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Monday, July 9, 2018

Original Sin & The Problem of Evil


The Fall, The Nature of Sin & The Problem of Evil.
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.
[8].  Millard J. Erickson, Christian Theology, 561-64.
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Written by Kevin A. Hall.


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