Regarding Scriptural support for Catholic doctrines on Original Sin.
One needs to check the footnotes in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition for the Scriptural and Church Fathers’ support.
For example. The Catechism’s section on “Original Sin – an essential truth of the faith” refers to Romans 5:12-21; John 16:8; and 1 Corinthians 2:16. Naturally, the first three chapters of Genesis are relied on for Divine Revelation.
In addition, the major ecumenical Church Councils are referenced because their declared truths are under the guidance and wisdom of the Holy Spirit. (Source: Chapter 14, Gospel of John)
CCC 406 highlights the teaching of St. Augustine. Please note that CCC 406 is in smaller print. The use of small print indicates observations of an historical or apologetic nature, or supplementary doctrinal explanations. (Source: CCC 20-21)
In addition, the list of Ecclesiastical Writers in the Catechism’s “Index of Citations” is full of Church Fathers, Doctors, and more recent Saints.
Last but not least. The Glossary and the cross references in the margins offer further information and explanations.
Note: the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition, is not a page turner.
Blessings,
granny
The human person is worthy of profound respect.
Granny, you gave these scriptures as pertaining to original sin as referenced by the Catechism.
Romans 5:12-19, Romans 5:12: "
Therefore, just as through one person sin entered the world, and through sin, death, and thus death came to all, inasmuch as all sinned.
*This reaffirms what St. James has said. Each of us individually, through our individual choosing to sin bring forth death to our own soul. The death of our individual soul did not come through Adam’s choice of sin, it came through our own choice to sin. Even as Ezekiel says, 'the soul that sins, it shall die".
How did sin enter into the world through one man, Adam? As I understand it, through the **inclination **toward evil, the disordered appetites of the flesh that lead each of us to sin, sin which brings forth in each us death to our individual soul.
It was not the ‘transmitted’ sin of Adam that brought sin into the world, rather it was the fallen state of our physical human nature and its disordered appetites that war against our soul. Even as St. Peter says,
'abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul/I]
John 16:8:
"When he comes he will convict the world in regard to sin and righteousness and condemnation"
I do not see how the ‘contracted sin’ of Adam, or the ‘transmitted’ sin of Adam is suggested here.
I Corinth.2:16:
“For who has the mind of the Lord, so as to counsel him?” But we have the mind of Christ"
Once again, I do not see how the proposed ‘transmitted’ sin of Adam is suggested here either.
St. Augustine is post-Nicene, not ante-Nicene. It seems to me that there are certain presumptions of post-Nicene that have influenced the doctrine of ‘original sin’.
Finally, what was deprived of the human race was Paradise. Paradise is unlike this fallen world which is a daily source of temptation to each of us.
Paradise in which Adam and Eve did not suffer from the consequences of a fallen human nature with its disordered appetites of the flesh. These temptations of the flesh are another daily source of temptation to each of us.
Into this Paradise entered the devil to tempt Adam and Eve, they were deprived of the innocence of their souls when they fell into the devil’s temptation and disobeyed God.
So, it seems to me that justice and holiness would have been attributed to Adam and Eve
if they had overcome the temptation of the devil, but they did not. What they lost was the innoncence of their own soul.
Each of us is given an innocent soul by God within the formation and protection of our mother’s womb. From thence, we are born with a fallen flesh nature, into a fallen world, amongst fallen angels. The world, the flesh and the devil lead us into temptation which leads each of us to sin, which if unchecked, and unrepented brings forth death.
Our blessed Savior, the Son of God came into this world, born of the Virgin Mary
‘to save us from our sins’. Jesus Christ accomplished this salvation for each of us by perfectly overcoming the world, the flesh, and the devil. In so doing he offered up his innocent soul as a sacrifice for our sins in his body on the tree. We are being justified by the faith of his crucifixion and resurrection from the dead. In the waters of baptism and the impartation of the Holy Spirit we receive the forgiveness of sins and the promise of bodily resurrrection and eternal life
This is how I understand my Christian/Catholic faith as so beautifully and simply defined by the Apostles Creed.
God’s blessings to you, too and I thank God for your
patience and kindness
micah*
