The Fall

Someone recently asked me, “Why did God create sin?” Of course, God didn’t create sin. I explained that God is perfect, but Satan turned against God and thereby ‘created’ sin.  Eventually, people followed Satan’s example and disobeyed God. Therefore, sin entered the human race. The first act of human sin is called the Fall. Adam and Eve disobeyed God and fell from perfect fellowship with Him. Everyone born since the Fall, apart from Jesus Christ, shares in that sin. The Fall has infected all of us. We’re sinners by birth and sinners by choice.

Genesis 3.6-7 describes the tragic historical event called the Fall. “When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.  Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realised they were naked, so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.” God had given Adam and Eve everything in the Garden of Eden for their enjoyment with the exception of one tree. In Genesis 2.17 God warned, “But you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.” At Satan’s prompting, Eve disobeyed God’s command as did Adam. Both immediately realised that something was terribly wrong and they tried to hide their shame. They tried to hide from God. But we can’t hide from God. God soon confronted Adam and Eve with their sin. He also offered them hope.

The Fall had wide reaching consequences. The immediate effect of this first sin was spiritual death. Adam and Eve died that day, spiritually speaking. They were immediately cut off from God. This spiritual death could only be remedied through a spiritual rebirth based on faith in the gracious provision of God. Ultimately, Jesus would die for this and every other human sin in order to pave the way for restoration and salvation.

Furthermore, the Fall infected every descendant of Adam and Eve. First Corinthians 15.22 says, “For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.” All of us are born spiritually dead because of our relationship with Adam, and that spiritual death will result in physical and even eternal death. But when we receive Jesus Christ, our sinless sacrifice for sin, we’re made alive, alive spiritually and alive eternally.

Have you entered into the saving grace of Jesus Christ by faith? If not, why not stop right now and invite Jesus into your heart? If you have Jesus in your heart, you’ve passed from death to life. Isn’t it great to know that our sins have been forgiven through Jesus Christ!