The True Jesus Church affirms that humanity fell into sin through Adam's disobedience and that all humans inherit a sinful nature as a consequence. This inherited corruption makes regeneration necessary, and regeneration is accomplished through the prescribed means: water baptism in Jesus' name and the baptism of the Holy Spirit evidenced by tongues.

The church teaches that original sin is real and universal, affecting all people. However, it is not understood in terms of inherited guilt (as in some Catholic and Reformed theology) but rather as an inherited sinful condition or nature that makes each person susceptible to actual sin. The remedy for this condition is the new birth effected through proper sacramental response.

This doctrine undergirds the church's insistence on the necessity of water baptism and Spirit baptism for all believers, regardless of age or background. Infants who die before reaching the age of accountability are understood to be covered by Christ's atonement, but living persons must be baptized and filled with the Spirit.