THE FALL OF MAN, HOW SIN ENTERED THE WORLD

 The book of Genesis chapter 2 and 3 give a detailed account of the fall of man. The fall of man can be described as the transition from a state of moral innocence, righteousness and favour with God to a state of separation and death. Before the fall of man, God and mankind experienced communion after its creation in the garden of Eden, humankind's nature was righteous and without blemish.

God placed Adam in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. God told him he could eat from any tree in the garden except for one, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil at the centre of the garden. The consequence for doing so would be to surely die. Genesis chapter 2 :17 says "But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die".

After the creation of Adam, God said it was not good for man to be alone, so He created the first woman, Eve from Adam's rib. God blessed them, told them to be fruitful and multiply and gave them dominion over the earth. 

In Genesis chapter 3, the devil disguised himself as a serpent to tempt Eve. The bible described the the serpent as a very subtle creature. Genesis chapter 3:1 says "The serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made." 

The serpent spoke with Eve and told her God was withholding from both her and Adam by not letting them eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He told her if they ate the fruit from the tree, they would become like God. Eve ate the fruit from the tree and and also gave to Adam and he ate. Mankind fell at the moment and sin entered into the world.

Sin is an act of disobedience and rebellion against God and God punishes it severely. The serpent deceived Adam and Eve into loosing focus, they became more focused in becoming like God rather enhancing their their fellowship and communion with Him. Adam and Eve immediately realized their nakedness and experienced shame for the first time, God became displeased by their act and laid curse upon the earth and its inhabitants.

Genesis 3: 16-17 says "Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.

And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life."

God killed an animal and used the skins to create a covering for Adam and Eve's nakedness. He then drove them out of the garden of Eden and placed the cherubim as guard of the Garden to ensure they were never able to return.

Because of the disobedience of Adam and Eve, all humans are born into this world separated from God. The disobedience brought physical death through old age, sickness, wars, toils, natural disasters and others.  It brought shame and blame upon humans. 

Shame causes us to hide and blame causes us to refuse to accept responsibility. After Adam and Eve sinned, they hid from God. Their garden, once a place of fellowship and joy, became a place of fear and hiding. After they came out of hiding, a conversation ensued that resulted in blame. Adam blamed God when he said, “The woman you put here with me,” he also blamed Eve as he continued: “she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate” Eve then blamed the serpent. Both refused to take responsibility for their actions.

The disobedience brought toil upon man. God created humankind to work, work is a gift God created and he called it good. However, toil is different from ordinary work. One of the consequences of the Fall of Man was painful toil in every area. Toil means to engage in hard and continuous work and to move with difficulty, weariness, or pain. The ground now produce thistles and thorns, fighting against humankind to produce food for sustenance. Childbirth pains increased, and life is sustained through the painful toil of hard work.

Despite these disastrous repercussions, all hope is not lost. Through God’s mercy, grace, and love for humankind he made a way for us to be reunited in that intimate relationship. God sent a redeemer, his Son Jesus Christ, who bridged the separation gap between a holy, righteous God and a sinful, human race. 

When God sacrificed an animal and made them clothes from the skins, it was a foreshadow of the way he would save us through the sacrifice of a substitute, the shedding of blood, and the covering of righteousness. When Jesus, The Messiah, came, he shed his blood, took our place, and became our righteousness.

Human depravity came through one man to all by Adam, but redemption came to all through one man as well, Jesus. When we choose God’s salvation through Jesus, we gain eternity with Him. May God help us to be partakers of this redemption. Thanks for reading and God bless.