The word sin refers to “anything short of holy perfection.” Since God Himself is the standard of holiness, every person falls short of that benchmark on every level because of sin, which renders them guilty before God.
Original sin describes Adam’s sin in the Garden of Eden and its effect on the rest of humanity. Because of Adam’s sin, every person born possesses a sinful nature, with Jesus Christ as the only exception. When Adam sinned, unholiness, imperfection, sickness, and death entered the world and brought death to all people, physically and spiritually.
The sinful nature, or the flesh, is like the default operating system of humanity. Sins are the imperfect, unrighteous thoughts, actions, attitudes, and motives people have resulting from that nature. In other words, people are prone to choose sin over righteousness because they are sinful by nature and do what comes naturally to their flesh more often than not.
Having a sinful nature does not excuse people’s sinful choices nor render them exempt from sin’s eternal consequences. Individuals are accountable to God for their imperfect decisions, and God’s holy, just nature demands that sin be punished eternally. This reality presents a severe dilemma for sinners and heartbreak to God, which is why He sent Jesus to the cross to resolve this eternal calamity.
When Jesus left heaven to be born on Earth, He lived a perfect, sinless life of obedience to His Father, which satisfied all of God’s righteous requirements for holy living. When Jesus was on the cross, He took the sins of the entire world upon Himself and suffered the punishment for each one by shedding His blood. Jesus’ sacrificial death satisfied God’s justice, which required punishment for all sins. This sacrifice was made willingly by Jesus on behalf of all sinners so they could be redeemed.
Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross is the only way for sinners to be saved from sin’s eternal consequences, having paid their “sin debt” in full. Those who turn from their sinful lifestyle and trust Jesus by faith for their salvation will be born-again, cleansed from all sin, and go to heaven when they die. Those who reject Jesus’ offer of salvation have no other means available for their forgiveness and redemption. Therefore, they will pay for their own sins in the Lake of Fire eternally after their death, having refused Jesus’ payment offered on their behalf.
Once a person becomes born-again, God gives them a new, godly nature through the Holy Spirit's indwelling presence. The Spirit of God helps them crucify their fleshly desires and glorify Jesus rather than indulging their sinful nature repeatedly like before. God also sets believers free from the bondage of sin. This release does not render them sinless or eradicate their sinful nature but liberates them from the power of sin. In other words, born-again believers are no longer enslaved by their sinful nature like before.
Believers will always battle against their fleshly desires until they die and go to heaven. Therefore, God’s Word instructs them to live according to the Spirit so they do not indulge those sinful desires (Galatians 5:16-17). When believers sin, they do not lose their salvation or righteous standing before God. Instead, their intimate fellowship with God is broken and needs to be restored. This “reinstatement” occurs when they confess their sins to Jesus — agreeing with Him that their actions were wrong — and ask Him for forgiveness. In response, Jesus forgives them for these sins and cleanses them from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9-10). However, if a professing believer habitually practices sin, treating God’s grace as a license for it, they most likely do not possess salvation and must be born-again.
(See the Scripture References link at the top of the page.)
