Lutheran theology affirms original sin as a real inherited condition affecting all descendants of Adam. The Augsburg Confession Article II defines original sin as the absence of the fear of God, of true faith in God, and of the desire for God, alongside concupiscence (disordered desire). Since the Fall, human beings are born unable to will or do anything genuinely pleasing to God in spiritual matters — total depravity in the sense of pervasive corruption, not absolute evil in every respect.

The Formula of Concord (Articles I and II) distinguishes original sin from human nature itself — the corruption is an accident (in the philosophical sense), not the substance of human nature. This was a point of controversy with Matthias Flacius Illyricus, who claimed original sin had become human nature. The confessional position maintains that human nature is God's good creation and original sin is the radical corruption of that nature through the Fall. The remedy for original sin is baptismal regeneration and the ongoing work of the Spirit through the Word.