Original Sin
I believe in God and an original blessing, which is the gift of life in a beautiful world, but with that blessing, human beings were allowed to have free will so that God and His (or Her) divine love could be freely responded to and not in any way forced or controlled. I understand original sin to be the tendency of all human beings to turn away from God towards Self, and what Jesus (and God) did on the cross enabled God to accept human beings just as they are when they turn to Him in faith and love. As the prophet said, “He bore the sin of many.” (Isaiah 53:12. Cf. Mt 26:28) What Jesus did on the cross overcomes original sin and everything that separates us from God, even death.
The crucifixion is the central point in the Christian story, but it makes no sense unless it is explained by his followers that Jesus believed that his suffering had a purpose, that he would save many people. This is emphasized by St Paul and the gospel writers (e.g. Mark 10:45) and it gives the whole crucifixion scene the power of love. Otherwise, there is no reason for anybody to respond to this divine drama.
Jesus was not forced to take up the cross; he assented to God’s plan for humanity. Motivated by love, he willingly took on the role of the Suffering Servant, as described in Isaiah 53. As the human expression of God, Jesus on the cross shows God in complete weakness, except for the power of love.
Jesus gave himself, and this self-giving way of thinking or emotion is at the heart of what is meant by love in the New Testament. The crucifixion represents this sacrificial love in its ultimate form, and human beings were created with an awareness of this ultimate love. What mother or father would not give their life to save a child, and what husband or wife would not give their life to save the other? The original goodness of human beings is a fact of life. This is not the same as saying that salvation can be gained through works: it refers to an awareness, a potential element in human nature. Each human being can choose to activate this gift of God, turn toward Him, and be in a personal, loving relationship with Him. It is the key to heaven.
Unfortunately, some theologians considered human sexuality to be sinful and its products, human beings, to be unacceptable to God because of this stain that they called original sin. They thought that the stain made human beings quite separate from God and devoid of any ability to relate to Him. But once it is understood that there is essentially nothing wrong with human sexuality, this idea of original sin can be rejected.
Although God created human beings with free will and the tendency to turn to Self, He also gave them the capacity to love as Jesus loved. This God-given element in human nature resonates with the divine love shown by Jesus on the cross. It is like a spark that can flare up into a flame when activated by faith and love. It is God’s grace, the undeserved gift to every human being, and the flame is the Holy Spirit. God lets human beings do whatever they want, but in each one, He puts a pinch of holiness.
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