Yes, original sin is real: the Bible and Les Feldick both teach that every person is born with a sin nature because of Adam.
Romans 5:12 traces the entry of sin and death to one man, Adam, and says death passed to all people because all have sinned. Les Feldick reinforces this by saying people do not become sinners by sinning; they are already sinners because they are born of Adam.
Romans 5:12 — This verse directly connects Adam's one act of sin to the universal condition of sin and death that affects every human being.
Romans 3:20 — It shows that the law brings the knowledge of sin, which Les links to the old Adamic nature rather than merely individual acts.
Romans 5:12 says, "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." This places the origin of sin and death with one man, Adam, and shows that death reached every person. Romans 3:20 adds, "Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin." This reveals that sin is a universal reality of which every person has knowledge through the law — not merely a series of isolated bad choices. John 3:18 says, "He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." The phrase "condemned already" points to a pre-existing condition before an individual's personal works are judged.
Les Feldick does not repeatedly use the exact phrase "original sin," but he clearly teaches the same doctrine through his terms "old Adam" and "old sin nature." He says Adam was created perfect, with no ounce of sin and no sinful thought, and that the problem of sin did not begin with our law-breaking but with what we have inside us that wants to break the law (Clip 1). Les calls this inner condition the old Adamic nature that every son of Adam is born with — a personality that is sin-bent and anti-God (Clip 3). Les makes a crucial distinction between "sin" and "sins." In his teaching on Romans, he says the singular word "sin" in Romans is not the act of sin, such as theft or adultery, but the old Adamic nature we are born with (Clip 4). In fact, he shows that in most of Romans you can substitute the word "sin" with "old Adam" and get the right meaning (Clip 5). He even says a child will display that sin nature just as soon as they can (Clip 4). Most importantly, Les summarizes the biblical reality with these words: "We do not become sinners because we sin, we sin because we are sinners. And how do we become sinners? By being born of Adam" (Clip 7). For Les, original sin means that every person enters the world already condemned by virtue of being a child of Adam (Clip 7).
The Bible says that through one man sin entered the world and death passed upon all men (Romans 5:12). Les Feldick teaches the same truth by saying the whole human race flows from Adam, and every child of Adam is born with a sin-bent, anti-God nature (Clips 3, 6, 7).
Les Feldick describes "old Adam" as the old sin nature that every person is born with. He says that when Romans uses the singular word "sin," it speaks of that nature rather than individual acts of sin. He also notes that a child will show that nature just as soon as they can (Clips 4, 5).
Les Feldick is explicit: "We do not become sinners because we sin, we sin because we are sinners." He then shows that we become sinners by being born of Adam, and that an unbeliever is condemned already before any personal act of unbelief makes them condemned (Clip 7; John 3:18).
The Moment Death Entered the World: Genesis 3 & Romans 5 Explained
Hello, and welcome to Through the Bible with Les Feldick. An Oklahoma rancher and farmer, Les Feldick has taught home-style Bible classes for 20 years in Iowa, Oklahoma, and Texas. Les Feldick's unique style of Bible teaching has made the books of the Bible come to life. When Les' teaching is so interesting, people say, the time seems to fly by. And now, here's Les Feldick.
Sin Began with Adam
Les explains that Adam was created perfect, without a single sinful thought, and that the real problem of sin began with Adam rather than with our individual law-breaking.
What the Bible Says About Sodom, Lot, and Judgment (Romans 1)
I don't care what the psychologists say. The only thing that counts is the truth of the Word of God. And the truth of the Word of God is that God hates sin. And these things that people will simply explain away as an alternate lifestyle is not sin. But the Bible says it is. All right, so if you'll continue on down to verse 21.
Born with a Sin-Bent, Anti-God Personality
Les states that every son of Adam is born with a body containing a personality that is sin-bent and anti-God, revealing that original sin affects our very nature.
The Old Adamic Nature in Romans
Les teaches that the singular word 'sin' in Romans refers to the old Adamic nature we are born with, not individual acts like theft or adultery, and that a child shows this nature as soon as possible.
Old Adam and the Knowledge of Sin
Les demonstrates that throughout Romans, the word 'sin' can often be replaced with 'old Adam' — the sin nature every person inherits from Adam.
The River of Humanity Since Adam
Les uses the picture of the entire human race flowing like a river since Adam, reinforcing that everyone since Adam has been connected to his fallen condition.
Sinners by Being Born of Adam
Les gives the clearest summary: 'We do not become sinners because we sin, we sin because we are sinners' — and we become sinners by being born of Adam.
Romans 5:12: Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
This is the foundational verse proving that Adam's sin brought sin and death to every person.
Romans 3:20: Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
This shows that the law makes mankind aware of a universal condition called sin, which Les identifies as the old Adamic nature.
Romans 3:23: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
This affirms that the whole human race shares in a fallen condition, not just those who commit certain visible sins.
Romans 6:14: For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
Les points to this verse because the singular word 'sin' refers to the ruling Adamic nature, not just individual acts.
John 3:18: He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Les uses this verse to show that an unbeliever is already condemned as a child of Adam before any of their own acts are judged.
Original sin is the fallen, sin-bent nature passed to every person from Adam. Les Feldick teaches that we do not become sinners by sinning; we sin because we are already sinners by being born of Adam (Clip 7).
Yes. Les says every son of Adam is born with a body in which dwells a personality that is sin-bent and anti-God, and a child will show that sin nature just as soon as they can (Clips 3 and 4).
Les teaches that when Romans uses 'sin' in the singular, it is speaking of the old Adamic nature we are born with, rather than individual acts of sin like theft or adultery (Clip 4).
Watch the Teaching: The Moment Death Entered the World: Genesis 3 & Romans 5 Explained