Infants and Original Sin

Dear Catholic Exchange:

This is a question that the deacon asks to the parents in my parish during the pre-baptismal classes he gives: “Why do you baptize your babies?” Most of the times the answer is, “to get rid of original sin.” But the deacon says that infants have no original sin. I showed him the Catechism and he says that the Catechism has errors. How do I prove him that infants do have original sin? Thank you.

Mr. Alvarado

Dear Mr. Alvarado,

Peace in Christ!

The Catholic Church’s teaching on original sin is drawn from Scripture, beginning with the account of the Fall in Genesis 3. While Adam’s (and Eve’s) was a “personal” sin, Adam stood for all mankind. Thus, their sin “affected the human nature that they would transmit in a fallen state.” Original sin deprives all mankind of original holiness and justice and therefore is called “sin” analogically, meaning that “it is a sin ‘contracted’ and not ‘committed’ — a state and not an act” (Catechism, no. 404). While Baptism erases original sin, our wounded nature or inclination to evil called “concupiscence” remains (ibid., no. 405; cf. nos. 407-12).

As stated, Adam as the head of the human race represented all humanity. As the head goes, so goes the rest of the body — us. Though Adam’s sin was personal, the effects are suffered by all. As number 404 in the Catechism conveys, original sin is contracted, not committed, and inherited by all his descendents. This teaching conforms with the teaching of St. Paul in Romans 5 in which he states that the sin of one led to the death of all men. St. Paul affirms: “By one’s man’s disobedience many [that is, all men] were made sinners”: “sin came into the world through one man and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all men sinned…” (Rom 5:12, 19). Paul later contrasts the universality of sin and death with the universality of salvation in Christ. “Then as one man’s trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one man’s act of righteousness leads to acquittal and life for all men” (Rom 5:18) (cf. Catechism, no. 403).

As a uniquely contracted sin, it is not to be confused with biblical passages, such as Ezekiel 18:17, that say the sins of the father may or may not be visited upon his children. In Ezekiel 18:17 and surrounding verses, Scripture speaks here of not holding a son personally culpable for the sins of his father. In other words, the father must give an account for his personal choices (both good and bad ones) and the son for his own (cf. Rom 2:6; Mt 25:31-46). This reality does not preclude that the effect of a father’s sins may impact his descendants. Original sin is a dramatic and unique example of this reality, unique because man does not simply endure the effects, but actually “contracts” the sin. While not being personally culpable for this sin, man nonetheless needs a Savior to overcome original sin. Even the Blessed Mother speaks of Christ as her Savior (Luke 1:47) because the merits of His death and resurrection were applied to her preveniently, i.e., before her sinless Immaculate Conception (Catechism, nos. 491-92).

As stated, original sin deprives all mankind of original holiness and justice. Jesus Christ, therefore, stood as the new Adam, representing the entire human race and taking the sins of all upon Himself. It is through Christ that original sin is forgiven and we are reconciled to God. The means that Christ gave us for forgiveness and reconciliation is baptism. By baptism original sin is forgiven as well as the eternal punishment for sin. More essential to us, baptism makes us adopted sons of God. Thus, baptism restores us in friendship with God. However, our natures — through which original sin is transmitted — still remain under the effects of original sin. We still have a tendency to sin and we suffer many physical and spiritual trials. We still have darkened intellects and character flaws. In other words, in baptism we are not restored to our original state of holiness and justice (Catechism., no.405; cf. nos.407-12). Instead we are reconciled with God through His Son and saved from eternal punishment.

The Church’s teaching on original sin was developed by St. Augustine in the fifth century and in the Church’s response to the Protestant Reformation in the 16th. The Church’s most important pronouncements on the matter came from the Second Council of Orange in 529 and the Council of Trent in 1546 (Catechism, no.406). As the current Catechism of the Catholic Church indicates, the Catholic Church has not rejected this teaching, but continues to declare the reality of original sin and the necessity of baptism.

I hope this response adequately answers your question. For further reading on this subject, please refer to our Faith Fact on infant baptism as well as that on the Immaculate Conception.

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United in the Faith,

Kathleen Rohan

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