Original Sin or Original Blessing?
The doctrine of Original Sin as it dominates Western Christianity, largely stems from Augustine of Hippo’s interpretation of Romans 5:12 and the state of humanity after the Fall.
The doctrine of Original Sin profoundly shaped Western thought i.e. that our fundamental condition is one of brokenness and debt before we ever take a breath. It frames human existence as starting in a deficit—a spiritual bankruptcy inherited from the first couple’s disobedience in Eden.
The Myth of the “Negative Starting Point”
My profound discomfort with this doctrine is its chronological and theological placement. It makes sin the defining first word about humanity, effectively obscuring the even more original word: the divine declaration of “very good” found in Genesis 1.
To say we are born sinners is to say that the act of creation was inherently flawed, or that God’s immediate judgment superseded the initial blessing. The biblical narrative, however, presents a creature imbued with the image of God —a royal, dignified identity meant for partnership and stewardship. This is our Original Blueprint.
Original Sin, as conventionally taught, essentially makes a transgression (an action) into a nature (an identity). It transforms Adam’s poor choice into a permanent, inherited stain on our essence. This interpretation shifts the focus from our potential for goodness—the Image—to our propensity for failure—the inherited guilt.
Reclaiming the “Original Blessing”
If we deconstruct this theological hierarchy, we must argue that the Original Blessing—the declaration of goodness and the mandate for flourishing—is the more primary and enduring truth. The “sin” that follows in Genesis 3 is not a definition of our nature, but a description of our dislocation—the consequence of stepping outside our intended, blessed design.
Therefore, redemption is not a painful, emergency operation to remove a congenital defect. Instead, it is the process of re-remembering and re-activating the divine blueprint already etched into our core.
To accept the “Original Sin” narrative as our primary reality risks perpetual shame and a continuous search for external validation. To embrace the Original Blessing is to start from a place of inherent worth and to view the spiritual journey not as escaping who we are, but as becoming the fullest expression of who we were designed to be. Our beginning wasn’t a crime; it was a gift.