Shorter Catechism Q. 18. Wherein consists the sinfulness of that estate whereinto man fell? A. The sinfulness of that estate whereinto man fell consists in the guilt of Adam’s first sin, the want of original righteousness, and the corruption of his whole nature, which is commonly called original sin; together with all actual transgressions which proceed from it.
Commentary: R.C. Sproul once said, “We are not sinners because we sin. We sin because we are sinners.” And the reason we are sinners is because, to quote Lady Gaga, we are “born this way.” We don’t enter the world as people who are innocent and pure as the white driven snow. Rather, we are born guilty and sinful. This is what theologians have called “original sin,” and it consists of three parts.
First, it consists of the “guilt of Adam’s first sin.” Although Adam is the one who rebelled against God, the guilt of his first sin (not the guilt of his subsequent sins) is imputed to his descendants. We are guilty in Adam.
Second, it consists of “the want of original righteousness.” God made Adam upright and very good. He wasn’t neutral, tottering between good and evil. He was morally pure. We are not born the way Adam was made. We lack “original righteousness.” And we don’t have it because we are guilty in Adam. Being guilty has its consequences, and one of them is the loss of original holiness or righteousness.
Third, it consists in “the corruption of his whole nature.” This is what later theologians have called “total depravity.” This does not mean that we are as bad as we can be. Rather, it means that every part of us is morally corrupt. It is not as if the fall into sin tainted our feelings, but not our minds. Every part (thinking, knowing, willing, feeling, desires, etc.) is corrupt. Our problem, therefore, is not just that we have lost something (original righteousness). Our whole nature has been affected by sin and is thus polluted. We are sinful through and through.
Besides original sin, the sinfulness of our fallen state includes our own actual transgressions. We sin because we are sinners, and those sins make a bad situation even worse.