Are people born good, bad, or neutral? Is original sin true — do we enter the world innocent, wicked, or as spiritual free agents? In this study of Romans 5, Dr. Toby Holt lays out the Bible's answer against the culture's. Paul teaches that "through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned" (Romans 5:12). Adam stands as the federal head of the human race, so that his guilt and corruption are ours by nature — we are not sinners merely because we sin; we sin because we are sinners. Dr. Holt shows why this doctrine is decisive for apologetics: the modern assumption of innate goodness or neutrality cannot account for the universal reality of sin, and it guts the gospel of its necessity. But Romans 5 does not end in Adam. Where the first man brought condemnation, the "last Adam," Jesus Christ, brings justification: "as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous" (Romans 5:19). The bad news of original sin is the doorway to the good news of grace. Questions this study answers: 1. What does the Bible say about the nature we are born with? That we are born in sin, not neutral or innately good. Through Adam, sin and death passed to all — a fallen nature is our inheritance, not a later acquisition. 2. How can we be held guilty for Adam's sin? Because Adam acted as the representative, or federal head, of humanity. His fall is credited to all who descend from him — a solidarity Paul parallels with the righteousness credited to those in Christ. 3. Why does original sin matter for the gospel? Because if we were basically good, we would not need a Savior. The doctrine exposes our true condition and magnifies the grace of the last Adam, Jesus Christ, who justifies the guilty. "Through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned." — Romans 5:12 (NKJV) Speaker: Dr. Toby Holt is the President of New Geneva Theological Seminary, a Reformed seminary in Colorado Springs. He is known for clear, down-to-earth Bible teaching, and his sermons have been downloaded more than 1.9 million times on SermonAudio. Listen and go deeper: This study is part of New Geneva Theological Seminary's teaching on apologetics and defending the Christian faith. Find more verse-by-verse teaching across the Bible at newgeneva.org. To support this teaching ministry, visit newgeneva.org/give.
