“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.

Increasingly, some Christians are claiming that no authority structure existed in Adam and Eve’s relationship in the garden of Eden prior to their fall into sin. Is this true?

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?