What is the difference in original sin and our nature to sin from a Reformed or Calvinist view?

Question

There is another question like this on the CSE but seems to be answered with the Catholic view in mind. As a Calvinist, I have become quite confused or I am just not properly understanding the difference in my studies. In other words I have been unable to grasp or get the whole concept of the differences of original sin and my sin nature.

My problem doesn't lie with original sin but how and when my sin nature fits. It would seem that if I am a sinner at conception and I am bent towards sin or totally depraved from the beginning what is my sin nature? Is there a difference?

I would like a reformed/Calvinist answers in simple terms that may give me a basic understanding.

I appreciate your time and consideration

Answer 1

The sin nature is an aspect of the doctrine of "original sin," but not the entire story.

Louis Berkhof's highly regarded Systematic Theology introduces the topic of Original Sin by calling it simply "the sinful state and condition in which men are born."

The Westminster Larger Catechism, answer 25, identifies three key components of original sin:

• The guilt of Adam's sin
• The lack of inherent righteousness
• The corruption of man's nature

The first of these isn't normally part of what we consider to be the "sin nature." Berkhof calls this original guilt, and distinguishes it from original pollution. The former expresses the state of mankind in relation to the law – guilty:

The guilt of Adam's sin, committed by him as the federal head of the human race, is imputed to all his descendants.

The latter, original pollution, includes the concepts of total depravity and total inability, which typically come to mind when considering the "sin nature." These refer to the inherent corruption of of man's nature, a lack of anything spiritually good in man, an inability to act in a way that meets the requirements of God's law, and an inability to come to love God on one's own.

So the simple answer to your question is that Original Sin is a broader term that includes the idea of the "sin nature," but it also includes the concept of "original guilt." Thus they are not synonyms.

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^{As an aside, sometimes the word "original" can be confusing and lead to incorrect assumptions that it exclusively refers to the sin of Adam and Eve. Berkhof explains:}

^{This sin is called "original sin," (1) because it is derived from the original root of the human race; (2) because it is present in the life of every individual from the time of his birth, and therefore cannot be regarded as the result of imitation; and (3) because it is the inward root of all the actual sins that defile the life of man. (2.2.4)}

^{Thus the word "original" here should not be exclusively understood as referring to the first sin in history, but also to the "original" state of post-fall individuals before they have committed any actual sins.}

Answer 2

Original sin is Adam’s sin of disobedience against God. The sin nature is what all humans have inherited from Adam.

The Calvinistic view of sin is that Adam’s sin has resulted not only in our having a sin nature, but also in our incurring guilt before God for which we deserve punishment. Being conceived with original sin upon us (Psalm 51:5) results in our inheriting a sin nature so wicked that Jeremiah 17:9 describes the human heart as “deceitful above all things and beyond cure.” Not only was Adam found guilty because he sinned, but his guilt and his punishment (death) belongs to us as well (Romans 5:12, 19). The Calvinistic view sees humanity as entirely unable to overcome sin without the power of the Holy Spirit, which convicts people of their sin and enables them to turn in repentance to God. More information here: https://www.gotquestions.org/original-sin.html

The sin nature is that aspect in humanity that makes us rebellious against God. We are all born with a sinful nature which we inherited from Adam. “Sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people” (Romans 5:12). Every one of us was affected by Adam’s sin; there are no exceptions. “One trespass resulted in condemnation for all people” (verse 18). We are all sinners, and we all share the same condemnation, because we are all children of Adam.

We are born once into Adam’s family and are sinners by nature. When we are born again, we are born into God’s family and are given the nature of Christ. We praise the Lord that “to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God —children born not of natural descent . . . but born of God” (John 1:12–13). https://www.gotquestions.org/born-sinners.html

The sin nature is universal in humanity. All of us have a sinful nature, and it affects every part of us. This is the doctrine of total depravity. The apostle John comes straight to the point: “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8). Every person born of Adam inherits his sin nature; but when we are born again in Christ, we inherit a new nature: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). https://www.gotquestions.org/sin-nature.html

The Reformed doctrine of sin and salvation is described in some detail in this article: https://www.gotquestions.org/reformed-theology.html

In summary, “original sin” refers to the sin of Adam when he disobeyed God and, as a direct consequence, every human since then has inherited this “sin nature.”