Did the Fall happen?
In Romans, Paul affirms that all mankind is naturally under the guilt and power of sin, the reign of death, and the inescapable wrath of God (Rom. 1 :18, 19; 3:9, 19; 5:17, 21). He traces this back to the sin of the one man Adam, whom he describes as our common ancestor (Acts 17:26; Rom. 5:12-14; cf. 1 Cor. 15:22). Paul as an apostle has given this authoritative interpretation of the history recorded in Gen. 3, where we find the account of the Fall, the original human lapse from God and godliness into sin and lostness.
The main points in that history, as seen through the lens of Paul 's interpretation, are:
1. God made the first man the representative for all his posterity, just as He was to make Jesus Christ the representative for all God's elect (Rom. 5:15-19; cf. 8:29, 30; 9:22-26). In each case, the representative involved those whom he represented in the fruits of his personal action, whether it was for their wealth or their woe. This divinely chosen arrangement, whereby Adam determined the destiny of his descendants, has been called the "covenant of works," though this precise phrase does not occur in Scripture.
2. God placed Adam in a state of happiness and promised permanently to establish him and his posterity in it if he showed fidelity by obeying God's command not to eat from a tree described as "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil" (Gen. 2:17). Apparently, the issue was whether Adam would let God determine what was good and bad, or would seek to decide that for himself, in disregard of what God had said.
3. Adam, led by Eve who was herself led by the serpent (Satan in disguise, 2 Cor. 11 :3, 14; Rev. 12:9), defied God by eating the forbidden fruit. As a result, first of all, the antiGod, self-aggrandizing mindset expressed in Adam's sin became part of him, and of the moral nature that he passed on to his descendants (Gen. 6:5; Rom. 3:9-20).
1. God made the first man the representative for all his posterity, just as He was to make Jesus Christ the representative for all God's elect (Rom. 5:15-19; cf. 8:29, 30; 9:22-26). In each case, the representative involved those whom he represented in the fruits of his personal action, whether it was for their wealth or their woe. This divinely chosen arrangement, whereby Adam determined the destiny of his descendants, has been called the "covenant of works," though this precise phrase does not occur in Scripture.
2. God placed Adam in a state of happiness and promised permanently to establish him and his posterity in it if he showed fidelity by obeying God's command not to eat from a tree described as "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil" (Gen. 2:17). Apparently, the issue was whether Adam would let God determine what was good and bad, or would seek to decide that for himself, in disregard of what God had said.
3. Adam, led by Eve who was herself led by the serpent (Satan in disguise, 2 Cor. 11 :3, 14; Rev. 12:9), defied God by eating the forbidden fruit. As a result, first of all, the antiGod, self-aggrandizing mindset expressed in Adam's sin became part of him, and of the moral nature that he passed on to his descendants (Gen. 6:5; Rom. 3:9-20).
Second, Adam and Eve were gripped by a sense of pollution and guilt that made them ashamed and fearful before God-with good reason.
Third, they were cursed with expectations of pain and death, and expelled from Eden. At the same time, however, God began to show them saving mercy. He made them garments to cover their nakedness, and He promised that the woman's Seed would one day break the serpent's head. This promise foreshadowed Christ.
Though the story is recounted in a somewhat figurative style, Genesis asks us to read it as history. In Genesis, Adam is linked to the patriarchs and through them to the rest of the human race by genealogy (chs. 5; 10; 11), making him as much a part of history as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Though the story is recounted in a somewhat figurative style, Genesis asks us to read it as history. In Genesis, Adam is linked to the patriarchs and through them to the rest of the human race by genealogy (chs. 5; 10; 11), making him as much a part of history as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
