the solution: the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus sets us free from the law of sin and death. The indwelling Spirit fulfills the righteous requirement of the law by producing the fruit of love, joy and peace. Our struggle does not vanish overnight, yet sanctification is the lifelong process of yielding to the Spirit’s guidance, growing in faith, and putting to death the deeds of the body by His power. Once again, this is a battle fought and won in the mind...
Romans 6:11 RECKON yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
""Is it, Reckon yourself to be weak in reference to sin? No, it is lower than that. Is it, Reckon yourself to be dying? No, lower still. ‘Reckon yourself to be dead—(Rom. 6:11)—indeed unto sin.’ Some believe they are very weak. But what does that imply? That they have some strength. But when a man is dead he has no strength. We must act on the fact that we are dead in reference to sin. We shall not then speak of difficulty as to resisting temptation in reference to ourselves. We shall take the lowest place, and say it is impossible. But we shall know that what is impossible with self is possible with God. We shall take our place on the resurrection side of the cross, and in so doing we leave behind the old self-life for the new Christ-life. To live in Him who is our Life, is to be in the power of God." - Even Hopkins
This process is a partnership. Philippians 2 explains that we “work out” our salvation with fear and trembling because God works in us both to will and to do His good pleasure. Our part is to cooperate with the Spirit by choosing to love God with all our heart, soul, strength and mind; His part is to pour His love into us, strengthen our inner being, and produce Christ’s life within us. As we concentrate on loving Him, the barriers of our fleshly self are gradually dismantled and we bear fruit no amount of self-effort could ever produce.
Galatians 2:20 summarizes it: it is no longer I who live but Christ living in me. That indwelling life is the source of victory over sin. Though our bodies remain subject to death, our spirits are alive in Christ; the tendency to sin remains a real temptation but no longer has the final say. Each time we set our minds on heavenly things instead of earthly impulses, we choose life and peace.
Original sin is not about the imputation of guilt but the reality of a corrupted nature inclined toward death. God’s justice demands that corruption be addressed; Christ’s death and resurrection provide the perfectly rational solution. We are neither robots compelled to sin nor sinners punished for another’s actions; we are free moral agents who have experienced the consequences of our own sin, have been justified by Christ’s obedience, and live by the power of His indwelling Spirit.
This is the biblical and rational foundation for a free, responsible and victorious Christian life. It upholds God’s justice, honors our moral agency, and rests wholly on the grace that reconciles us and empowers us to walk in newness of life.
