“Sin” is an uncomfortable word. It reeks of condemnation, judgmentalism. We don’t like to hear it; we feel a bit embarrassed saying it. What is sin, this thing that makes us so uneasy?

“Guilt, grace, and gratitude” is a handy summary for the structure of the Christian faith. In part 1 of a 3-part series, New Testament scholar S. M. Baugh explains why guilt is the core issue facing humans after the fall of man in the garden of Eden.

Did God overreact to Adam and Eve’s sin in the garden of Eden? The punishment might seem not to fit the offense: a cursed world and humanity estranged from God—all for eating some forbidden fruit. Why was Adam and Eve’s disobedience such a terrible transgression against God?

Adam and Eve thought fig leaves would protect them from God’s righteous judgment of their disobedience. How do we try to cover up our sin with our own fig leaves to justify ourselves before God?

In so many ways we are all striving to escape the Fall. Healthy eating, exercise, financial programs, homeschooling, alternative medicine, the list goes on. While these things may be good in themselves, why are they a bad savior?