The Disaster of Sin

REASONS FOR BELIEVING (3)

EDITED BY

David Barrett STL

And Stephen Dingley MA, PhD, STL

CONTENTS

Introduction

The Soul as the Crowning of God’s Creation

How can Sin happen?

The Witness of Genesis

Original Harmony and Original Sin

The Effects of Original Sin

Separation from God

Damage to Mind and Body

Death

Effects in Society

Effects in the World

Original Sin as a Historical Event

Original Sin passed on through Generation

Personal Sin and the Inclination to Sin

Redemption

Conclusion

The Disaster of Sin

Introduction

There are very few things about which all people agree, but the existence of suffering and evil is one of them. Every day we hear reports of human conflict, personal tragedy and environmental damage. Often we experience it in our own lives and surroundings. No one would argue that we live in a perfect world where nothing can be bettered.

We human beings are capable of achieving much good and beauty. Equally, we see and experience the destruction that we can cause. We have a sense that the innocent and worthy should be rewarded. Often this does not happen and it is rather the brutal and dishonest who end up doing well. We long for a happy and fulfilled life, yet we live with the inevitable shadow of death. There is a puzzling contradiction at the heart of human life and we will not make sense of things until we understand it.

The pessimist may think that the human person is merely a tragic figure. After all, the cause of most of the disasters that befall humanity can be traced back to the selfish hand of man. Countries wage wars and annihilate tens of thousands of their citizens. Millions starve while others have plenty. Old people are rejected and threatened. Within the family, even within the womb, the most innocent and helpless are violated, abused and killed.

Any person with the courage to look truthfully at their own life will recognise that these human ills are not found only on the level of society.

Each of us individually is capable of great good and great harm, of beauty and brutality.

When evil and destruction come about because of our behaviour it is rightly described as sin. There are some natural disasters which are not the result of human action. But the greater part of suffering and misery is the direct result of human sin. Even so, the pessimist is wrong to write off humanity. Sin is the greatest disaster to befall us but, as we shall see, it does not totally destroy us and does not completely remove our freedom.

The teaching of the Catholic Church offers us a way of understanding the contradiction in man which rings true. It is realistic, but also ultimately hopeful. It admits the genuine horror of sin, yet it does not consider us human beings as a complete and utter disaster. Neither does it argue that evil is an inevitable part of our make-up as if we were made with an inbuilt design fault. This teaching, which we call the doctrine of original sin, makes sense of our situation in the world and our place in God’s plan. It takes seriously the freedom and moral responsibility of man, and it recognises man’s goodness and the heights to which God has called us.

Christ’s teaching through His Church not only helps us to make sense of our situation but also shows us the way out of the contradiction we all experience. In the Gospel of Mark the call to repent is part of the very first sentence we hear on Jesus’ lips: “The kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel.” (Mark 1:15). The word repent means to change purpose or direction. Right from the beginning of His work Jesus recognises the damage of sin and calls all people to something new.

The Soul as the Crowning of God’s Creation

We sense that man is different from other animals. Like all living beings we exist in our material environment, needing the air, water, food and warmth that it provides. We also inherit our instincts. Yet human beings do not fit into a fixed pattern of behaviour determined by the laws of matter. We control nature much more than nature controls us. Far from being determined and programmed by our surroundings, we are able to design and control them for ourselves. This is not explained merely by the fact that our brains are bigger and as a result are more able to adapt. We human beings are a different type of creature from all other forms of life on earth.

God created the universe so that all things exist in mutual interaction and interdependence. This interaction is not chaotic but ordered and programmed. It also has a direction and purpose, developing into more and more complex organisms. This evolution reaches its pinnacle in man. Yet human beings exhibit a freedom from the control of the material environment like no other known living beings. We display behaviour and activities that go way beyond the simple necessities for survival. We find this not only in the construction and use of complex tools but more especially in the communication of abstract ideas and the ability to express ourselves in the form of art and music. Such human activities show that we seek a meaning and value outside the purely material environment.

Yet with every other known material phenomenon, once the environment is unable to provide for its essential needs it simply dies and decays. Nothing can live outside the control of its environment. So the tremendous capacity of the brain in man does not make sense if understood in a merely material way. The aptitude and power of Homo sapiens outstrips the resources of the physical environment. As a result this environment cannot provide for all our needs. What is required for man’s continued existence is an environment which is able to provide an altogether greater form of control and direction. At the highest point of evolutionary development the most complex organism, man, must be drawn into a new and further set of environmental relationships beyond the material. Otherwise we simply could not exist. This further environmental relationship which makes sense of man is the spiritual soul. As we read in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “it is because of its spiritual soul that the body made of matter becomes a living, human body.”1 This is the reason why human beings are so different. It is what makes us unique.

The soul in man provides the essential control and direction in order that we may live. It gives meaning and purpose to our existence where the material environment cannot. The soul gives to man a new power. It is the power to control and manipulate the material environment in which we exist for our own purposes. Man is the only creature on earth which is able to make choices beyond the bounds of environment and instinct. He is the only organism that looks outside its material surroundings for fulfilment. His decisions and choices have a value beyond the material. This is the power to be truly free.2

Now all this is not because man is a freakish accident of nature but quite the reverse: it is because he is the pinnacle of the evolution of life. In fact God’s whole purpose in creating the material universe was that it would unfold and develop in an ordered way, following the laws of science, until it reached precisely this point. God’s plan of creation from all eternity was the creation of mankind. And this alone makes sense of the wonderful way that the laws of matter have led up to the point where more than matter is required. Reflecting more deeply, then, we can see at work the harmonious wisdom of God ordering all creation according to His plan, leading magnificently to the creation of man. This all-wise plan of God can be called the Unity-Law of Control and Direction.3

How can Sin happen?

It is because we have a value beyond the material order that we are different from all other animals. We rightly judge human actions with a different measure. Matter is programmed and determined; the freedom and creativity exhibited by man results from his having a spiritual soul. We seek to know the ultimate reasons for existence. We seek a love which will correspond to our deepest desires.

This kind of knowledge and love is made possible by our spiritual nature and calling. This is what it means to say that human beings are created in the image of God (Gen 1:26). The way we interact and all our relationships are shaped by our spiritual nature. As plants need sun, air and water to grow and develop, so we need a spiritual environment that we might thrive. And just as the material environment is governed by deterministic laws, so the spiritual environment is characterised by knowing and loving. Thus the very interaction between man and his spiritual environment must be personal and free. And this spiritual environment, ministering to the needs of man’s spiritual soul, can only be God Himself.

It is here that we find the answer to the question: how can sin happen? In all other material beings sin is impossible. The simple, determined relationships, which make matter what it is, are programmed in the laws of the physical universe. Since these laws are given by God and are part of His wisdom they can be called good. Man exists in a different kind of relationship: a spiritual one, which is therefore characterised by knowledge, love and freedom. This freedom allows for real choices and real decision making. This holds not only in our relationship with matter but also our relationship with God. It is true in a certain sense that what the sun is to the plant, God is to our souls. But while it is the determinate laws of physics and chemistry that govern the relationship between light and leaf, with the spirit nothing is determined and programmed. The relationship between God and the human soul is characterised by freedom. With the advent of man, a material and spiritual being, sin is possible for the first time in the history of the universe, because freedom is a reality, and sin is the misuse of the precious gift of freedom.

The Witness of Genesis

By far the greatest expression of the origin of sin in man is found in the Bible, in the book of Genesis. Nowhere else in ancient or modern literature is there a better or deeper reflection on the effect of sin on humanity and in the world. There are many ancient writings that reflect upon the nature of evil. The ancient Near Eastern texts of Babylon are the closest to the book of Genesis in form and content. Yet even these works fall short. They present the tragedy of evil as the result of the actions of capricious gods or proud, over-energetic demigods. They imply, as do many modern theories about the nature of evil, that the fate of humanity is pre-determined in some way. For the ancients this control came from the gods; for the moderns it is to be found in sociology or genetics. What they have in common is the suggestion that evil is something which is inflicted upon us, as if we have very little say in the matter. Humanly and psychologically we sense that this version of events is lacking. The fault is within us and we know it.

Genesis takes seriously the free action of man in a way that these other works do not. At the very beginning of the Bible, in the first two chapters of Genesis, we read how God creates the world. It is not a scientific description in the modern sense. God revealed to the writer what happened in a way that he could receive, understand and communicate to others. He expresses the truth through narrative, not science. Even 3000 years later we are able to read the account and have a clear grasp of what the author is saying.

The creation of the world is described as something which God wills. He speaks His powerful word and it comes into existence. Creation is also portrayed as a gradual process with a purpose. Genesis describes this as the six days of creation (Gen 1:1–2:3). There is a progression through these days leading up to the creation of man. At the end of each day the work is described as “good” in God’s eyes. At the end of the sixth day, when God has created man, He sees that all is “very good”. On the seventh day, the Sabbath, God  rests  from  His  labours  and  creation  basks  in  God’s  delight  (Gen 1:31–2:3). In this way we are told that the purpose of creation is to praise God in the harmony of existence. The seventh day, the day dedicated to God and described as “rest”, is creation at its peak—the material and spiritual resting in harmony. Essential to this vision is that there is no original evil element placed there by God.

The climax of creation is man, the being who is made, male and female, in God’s own image. It is Adam, the first man, who names the other species and exists in a harmonious relationship with them in the garden (Gen 2:19).

In its own simple words the book of Genesis tells us that God willed creation into being. Furthermore, He willed that one part of His creation should have the capacity to look upon God’s work and, like the Creator Himself, reflect in joy and satisfaction that indeed it is very good. This is a simple yet powerful expression of the spiritual calling of man, that we are part of the material creation but more than just matter and not determined by it. We have the capacity to reflect upon it and be its stewards (Gen 1:28). What is more, our destiny is to be found beyond the physical creation in a spiritual relationship with God.

Original Harmony and Original Sin

By God’s grace the ancient writer is able to tell us not only how man began, but also how he went wrong. The first man and woman live in harmony with their surrounding environment. It is described as a garden not a jungle (Gen 2:8). They also live in peace and respect with each other. We are told that they are naked and feel no shame (Gen 2:25). Most important of all they exist in union with their Creator. The writer hints at how, before sin, God would walk in the cool of the evening with those He had created in His own image (Gen 3:8).

The figure of the serpent is used to introduce temptation. This was the symbol used in the fertility cults of the peoples surrounding Israel. For these other nations the serpent represented a life-force other than God. The way the symbol is applied in the book of Genesis is much deeper. It conveys the intuition that there is a seductive voice behind the temptation of the first human beings. The Bible and the traditional wisdom of the Church tell us that the serpent is the figure of Satan, or the Devil.4

Satan is one of the angels. Angels are spiritual beings created naturally good by God. Since they are spiritual, they have free will as we do but do not have material natures; and since they are spiritual and free, these created beings are called into a free and loving relationship with God. The fall of a number of angels is the result of their free decision to reject God. Since they do not have material natures their decision is radical and irreversible. It is not that God withholds mercy from them. On the contrary, it is because their hatred of God is eternal that they exist forever as enemies of God.

Satan now acts in the world out of hatred for God. One of his most serious works of evil is to seduce man into following his example. In Genesis this is depicted as the serpent tempting Adam and Eve to eat of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (Gen 3:1-5; cf. 2:17). This is not knowledge as the recognition of good and evil but knowledge as experience of it. Already they knew and experienced good as they rejoiced in their place in creation and their friendship with God. In fact they had all that they needed and wanted. In the harmony of their material environment they thrived physically; in the same way, in their harmony with God who is their spiritual environment, they thrived spiritually. Satan seduces them with the temptation to throw off their proper place in the harmony of creation. They choose to remain no longer as creatures dependent and subject to their Creator in a personal and loving relationship. They strive instead to be self-sufficient. Eating of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge is the expression of this choosing to live apart from their true relationship with God. They choose to seek a different life-source, one which they wish to find within themselves. The serpent persuades them with the words, “you will be like gods” (Gen 3:5). As a result they introduce a falsehood at the very heart of their being. No creature can be self-sufficient, not even one which is greater than all other material beings. This sin, the first to be seen in this world, was an act of disobedience and pride. “In that sin man preferred himself to God and by that very act scorned Him. He chose himself over and against God, against the requirements of his creaturely status and therefore against his own good.”5

The Effects of Original Sin

This sin is the catastrophe which happened at the beginning of the human race. In modern terms we might describe it as like a nuclear explosion—the fall-out which it causes continues until the end of time. The ancient writer uses different imagery. He describes the results of this sin in terms of a curse. It is not that God invokes a curse upon Adam and Eve by way of punishment. The curse is used to express the far-reaching consequences of their actions, consequences that cannot be avoided.

Separation from God

The greatest curse is that Adam and Eve must leave the garden (Gen 3:22- 24). Through their free choice they have forfeited their place in the harmony of God’s plan. They have rejected God as their fundamental environment, choosing instead to be self-sufficient. Thus God’s presence has become an object of fear and something to hide from (Gen 3:8-10). It is not that God has withdrawn His life-giving presence; it is that man has rejected it. The very offer of this gift is now felt to be a threat, because to accept it is to admit that his self-sufficiency is a lie.

Damage to Mind and Body

The effect of this choice, freely made, in the body and soul of man should not be underestimated. Our mind is darkened by the effects of sin. We experience this most of all in regard to God Himself. His very existence is no longer obvious to us, and communicating with Him in prayer is difficult. We also experience this darkening particularly in our conscience. It is no longer always an accurate guide to what is right and wrong. What is right does not always feel good, and what is wrong does not always feel bad. So we now need to educate our conscience by listening to God’s commandments and accepting His correction in humility.

In the creation of man, matter, united to the spiritual soul, was taken up into a new relationship with God. Thus in man sin cannot remain only in the spiritual sphere. It radically affects matter also. Spiritually speaking, man divides himself from the source of his existence when he sins. Physically speaking, man makes his flesh act in a way that has never before happened in the history of matter. In man’s first sin matter is made to go against what it was created to do. For the first time God’s Unity-Law of Control and Direction is violated in the universe. When the human person chooses what is not lawful in his relationship with God the soul pushes the body to crave and desire what is not lawful to it. As the person chooses to be a law unto himself, the body loses its own proper order and becomes a law unto itself. The body of fallen man no longer seeks its true good, but craves instead what gives it more ease and pleasure.

Death

Sin is not simply an act of disobedience to some external law. It is a denial of our true and proper place in existence. The sin of Adam and Eve was to deny that God is their living environment. They actively reject God as their ongoing life-giving principle. Such a sin attacks the very law of their being. It damages both soul and body and the unity between them. It introduces the processes of ageing and disease which ultimately lead to death.

Each human being was made by God to find happiness and fulfilment in a unique relationship with God. The physical body was to be a part of this. Indeed, we would have lived in happiness and harmony with God until Christ came and brought our lives to complete fulfilment. Precisely how this would have happened we do not know. What we do know is that death as we experience it now was not to be our natural end. With Adam’s sin this original destiny is frustrated. Human beings have turned away from their life-source— and death becomes inevitable. For the body death means separation from the soul, disintegration and decay. For the soul it means the collapse and loss of all life-giving and loving relationships with God and with one another—it means spiritual death or eternal damnation. As the writer of Genesis puts it, simply but eloquently, Adam and Eve are cast out of the garden, out of reach of the Tree of Life (Gen 3:22-24).

However, even here we are given an insight into God’s continuing care. Before they are cast out God clothes them (Gen 3:21). Furthermore, their banishment is for their long-term good. Their present fallen state is not confirmed as their state for all eternity. Rather, in God’s providence and mercy, death marks an end of life in this broken state, and will even serve to bring in new life, resurrected and restored, through the redeeming work of Christ.

Effects in Society

The far-reaching effects of this sin are not felt only in the relationship between man and God. Its effects have social consequences. When the man’s sin is discovered he immediately blames the woman (Gen 3:12). Just as the presence of God is perceived by Adam to be a threat to his self-sufficiency, so now Adam and Eve have become a threat to each other. As they each strive to put themselves at the centre of their own existence, the other person becomes a challenge. All perspective is lost when God ceases to be recognised as the source and centre of existence and life. Social harmony disappears as other human beings are treated with suspicion. For Adam and Eve this is expressed in their awareness of their nakedness (Gen 3:7). They no longer perceive themselves as persons for each other but objects to each other. They feel vulnerable and threatened. This social disorder is not confined to Adam and Eve. Very quickly it is seen to permeate all human relationships. The slaying of Abel by his brother Cain shows this most vividly (Gen 4:1-16).

Effects in the World

In his proper place in creation man is called to be the steward of the earth and all living things. When he took the fruit he grasped at self-sufficiency and set himself up in the place of God. Inevitably his stewardship of the material world descends into abuse and misuse. Since he no longer wishes to be in relationship with God his perspective of the rest of God’s creation is also distorted. It is seen as useful only to serve his selfish needs. The ecological damage which has followed from man’s selfish exploitation of the planet is only too clear. This breakdown too is seen as a curse by the author of Genesis (Gen 3:17-19).

Thus we begin to see how mankind’s sin lies at the root of even so-called natural disasters: famines, droughts, diseases, and so on. In many subtle ways man’s sin brings disorder into the material realm, upsetting the harmony and balance of God’s Unity-Law in nature. This disorder and damage will inevitably spread throughout creation like ripples on a pond when a stone is thrown into it. Exactly what man’s condition would have been without sin we do not know. Clearly disease and death among animals and plants is not in general the result of man’s sin: it existed long before man did, and indeed it is a vital part of the mechanism of evolution. Nevertheless man, at the apex of evolution, was destined to be different. The immortality of our spiritual souls is the sure sign that death was not originally intended by God as our lot. Man without sin would have been immune from any evil consequences of powerful natural phenomena.

Original Sin as a Historical Event

In these few short chapters of the book of Genesis the Bible relates the tragedy that is at the heart of human life and history. We know the effects of this sin are real because we see them every day. We are very conscious of them on an ecological and social level. If we are honest with ourselves we can perceive the spiritual, emotional and psychological disharmony deep within us. What the book of Genesis relates is not mere imagination, cleverly invented to explain the state we are in. The primitive author has reflected on reality and through God’s grace has described it truthfully.

The damage we witness in ourselves, in our society and in our dealings with the environment is not something that has evolved naturally out of the universe. Outside man we see no such destructive disharmony. There are no signs in the realm of nature of any creatures wildly out of step with their environment for any substantial period of time. Indeed, we see the exact opposite. Apart from man we see order, balance and complementarity whether in the atom or in the stars, in amoebas or in apes.

Neither does this damage in us originate in some ultimate evil principle. Evil is not an independent force or principle that can exist outside the spiritual being. Although this understanding is quite common in modern opinion, it does not express reality as we know it. In the language of philosophy it is called dualism. Dualism proposes that there are two principles at work in the universe, one good and one bad. Yet we see no evidence for the existence of evil anywhere in the world except in man. On the contrary, with every development in modern science it becomes increasingly clear that everything else that exists does so in order and harmony. Only in man do we find contradiction.

So it does not make sense to explain man’s present situation through involuntary evolutionary development. Nor does it make sense to explain it in terms of an absolute evil force. It must be based on a real free decision in real time. Precisely when and where it actually happened we cannot say. But since all human beings are tainted by it we can be sure that it happened at the dawn of human history. This is why we have traditionally called this catastrophic event original sin. It is original in that it was the first sin. It is original in that it is the origin of all sin.

Original Sin passed on through Generation

The very first human beings that lived on this earth sinned and turned away from God. The consequences of this are passed on to every subsequent generation including our own. As we read in the Catechism, “By yielding to the tempter, Adam and Eve committed a personal sin, but this sin affected the human nature that they would then transmit in a fallen state.”6 It is not only passed on through our sharing in a sinful society. It is true that we can learn sin from others just as we can learn virtue and goodness. But our damaged human nature is not primarily the result of learning and experiencing sin. It is more than a ‘social inheritance’. Nor is it the result of the power of an impersonal evil force. As we have seen, such a force does not exist. It must be a real inheritance, passed on directly from parents to their children.

Sin originated in the free decision of the human being who is both spiritual and material. The resulting damage is to be found in both the spiritual and the material orientation of man to God. As a result, Adam’s body, like Eve’s, is no longer in its full and proper alignment through the soul to God. When new human beings come into existence they receive their material nature from their parents. Since the first sin of Adam and Eve, all parents unavoidably pass on to their offspring their flawed material nature. The spiritual soul is received directly from God and is therefore good; yet it comes into being united to the fallen flesh. The soul created directly by God and matter inherited from our parents are united in one person, giving a personal human identity to each of us. So from the first moment of our existence, as soul is united to fallen flesh, we inevitably have a damaged orientation towards God.

This is what we mean when we say we are born into original sin. This is how original sin is passed on from one generation to the next, to every human being. It is not our own, individual fault, but it is a genuine lack of harmony with God, with other human beings and with our material environment. It touches our very person and is objectively real. This is not to say that sin is part of what it is to be human—being truly human is to live in harmony with God as He intended. What we inherit was not originally natural to us. It is caused by the refusal of our first parents to accept their natural, creaturely place in God’s creation. In this sense original sin could be described as a most unnatural disaster.

Personal Sin and the Inclination to Sin

While original sin is acknowledged to be a disaster for the human race we must also recognise that man is damaged but not totally destroyed. We are still capable of cooperating with God and through His grace achieving some goodness. Indeed we see much selfless love and goodness in our fellow human beings. Yet in our sinful state we cannot arrive at the goal of life intended for us originally by God. It is not merely an external barrier to God but more seriously an internal wound which needs real healing.

The damaged human being now has a certain inclination to sin. This tendency towards sin is traditionally called concupiscence. Since our natures are wounded, knowing virtue and acting uprightly is an almighty struggle. We seek God fitfully and in darkness. Often we search for fulfilment in the false gods of power, sex, money and the like. Our relationships with fellow human beings should be characterised by truth and love. Instead they are tainted by power, jealousy and the desire to possess. Our relationship with the material environment is also affected by sin. We cause ecological damage by our selfishness and greed.

Concupiscence is not in itself the damage to our nature but the disordering of our desires which arises from the damage. Through human sin, that matter which makes up the human body has been forced to crave and desire what is not lawful to it. This is a disorder in our being, an imbalance of relationships and passions. It is what makes our own personal sinning almost inevitable. Concupiscence is not something we are personally guilty of—it is something we have involuntarily inherited—but it is the reason for our tendency to sin and our weakness in the face of temptation.

The personal sins of which we are guilty remove us more and more from God who is our life-source. They compound and deepen the damaged relationships which characterise our society and our use of the natural world. Sin has the effect of gradually suffocating the spiritual being. Although our human natures are not totally destroyed we are damaged in our very being such that we cannot heal ourselves. Our need for God to rescue us is absolute, and the healing must be a work which touches our very being. For the work required is no mere removal of an external obstacle separating us from God, nor the waiving of a legal requirement, but the healing of a wound which penetrates to the very depths of our person.

Redemption

From the beginning of creation God planned to enter into His creation and bring it to fulfilment in Christ.7 Adam and Eve lost the fullness of life in God through disobedience. We, their children, carry the consequences of their choice and share in their death. Indeed, through personal sin we exacerbate what they began. But even though sin has intervened Christ still comes. This was mysteriously alluded to by the author of Genesis under inspiration when he wrote that the offspring of the woman would crush the serpent’s head (Gen 3:15). The work of Christ, in a world scarred by the reality of sin, must include healing and redemption.

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, heals and redeems us by taking a full human nature and living among us as a man. He shares in our humanity but not in our sin. In so doing He shows what it is to be truly human, living in total love and obedience towards the Father and in perfect love of all people. However, in a world damaged by sin, such love inevitably provokes envy, resentment and ultimately rejection. If Jesus wills to remain faithful to His mission of perfect love the Cross will be unavoidable. Yet, in willingly laying down His life for us, His healing and forgiving love is supremely given— He loves us sinners to the end (cf. John 13:1). This is love which has overcome sin and death. His Resurrection is the definitive demonstration of this victory. Christ’s perfect loving bridges the gap between man and God caused by Adam thousands of years before and compounded ever since by every personal sin of every human being. Christ reconfigures human nature in His own Person, restoring its orientation towards God. We could not achieve this on our own, no matter how great our efforts. Only Jesus is able to do this because He is God. It is so great a work, and one which only God made man could achieve, that we call it a ‘new creation’.8

In order that the Son of God could take on a human nature, His mother had to be utterly sinless. We must not underestimate the seriousness of original sin in rupturing the relationship of love between man and God. If Mary had not been preserved from original sin, she would not have been able to show a mother’s love to the Son of God. In anticipation of Christ’s victory over sin, at the moment that Mary was conceived in the womb of her mother she was preserved from original sin. We call this the Immaculate Conception. This is not due to her own merit in any way. It is purely the work of God’s grace on her behalf so that she will be able to fulfil her role as the Mother of God.

Christ’s victory is for all men and women of every age. It is certain and complete. The new creation achieved by Christ is passed on to every generation through the Church and especially through the Sacrament of Baptism. In Baptism original sin is washed away and our personal relationship with God is restored. Nevertheless concupiscence, the inclination to sin caused by the damage to our human nature, remains. So following Christ involves a constant struggle against temptation: “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23) And since we often fail in this struggle, we need the continued forgiveness of Christ through the Sacrament of Confession or Reconciliation as we strive throughout our lives to leave sin behind and live for God alone.

Conclusion

Sin and evil are a reality in ourselves and in our world. They do not come from God or from some malevolent impersonal force. Sin and evil in the world have their origin in man and his misuse of the good gift of free will. This original sin was an utter disaster for man and for the whole world. Man has broken his life-giving and loving relationship with God, and God’s whole plan for creation has been contradicted. The ‘fall-out’ from this disaster has repercussions in both the spiritual and the material realms, and human nature itself has been catastrophically damaged. Every generation inherits this broken human nature from its parents. Left to ourselves death and damnation would have been inevitable.

Only Christ, through the cooperation of Mary His mother, can heal us. By uniting our humanity with His divinity the Son of God lived the perfect human life, died on the Cross as the supreme act of reconciling love, and rose triumphant over sin and death. In this way He won victory for us all. And in order that we might all share in this redemption He instituted His holy Church and especially the Sacraments of Baptism and Reconciliation.

Adam and Eve lost the life-giving friendship of God through their free choice and disobedience. It was lost for them and all their children. Christ is the ‘new Adam’ who wins it back for all mankind.

“For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.” (1 Cor 15:21-22)

1 Catechism of the Catholic Church 365.

2 For a more detailed explanation of this see the second pamphlet in this series, What makes Man Unique?

3  For more on this idea see the first pamphlet in this series, Can we be sure God exists?

4 Catechism of the Catholic Church 391-395.

5 Catechism of the Catholic Church 398.

6 Catechism of the Catholic Church 404.

7 For more on this idea see the fifth pamphlet in this series, Jesus Christ our Saviour.

8 See the sixth pamphlet in this series, Jesus Christ our Redeemer.

http://www.faith.org.uk

Table of Contents

Introduction

The Soul as the Crowning of God’s Creation

How can Sin happen?

The Witness of Genesis

Original Harmony and Original Sin

The Effects of Original Sin

Separation from God

Damage to Mind and Body

Death

Effects in Society

Effects in the World

Original Sin as a Historical Event

Original Sin passed on through Generation

Personal Sin and the Inclination to Sin

Redemption

Conclusion

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