The doctrines of the fall, the
nature of sin and the problem of evil, have revealed more to me about the
nature of God than all of the other doctrines combined. It
is not uncommon to address the questions of “Why were humans created?” and “Why
does a good God allow evil?” in daily conversations. These three doctrines (fall,
sin, evil) provide some answers, as they are interrelated. It is now my
understanding that because “God is the highest being and we are his creatures,
failure to fulfill his standards disrupts the whole economy of the universe.”[1]
It is very clear that God wanted a
relationship with his created beings. His daily interactions with Adam and Eve
serves as the model (Genesis 3:8). It was their sin that transformed the
relationship. A loving God as father and creator, provided everything necessary
for his children (animals included) and they in turn trusted and obeyed him.
The choice to sin “violated God’s trust and command, placing them on the wrong
side of God, in effect making them his enemies.”[2]
Judging from the state of the
world, it is not uncommon then to find both blame for God and disbelief in him.
While some people are simply enslaved by their own lust, many fail to recognize the far-reaching effects of
sin. It is the result of one man’s sin that death reigns and all men were
condemned as sinners (Romans 5:15-19; Genesis 3:14-16). “Adam and Eve’s disobedience
and commission of sin brought tragic spiritual, physical and social deprivation
to the entire human race.”[3]
The blame must be placed at the feet of Adam and Eve. However, in light of the
ensuing state of dysfunction it becomes difficult not to ask the two questions
mentioned at the onset of this discussion. Even more difficult is accepting
biblical doctrine that in order not to violate God’s own nature, he had to
provide the first humans with options (Genesis 2:8-17). The first couple “were
placed under a probationary arrangement, whereby their obedience and loyalty to
God would be tested. To be authentically human, Adam and Eve must have the
opportunity to choose between loyalty to God or to self.”[4]
That choice “and probation centered around the tree of life and the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil” (Genesis 2:9)[5]
By choosing to please self, the first couple failed the loyalty test. It is
clear now, that “had the first couple eaten obediently from the tree of life
instead of the tree of knowledge, they would have secured everlasting life as
the reward of their faith.”[6]
The choice to “take of the fruit and eat” (Genesis 3:6) sealed their future. “Through
this free act of the will sin entered the human family through Adam and Eve,
the progenitors of the race.”[7]
The actions of the first couple has
resulted in a corrupt nature, riddled with sin, decay, guilt and condemnation being
imputed to all of mankind. Death, evil, destruction, pain and suffering now
ravage this world. The evil experienced in this world now comes from within and
without. “Out of the heart of fallen man comes evil thoughts which include
murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander” (Matthew
15:18-19). At any given moment, a man will engage in acts of the flesh which includes
“sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred,
discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and
envy; drunkenness, orgies and the like” (Galatians 5:19-21). This list would
read like the average breaking news on any number of media platforms. The world
would do well to consider the state of their world, except, since the fall not
only did mankind become the enemy of God, Satan and his demons make a concerted
effort to blind men’s eyes to their state (1 John 15:9). And God has saw fit to
give mankind over to their lust (Genesis 6:5; Ephesians 4:18-19; Romans
1:18-32; Titus 1:5; 2 Timothy 3:2-5).
The result is far reaching and
expressed in any number of realities in the average household, organizations,
institutions, businesses and the like. Erickson paints a vivid picture of the
reality of the doctrine of the fall, of sin and of the problem of evil: Sin has
enslaved mankind; sin has resulted in an unwillingness to face reality; the
attempt to deny sin has resulted in any number of attempt to re-label it; self-deceit,
self-centeredness, insensitivity and restlessness is the order of the day.
Lastly, in relation to other humans it is common place to experience
competition, rejection of authority, loveless persons and a lack of humility in
any given circle.[8]
That said, the study of these three
doctrines (fall, sin, evil) has not only resulted in a desire to embrace God’s
call to holiness to a greater degree (1 Peter 1:16), but it has engendered a
sense of regret for the actions of the first couple and a deep desire to
restore a lost relationship with God. God’s desire for his creation was clear
from the moment they sinned. He not only provided an immediate solution for the
problem of guilt and sin (Genesis 3:21), but along with the curse he also
provided a solution (Genesis 3:15), realized in the incarnation (Matthew 1:21).
I call these studies fuel for the mission ahead.
[1].
Millard J. Erickson, Christian Theology,
(Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2013), 554.
[2]. Ibid., 550.
[3]. B. Demarest, “Fall of the Human Race,” in Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, ed.
Walter A. Elwell, (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2001), 435.
[4].
B. Demarest, “Fall,” 435.
[5].
Ibid., 435.
[6].
Ibid.
[7].
Ibid.
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