Hamartiology at
Amiens Cathedral,
France The doctrine of sin is central to Christianity, since its
basic message is about
redemption in
Christ. Christian
hamartiology describes sin as an act of offense against
God by despising his
persons and
Christian biblical law, and by injuring others. According to the classical definition of
St. Augustine of Hippo sin is "a word, deed, or desire in opposition to the eternal law of God." Thus, sin requires redemption, a metaphor alluding to atonement, in which the death of Jesus is the price that is paid to release the faithful from the bondage of sin. Among some scholars, sin is understood mostly as a legal infraction or contract violation of non-binding philosophical frameworks and perspectives of
Christian ethics, and so
salvation tends to be viewed in legal terms. Other Christian scholars understand sin to be fundamentally relational—a loss of love for the
Christian God and an elevation of
self-love (
concupiscence, in this sense), as was later propounded by Augustine in his debate with the
Pelagians. As with the legal definition of sin, this definition also affects the understanding of
Christian grace and salvation, which are thus viewed in relational terms. The concept of the
seven deadly sins holds a significant place within Christian teaching as a classification of seven major vices that lead to further immoral behavior and other sins. These sins are pride, greed, wrath, envy, lust, gluttony, and sloth. They are considered "deadly" because they are the root causes of other sins and moral corruption, opposing the
virtues that Christians are encouraged to cultivate such as humility, charity, and patience. The idea of the seven deadly sins originated in early Christian thought and was later formalized by figures such as Pope Gregory I and St. Thomas Aquinas. While not identical to mortal sins, the seven deadly sins are viewed as capital vices from which many other sins arise, thus emphasizing the need for redemption and moral vigilance in the Christian life.
Original sin fresco depicts the
expulsion of
Adam and Eve for
transgressing God's command not to eat
the fruit of the
Tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This condition has been characterized in many ways, from the desire to commit wrongful action, referred to as a "sin nature", to
total depravity and "utter helplessness even to exercise a good will toward God apart from God's supernatural, assisting grace". The concept of original sin was first alluded to in the 2nd century by
Irenaeus,
Bishop of Lyon in his controversy with certain
dualist Gnostics. Other church fathers such as
Augustine also shaped and developed the doctrine, seeing it as based on the
New Testament teaching of
Paul the Apostle (
Romans 5:12–21 and
1 Corinthians 15:21–22) and the
Old Testament verse of
Psalms 51:5.
Tertullian,
Cyprian,
Ambrose and
Ambrosiaster considered that humanity shares in Adam's sin, transmitted by human generation.
Augustine's formulation of original sin after 412 CE was popular among
Protestant reformers, such as
Martin Luther and
John Calvin, who equated original sin with
concupiscence (or "hurtful desire"), affirming that it persisted even after
baptism and completely destroyed freedom to do good. Before 412 CE, Augustine said that free will was weakened but not destroyed by original sin. But after 412 CE this changed to a loss of free will except to sin. Calvinism holds the later
Augustinian soteriology view. The
Jansenist movement, which the Catholic Church declared to be heretical, also maintained that original sin destroyed
freedom of will. Instead the Catholic Church declares that Baptism erases original sin.
Methodist theology teaches that original sin is eradicated through
entire sanctification. ==Hinduism==