The first man and woman were created by God and lived in the Garden of Eden. They had special gifts and existed in a state of grace that allowed them to be with God.
All mankind would have lived forever with God if Adam and Eve had obeyed their Creator’s commandment to avoid the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
Because of their disobedience they were no longer in a state of grace and would no longer live in the presence of God. Now they would die.
Instead of inheriting the gifts and the grace that Adam and Eve had, man now inherits their sin and its consequences, including death.
Only Jesus, the Savior promised by God, can take away Original Sin, save mankind from its effects, and restore man’s relationship with God forever.
God created man good and in a state of grace:
Adam and Eve sinned by turning against God:
Man, tempted by the devil, let his trust in his Creator die in his heart and, abusing his freedom, disobeyed God’s command. This is what man’s first sin consisted of. All subsequent sin would be disobedience toward God and lack of trust in his goodness.
Catechism of the Catholic Church 397
Man’s fall from grace results in a state of original sin:
Moreover, man, who was created for freedom, bears within himself the wound of original sin, which constantly draws him towards evil and puts him in need of redemption. Not only is this doctrine an integral part of Christian revelation; it also has great hermeneutical value insofar as it helps one to understand human reality. Man tends towards good, but he is also capable of evil. He can transcend his immediate interest and still remain bound to it.
Pope John Paul II, Centesimus Annus, May 1, 1991
Original Sin and its effects are inherited by the rest of humanity:
Therefore as sin came into the world through one man and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all men sinned – sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law.
Romans 5: 12-13
God responded to Adam and Eve’s sin with love:
Jesus is the New Adam who saves man from the consequences of Adam’s sin:
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