June 2, 2023
By Elijah McSwain, Sr.
“The Fall” is the event that took place in the Garden of Eden. The unfolding of this event is where Adam and Eve disobeyed the command of God as they ate of The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (Gen. 2 and 3). The dire circumstances surrounding “The Fall” marked one of the most crucial turning points in human history that negatively affected mankind as a whole. The impact of Adam’s decision set humanity on a pathway that would entail of alienation from God until reconciliation by God would be made possible through Jesus. The negative effect of sin is still prevalent in the world today as people blatantly choose to disregard and disobey the commands of God. The effect of “The Fall” is still evident in how people believe that living life on their own terms is far better than living life on God’s terms. If you look around in the modern-day world, it is very easy to comprehend this reality that stemmed from the original sin, “The Fall”.
“The Fall” is significant to Christian doctrine as it highlights our original position at creation and then our newfound position shortly thereafter as a human race.
“The Fall” signified that the choice made by Adam as he represented all of humanity would change the eternal trajectory for the entire world. The original state of eternal bliss in the Garden of Eden was replaced with the state of eternal condemnation that would lead to eternal ruin for every human being. Before we move further into the fall of man, it is imperative to first consider, our original position in creation as a human race.
Humanity’s Original Position In Creation
The initial state of the human populace at the onset of creation highlights the sinless nature of Adam and Eve. Before “The Fall”, Adam and Eve were not aware of the concept of sin.
Genesis 1:26 records God saying, “let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
As it relates to man being created in the image of God and after the likeness of God, it reveals the manner in which God choose to create us as image-bearers of Himself. The words image and likeness indicate that at the onset of creation, we were fashioned through Adam after the order of God, whereby we mirrored His spiritual nature. John MacArthur wrote “man is a living being capable of embodying God’s communicable attributes. In his rational life, he was like God in that he could reason and had intellect, will, and emotion. In the moral sense, he was like God because he was good and sinless.”1
The fact that mankind was considered good by God denotes that man had a spiritual resemblance to that of God. Based on the realism that mankind possessed a spiritual resemblance to God, showcased that humankind at that point in time was free from moral depravity, free from corruption, free from obtaining a vile nature, and free from transgression and iniquity. Therefore, the sentiment of being declared as good and later on being declared as very good was pronounced by God in the Genesis account. Upon their existence in the world, Adam and Eve were not marred or tainted by sin nor anything that would hinder them from following God; as they were fashioned as very good creatures within the creative order of God. As being deemed good in the moral sense and rational sense, the first humans on earth were able to resemble God in certain ways.
John Wesley phrased it this way, “yet man’s government of himself by the freedom of his will, displayed more of God’s image than his government of the creatures. And chiefly in his purity and rectitude. God’s image upon man consists in knowledge, righteousness, and true holiness. He was upright. He had a habitual conformity of all his natural powers to the whole will of God. His understanding saw divine things clearly, and there were no errors in his knowledge: his will complied readily and universally with the will of God; without reluctancy, his affections were all regular, and he had no inordinate appetites or passions: his thoughts were easily fixed to the best subjects, and there was no vanity or ungovernableness in them. And all the inferior powers were subject to the dictates of the superior. Thus holy, thus happy, were our first parents, in having the image of God upon them.”2
Ephesians 4:24 explains that being created according to God is to be created in true righteousness and holiness. Holiness and righteousness refer to the first human beings, being created in perfection, innocence, and truth. The only capacity that was known unto them was that of the things of God. Consequently, nothing immoral or vile in nature was recognized by them. The inherent nature of being free from immorality was given by God unto Adam and Eve in creation as a mean of setting the path and course for them to live by under the authority of His law. Thus, Adam and Eve would be able to function in accord with the directives of God and God only, as they were under His governance of authority as His created beings. The notion of following any other set of instructions were not known at the time of their creation, therefore, Adam and Eve were following the pursuit of carrying out the will of God.
However, shortly after they were created by God, another form of thought would unfold in the newly created world. The introduction of this new thought pattern would eventually cause Adam and Eve to deviate from the purpose and plan of God for their lives. As a result, this would have a devastating effect on their spiritual well-being and eternal fate.
Humanity Voluntarily Fell Into Sin
The premise of deviating from God’s standard of living to pursue any other standard for living always has dire consequences. The desire to rebel against a given order involves making a determination within the frame of a person’s mind to follow pursuit of another way of approaching life. As stated earlier, upon the onset of creation mankind did not know any other way of life outside of God’s order until the serpent came on the scene. When the serpent came on the scene in the Genesis account, he introduced his vile alternative way of living that stood in direct opposition to that of God’s way. The introduction to an alternative way of life tempted Adam and Eve with the idea of following a different worldview than the original worldview given to them by God. The very premise of this alternative worldview is recorded in Genesis chapter 3.
Genesis 3:1-7 states “now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; “but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die. Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. “For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.”
The cunning nature of the serpent persuaded Eve in her mind to desire what was forbidden by God. Satan’s primary goal and aim always involves getting people to deviate from following God by playing upon their desires and inclinations. Satan always attempts to change the narrative of what God requires of humanity by luring people into chasing what they really desire as a means of seeking what is forbidden or outside the will of God. Satan tempts humanity to yield to their vile passions and inordinate affections, in order to get people to submit unto his rule as opposed to the rule of God.
David Jeremiah wrote, “by manifesting himself in another form as a means to deceive someone into doubting and disobeying God, Satan established himself as a force to be reckoned with. Eve did what so many people do even now; she revised and then rejected what God said. This sin always produces the same result- separation from God and ultimately death unless sin is atoned for.” 3
In Genesis 3:1, Satan posed a different narrative when he stated, “did God actually say, you shall not eat of every tree in the garden?” What Satan implanted within the mind of Eve is quite different from what God instructed Adam to do as well as not do, which would later be relayed to Eve in Genesis.
In Genesis 2:16-17, God instructed Adam that “of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; “but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
Satan appealed to Eve’s desire, yet she still had to make a conscious decision to obey God or to violate His law. In making her decision, no doubt Eve knew that she still would be held accountable for her actions based upon her choice in alignment with her moral responsibility to obey God or not.
Warren Wiersbe notated that, “Satan questioned God’s Word (Gen. 3:1b). In doing so, Satan targeted Eve’s mind, and utilized his weapon of deception. By questioning what God said, Satan raised doubts in Eve’s mind concerning the truthfulness of God’s word and the goodness of God’s heart. “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” was the import of the subtle question. Eve’s reply showed that she was following Satan’s example and altering the very Word of God. So, she took from God’s Word, added to God’s Word, and changed God’s Word, which are serious offenses indeed (Deut. 4:2; 12:32; Prov. 30:6; Rev. 22:19). She started to doubt God’s goodness and truthfulness based on the deceptiveness of Satan. The fact that Satan denied God’s Word (Gen. 3:4) by stating “you will not surely die” was a direct contradiction of God’s “you shall surely die” (2:17)." 4
The craftiness of the serpent caused Eve to be beguiled and to transgress the law of God. Hence, as 1 Timothy 2:14 records that Eve was deceived, therefore, she fell into transgression. She enacted upon her freewill and violated the order of God. As mentioned earlier, Eve twisted the words of God in order that her desire could be fulfilled to eat from the tree and the fruit that was prohibited by God. In her response to Satan, Eve showcased a defiant spirit and an ungrateful heart.
Genesis 3:2-3 states “and the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; “but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.”
Eve’s mental temperament of overlooking all that God had provided for Adam and her demonstrated an attitude of being unthankful for the provisions of God. It also displayed that she demonstrated wilful ignorance to exalt her own desire over the will of God and the consequences that were associated with forsaking God's chosen path. Her words in Genesis 3:2-3 showcased that her heart was settled on tasting the forbidden fruit by the inward choice already made in the recesses of her mind. In turn, Eve would offer the the forbidden fruit to Adam. As Adam gave in, he demonstrated his willingness to voluntarily go against the will of God also. It is vital to understand that the first humans had a freeness to choose. A freeness to choose by either adhering to the structure set forth by God or the ability to choose what was forbidden by yielding to the temptation presented before them.
William Evans penned, “it must be kept in mind that Adam and Eve were free moral agents. That while they were sinless beings it was yet possible for them to sin, just as it was possible for them not to sin. The sin of our first parents was purely volitional; it was an act of their own determination. Their sin was like all other sin, a voluntary act of the will”.5
James 4:17 declares, “therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.” Adam and Eve possessed instructions that was provided to them by God, yet, they chose to omit the verbal instructions of God. Omitting what God decrees always equates to sin by willfully ignoring His set pattern or standard. The act of choosing to omit the commands of God involves resorting to one’s own understanding in connection to the human will that leads people astray from the plan and purpose of God. Every act of disobedience has a negative consequence. The actions of Adam and Eve, first brought this to light in the Garden of Eden.
It is crucial for us to realize that sin did not enter into the world when Eve transgressed God’s law but it entered the ranks of the world when Adam fell in His moral responsibility of exercising federal headship and leadership.
Romans 5:12 reveals that, “through one man, sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.”
John MacArthur mentioned that “The Fall actually corroborates God’s divine plan of creation. By nature Eve was not suited to assume the position of ultimate responsibility. By leaving Adam’s protection and usurping his headship, she was vulnerable and fell, thus confirming how important it was for her to stay under the protection and leadership of her husband. Adam then violated his leadership role, followed Eve in her transgression, and plunged the human race into sinfulness. Ultimately, the responsibility for The Fall still rests with Adam, since he chose to disobey God apart from being deceived.”1
Adam received direct instructions from God on what to do and on what not to do. Yet, he voluntarily disregarded God by following Eve who was deceived by Satan. The reality of following sinful impulses inevitably leads to ruin. Thus, it is important to submit our ways unto the ways of God so that we will not exalt our own will above His divine will.
References
The MacArthur Study Bible
John Wesley’s Explanatory Notes
The Jeremiah Study Bible
The Wiersbe Study Bible
William Evans. The Great Doctrines of the Bible