relationship between original sin and actual sins

[LouisvilleFan]

One of my roommates (a Baptist) and I got into a long conversation last night about infant baptism. He was raised Catholic, but his family wasn't devout by any means and he never really considered himself a Christian until he placed his faith in Christ and was baptized again a few years ago. So I told him that regardless of what he believed, God still erased the stain of original sin from his soul at his infant baptism. Of course, he doesn't believe anything happened at all and he had trouble grasping the concept of original sin being washed away when his life was still very sinful until he came to Christ. His question is, without the stain of original sin, why would people continue to commit sins?

It's something I understand in my head, but was having trouble explaining it clearly. I understand where his question is coming from since it is the Fall that caused sin and death to enter the world. So it is basically our weak flesh and temptation from living in the world that causes us to continue sinning?

[Veridicus]

1263 By Baptism [i]all sins[/i] are forgiven, original sin and all personal sins as well as all punishment for sin. In those who have been reborn nothing remains that would impede their entry into the Kingdom of God, neither Adam's sin, nor personal sin, nor the consequences of sin, the gravest of which is separation from God.

1264 Yet certain temporal consequences of sin remain in the baptized, such as suffering, illness, death, and such frailties inherent in life as weaknesses of character, and so on, as well as an inclination to sin that Tradition calls [i]concupiscence[/i], or metaphorically, "the tinder for sin" ([i]fomes peccati[/i]); since concupiscence "is left for us to wrestle with, it cannot harm those who do not consent but manfully resist it by the grace of Jesus Christ."

[right]Catechism of the Catholic Church
Libreria Editrice Vaticana[/right]


My understanding is that the [i]stain of original sin[/i] is the guilt we all share as descendants of Adam. However, while Baptism preternaturally absolves this guilt, it doesn't release us from the disorder inherent in the world because of Adam's sin.

[LouisvilleFan]

Yeah, that makes sense... especially in light of our need to continue dealing with the consequences of sin, whether Adam's sin or our own.

[jswranch]

as for infant baptism, you may want to make the parallel between baptism and circumcision as entry into the people of God.

[LouisvilleFan]

Yeah, that doesn't really get anywhere with people I've talked to. Besides, plenty of Protestants do recognize infant baptisms, including some from the Reformed/Baptist camp.

Of course, I really don't go into these conversations with the expectation of converting anyone's faith, especially with my Protestant friends because they are pretty firm in what they believe. My goal is just to improve their understanding of Catholicism and my own understanding of their faith.

[jswranch]

Have you considered trading them attendence at Mass where you can explain it to them for attendence at their worship service?

[LouisvilleFan]

[quote name='jswranch' post='1047658' date='Aug 21 2006, 07:38 PM']
Have you considered trading them attendence at Mass where you can explain it to them for attendence at their worship service?
[/quote]

Well, most of them are plenty famliar with the Mass having grown up Catholic, but I do like to invite those who don't have much experience with the Catholic Church. It's also not a bad way to spend time with cute Baptist girls ;-)

[Guest JeffCR07]

It is important to note that while original sin is commonly referred to as a "stain" it is neither a positively existing thing, nor some kind of deformation of human nature. Rather, it is the lack of the [i]supernatural[/i] and sanctifying grace of original justice. "Natural Man" or man without this supernatural grace, is not in himself malformed or necessarily evil. However, with the loss of that supernatural grace, sin and death entered the world. Without that supernatural grace, man is incapable of living in a world in which sin exists without also sinning himself, but this is far from a notion of "total depravity." Rather, it is what St. Paul calls [i]hamartia[/i] or "missing the mark."

Let me use an archery analogy. Imagine that God creates an archery range in which the wind is perfectly still. He then creates a man with a bow. Moreover, he creates this man in such a way that, as long as he wants to hit the target, he will. The man then decides to miss the target intentionally, and thus gives up that supernatural ability to always hit the target when he wants to. As a consequence of this, the once-still wind becomes a ranging hurricane. In this hurricane-infested range, the man naturally has the power to hit the target, and he may even get lucky and do so, but he cannot hit the target 100% of the time.

The ability to hit the target whenever he wants to is the [i]supernatural[/i] grace of original justice.
The state of man in which he lacks that ability is [i]original sin[/i].
The hurricane is sin and death unleashed upon the world through the Fall.

Your Brother In Christ,

Jeff

Edited August 24, 2006 by JeffCR07