Sin Did Not Originate in Humanity

Sin did not begin with Adam or Eve. This point is often assumed but rarely stated explicitly. The biblical narrative presents sin as something that entered humanity, not something humanity invented. The presence of deception in the garden already implies a prior rebellion, a disorder that existed before human agency became involved.

This matters because it establishes sin as an external intrusion before it becomes an internal condition.

Human beings did not create sin.
They received it.

The Meaning of “Being Born in Sin”

To be “born in sin” is commonly understood as being born guilty. That interpretation, while emotionally compelling, is theologically imprecise. Scripture does not portray newborns as moral transgressors. Instead, it presents them as inheritors of a condition—one that guarantees separation, decay, and death.

Being born in sin means:

• Being born into a state of disordered relationship with God
• Being subject to death without exception
• Being unable to produce life that escapes this condition through natural means

Sin, in this sense, is not primarily about behavior.
It is about inheritance.

Sin as Condition, Not Merely Action

A critical distinction must be made between committed sin and inherited sin.

• Committed sin refers to acts of disobedience.
• Inherited sin refers to a state of being that precedes action.

Adam’s transgression is unique not because it was the first sinful act, but because it converted sin into a generational condition. After Adam, sin no longer required direct deception to persist. It became self-propagating.

That shift marks the true fall of humanity.

Why Death Is the Necessary Consequence

Death is not an arbitrary punishment layered onto sin. It is the necessary boundary placed around it.

God decrees death not merely as judgment, but as containment. A sinful being living forever would mean eternal rebellion, eternal corruption, and eternal separation without resolution. Death prevents sin from becoming infinite.

In this sense:

• Death confirms the presence of sin
• Death limits the reach of sin
• Death creates the conditions for redemption

There is no theological category for an immortal sinner.

“For There Is No Merit in Sin Living Forever”

This principle, while stark, clarifies divine intent. Immortality without holiness would not be mercy; it would be cruelty. The finitude of human life is therefore not only a consequence of sin, but a response to it.

• Death signals that sin has entered.
• But it also signals that sin will not have the final word.

The Link Between Death and Generation

Death does not merely end individual lives. It frames generations.

Every generation born under death confirms that sin has not been resolved. The persistence of death across generations is evidence that sin has become embedded in human reproduction itself—not simply in human choice.

This observation raises a critical question that theology must confront:

If sin is inherited, how is it inherited?

This book will argue that inheritance is not symmetrical.

Preparing for the Next Distinction

At this stage, three categories begin to emerge naturally:

• Those who receive sin
• Those who bear sin
• Those through whom sin progresses

These are not moral rankings. They are functional roles. Understanding these roles is essential before examining Adam and Eve, because without them, responsibility is either misplaced or generalized into meaninglessness.

The next chapter will therefore narrow the focus.

Not on humanity as a whole. But on sin as a process.