The Original Dilemma

This doctrinal business about original sin brings us to what we might be described as the original dilemma.  On the one hand there is the idea that we are born in sin in a way spoken of by the Psalmist when he said, :Indeed, I was born guilty, a sinner when my mother conceived me."  (Psalms 51:5)  And then on the other side there is the Genesis story of creation which speaks of humankind being created in the image of God and as the section of the sixth day draws to an end, there is the word which says, "God saw everything that He had made, and indeed, it was very good."  (Genesis 1:31)     

Maybe it does not have to be one or the other.  Maybe it is more about both holding their own truth.  Regardless, sin does not seem to be a part of the human experience in the very beginning.  It appears that it came only after a measure of time had passed. What is certain though is that sin has in some way become a pervasive and powerful negative influence over humanity.    

The Apostle Paul with all of his propensity toward theological understanding spoke so well of the predicament common to us all as he wrote to the Roman Christians, "I do not understand my own actions.  For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.  in my flesh I can will what is right, but I cannot do it.  For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do."  (Romans 7:15, 18-19)  While we may not be able to get our mind completely about the origin of sin, the Apostle Paul spoke of the ongoing problem in a practical way that expresses how it is that we live and why we need the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.