Adventism affirms that Adam's sin fundamentally corrupted human nature, resulting in spiritual death, moral weakness, and a universal tendency toward sin in all his descendants. This inherited corruption is real and is why all humans need a Savior. Adventism affirms the universal sinfulness of humanity.

However, Adventism generally does not affirm the Augustinian doctrine of inherited guilt — the idea that all humans are legally guilty because of Adam's specific transgression before they personally sin. Rather, the emphasis is on inherited weakness and tendency (depravity) rather than imputed guilt. Each person becomes guilty through their own actual sins, though the inherited nature makes sinning inevitable. This represents a moderate position between strong Augustinianism and Pelagianism.