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Introduction
In Christianity, sin occurs when humans turn their back on God by breaking his rules, which leads to separation from God.
The origin of sin
The world that God created, according to the Book of Genesis, was perfect—completely good and free from sin. The first sin entered the world when Adam and Eve chose to disobey God by eating from the Tree of Knowledge. This act of disobedience is known as the Fall, and it damaged the perfect relationship between God and humanity.
The rest of the Bible can be understood as the story of how God works to repair this broken relationship. First, God gave Moses the commandments and laws to guide people, but humans failed to keep them. God then sent prophets to warn, teach, and encourage people to return to him, but many ignored their messages.
Christians believe that sending Jesus to Earth was God’s ultimate act of love and rescue - a final, perfect way of guiding humanity back into a positive and restored relationship with him. Through Jesus’ teachings, example, death, and resurrection, Christians believe that the damage caused by sin can finally be healed.
These theme is explored in the section on salvation.
Original Sin
Christians believe that we have inherited a flawed nature from the first sin of Adam and Eve. This flawed nature, which is called Original Sin, is why we continue to use of free will to make bad choices, and continue to sin. Christians believe that our original sin is ultimately inherited from Adam and Eve.
Take it further: the virgin birth
As Jesus was not conceived in the normal human way, he did not inherit original sin. The virgin birth therefore protects Jesus’ sinless nature, allowing him to be the perfect and holy saviour who could offer himself as a sacrifice for humanity’s sins.
Roman Catholics believe that Mary herself was free from original sin as, according to the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception, God intervened at the moment of Mary’s own conception to prevent the transmission of original sin that she would otherwise have inherited. This ensured that she could be a pure and holy mother for Jesus.
Christian churches teach that baptism washes away original sin, meaning that once a person is baptised, original sin no longer prevents them from entering Heaven in the afterlife. Different denominations, however, interpret this in slightly different ways:
Roman Catholic view: Baptism removes original sin completely, so the person is cleansed and no longer carries it.
Protestant view: Baptism does not remove original sin itself, but it removes the guilt associated with it, allowing the person to have a restored relationship with God.