The Doctrine of Original Sin (Part 2)
The Doctrine of Original Sin (Part 2)
The Fall of Satan
Original Sin or the fall of man originated in the Garden of Eden, but the fall of Satan preceded this fall. In order to understand how and why man fell from grace, one must examine the fall of Satan and the angels he deceived. In Luke 10:18, Jesus describes the scene in heaven when Satan rebelled against God. Jesus describes Satan's fall, like lightning from heaven. Isaiah described the fall of Satan in chapter 14, verses 12-15. Isaiah writes, "How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low! You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ But you are brought down to Sheol, to the far reaches of the pit." [1]
The language suggests Isaiah 14:12, which originally described the fall of a pompous king, but came to be interpreted as a symbol of Satan's fall.[2] In this text, Satan states that he would make himself like God by ascending into heaven. According to Wayne Grudem, this language of ascending to heaven and setting his throne on high and saying, ‘I will make myself like the Most High’ strongly suggests a rebellion by an angelic creature of great power and dignity. The sin of Satan is described as one of pride and attempting to be equal to God in status and authority.”[3] This pride and hunger to attempt to be equal to God caused Satan to be the originator of sin. Not only did he sin, but it is also evident that he convinced, by lying, other angels to rebel against God (2 Peter 2:4). Satan was the very first sinner as he sinned before man ever did. Jesus says this of Satan in John 8:44, "…He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies”.[4]
The Fall of Man
What does the Bible say about Adam and Eve? The name Adam literally means "man" or "mankind." Adam was created out of the dust of the earth (Genesis 2:7). Adam was the last creation of God, the best of all of God's creation. He was highly intelligent. 1 Corinthians 15:45 say that he was the first man. He was created fully grown and able to reproduce offspring (Genesis 1:28). The name Eve literally means "life," "life-giver," or "mother of all living." Moreover, she was first called woman because she was taken out of Adam (Genesis 2:23). While God made Adam out of the dust of the earth, Eve was made from a part of the flesh of Adam, mainly his rib (Genesis 2:21-22). An interesting fact is that Eve was referred to as "woman" before the fall. After the fall, she was referred to as Eve (Genesis 5:2). The word Eve, along with the circumstances of the text, implies that she was the first woman who ever lived on the earth. She was created for a specific purpose, and that purpose was to be a helper comparable for Adam (Genesis 2:18). She, too, was fully grown and able to reproduce offspring on the day she was created (Genesis 1:28).
As stated earlier, Satan is a liar and the father of lies. The use of Satan's lies ultimately led to the fall of man. His lies can be examined through the account in Genesis 3 of the fall of man, where Satan went to Eve in the form of a serpent. His tactic of temptation is seen in the powerful temptation of Eve in Genesis 3:1-6. Nevertheless, Eve yielded to the temptation, thereby given Adam the fruit, and he then ate, which caused a separation between God and all men that would come after him (Psalm 51:5). Eve's transgression was against God's command not to eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:16-17). The serpent deceived Eve; however, Adam chose to sin (1 Timothy 2:14). Moreover, their eyes were not opened until Adam ate the fruit. No one knows the reason why Adam was not deceived and still chose to sin.
The consequences of their transgression were devastating not only for them but for those that would come after them. They became ashamed and realized they were naked (Genesis 3:7). They ran and attempted to hide from the presence of God (Genesis 3:8). Sin was released on the world, and from then on, constant rebellion against God and sorrows over sin have existed in the world. Man would have to work hard to provide for his family, while the woman would have increased pain in childbearing (Genesis 3:16-17). Eve's transgression would be one of the reasons why a woman would be in subjection to their husbands. In addition, man lost his right to the tree of life, and thus physical death was introduced to the world (Genesis 3:19, 24).
TO BE CONTINUED NEXT WEEK…
——————————————————————————————————————————————————————
[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Is 14:12–15. [2] Trent C. Butler, vol. 3, Luke, Holman New Testament Commentary; Holman Reference (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2000), p 177. [3] Wayne A. Grudem. Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine. (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2000), p 413. [4] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Jn 8:44.