Whether the Sin of the First Parent Is Transmitted, by the Way of
Origin, to All Men?
Objection 1: It would seem that the sin of the first parent is not
transmitted, by the way of origin, to all men. Because death is a
punishment consequent upon original sin. But not all those, who are
born of the seed of Adam, will die: since those who will be still
living at the coming of our Lord, will never die, as, seemingly, may
be gathered from 1 Thess. 4:14: "We who are alive . . . unto the
coming of the Lord, shall not prevent them who have slept." Therefore
they do not contract original sin.
Obj. 2: Further, no one gives another what he has not himself. Now a
man who has been baptized has not original sin. Therefore he does not
transmit it to his children.
Obj. 3: Further, the gift of Christ is greater than the sin of Adam,
as the Apostle declares (Rom. 5:15, seqq). But the gift of Christ is
not transmitted to all men: neither, therefore, is the sin of Adam.
_On the contrary,_ The Apostle says (Rom. 5:12): "Death passed upon
all men in whom all have sinned."
_I answer that,_ According to the Catholic Faith we must firmly
believe that, Christ alone excepted, all men descended from Adam
contract original sin from him; else all would not need redemption
[*Cf. Translator's note inserted before III, Q. 27] which is through
Christ; and this is erroneous. The reason for this may be gathered
from what has been stated (A. 1), viz. that original sin, in virtue
of the sin of our first parent, is transmitted to his posterity, just
as, from the soul's will, actual sin is transmitted to the members of
the body, through their being moved by the will. Now it is evident
that actual sin can be transmitted to all such members as have an
inborn aptitude to be moved by the will. Therefore original sin is
transmitted to all those who are moved by Adam by the movement of
generation.
Reply Obj. 1: It is held with greater probability and more commonly
that all those that are alive at the coming of our Lord, will die,
and rise again shortly, as we shall state more fully in the Third
Part (Suppl., Q. 78, A. 1, Obj. 1). If, however, it be true, as
others hold, that they will never die, (an opinion which Jerome
mentions among others in a letter to Minerius, on the Resurrection of
the Body--Ep. cxix), then we must say in reply to the objection, that
although they are not to die, the debt of death is none the less in
them, and that the punishment of death will be remitted by God, since
He can also forgive the punishment due for actual sins.
Reply Obj. 1: Original sin is taken away by Baptism as to the guilt,
in so far as the soul recovers grace as regards the mind.
Nevertheless original sin remains in its effect as regards the
_fomes,_ which is the disorder of the lower parts of the soul and of
the body itself, in respect of which, and not of the mind, man
exercises his power of generation. Consequently those who are
baptized transmit original sin: since they do not beget as being
renewed in Baptism, but as still retaining something of the oldness
of the first sin.
Reply Obj. 3: Just as Adam's sin is transmitted to all who are born
of Adam corporally, so is the grace of Christ transmitted to all that
are begotten of Him spiritually, by faith and Baptism: and this, not
only unto the removal of sin of their first parent, but also unto the
removal of actual sins, and the obtaining of glory.
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