Which statement about original sin is accurate?

Which statement about original sin is accurate?

• A. We are guilty of original sin.
• B. Original sin is erased at baptism.
• C. We are not guilty of it, but suffer from it.
• D. Original sin has no effect on human nature.

Answer: (C)

Original sin is the fallen state inherited from the first humans, not a personal act we commit. We do not bear personal guilt for this condition, but we do inherit a wounded human nature that includes an inclination to sin and the realities of death and suffering. Baptism removes the guilt of original sin and restores sanctifying grace, but the effects on human nature remain to be faced in life. That combination—no personal guilt, but real effects lingering in our nature—is why the statement that we are not guilty of it, but suffer from it, is the most accurate. The other options misstate guilt, overstate baptism as erasing all effects, or deny the impact on human nature.

Original sin is the fallen state inherited from the first humans, not a personal act we commit. We do not bear personal guilt for this condition, but we do inherit a wounded human nature that includes an inclination to sin and the realities of death and suffering. Baptism removes the guilt of original sin and restores sanctifying grace, but the effects on human nature remain to be faced in life. That combination—no personal guilt, but real effects lingering in our nature—is why the statement that we are not guilty of it, but suffer from it, is the most accurate. The other options misstate guilt, overstate baptism as erasing all effects, or deny the impact on human nature.