7 specific consequences from the fall of humanity correspond significantly with 7 majors at our universities.
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The one who changes his beliefs is likely preparing to change the way he lives.
This is part of what happened when humans originally rejected their Creator’s will. It began with a competing truth-claim – a different way of seeing life and God (Genesis 3:1-6).
An offer was made by a being identified later in Scripture as Satan. He suggested to the woman (Eve) an alternative way of looking at reality. Her understanding to this point was based on the way her Maker explained things to her husband (Adam).
To lure her away from devotion to the Creator, Satan called into doubt her way of looking at life and God. He offered a different version of what would happen if she rejected the will of her Creator.
God was unmistakably clear about the way it would go if she rejected His will. But Satan questions and belittles God’s words to her. He then goes in for the kill by playing a deceptive advocate of the underdog, and presenting an alternative way of understanding God. Satan is called the deceiver for a reason.
No philosophical detachment
Satan’s words were presented in an alluring context of self-interest. It wasn’t detached philosophical discussion (although it often begins this way). It was a deceptively twisted version of reality. It was designed to lure her to put herself and her advancement at the center of life. It was an invitation to declare her independence from God – her autonomy. Notice a three-step approach.
- Doubt – It started with a subtle suggestion that God was overly restrictive in His demands.
- Denial – It moved to an outright denial of God’s stated consequences of disobedience.
- Distortion – It was finally couched in the suspicion of Eden — that the good life is outside of the will of God, not within it. “For God knows…”
A predictable pattern emerges – Saw. Desired. Took. Gave.
It followed the predictable pattern of sin. Eve saw what was forbidden, desired it, took it and gave it (Genesis 3:6).
Saw. Desired. Took, Gave.
The ongoing generational consequences of this act of rebellion have been both predictable and disastrous! (see: Genesis 3-4; Romans 5:12ff.).
If you doubt the story of the fall of humanity, I invite you to consider a remarkably clear and compelling connection between this account and the reality in which we all live – everywhere in the world, throughout all times.
Seven consequences (and the primary occupational majors at the university)
Seven consequences emerged from this act of disobedience to God — each one affecting major areas of human existence and each one providing a background to the primary occupational majors at our Universities.
These seven consequences correspond directly with the human story every day.
- Physiological – death, decay, sickness, suffering (Gen. 3:17-19; Rom. 5:12; 8:19-22)
- Psychological – shame, guilt, fear (Gen. 3:7).
- Sociological – blame-shifting, hiding, alienation, separation (Gen. 3:8, 12-13).
- Ecological – ground is cursed, thorns and thistles (Gen. 3:17-19).
- Spiritual – hiding from God, enmity: seed of woman; seed of Serpent (Gen. 3:8, 15, 4:1-15; I John 3:12)
- Epistemological – distorted thinking, spiritual blindness (II Cor. 4:3-6; Rom. 1:28)
- Criminal – murder, the first act of homicide (fratricide) – Genesis 4
Seven majors at universities
How significant it is that our Universities and colleges offer majors related to each of the seven areas above — doctors, psychologists, sociologists, environmentalists, ministers, philosophers, law enforcement.
Extended results (Genesis 4)
Corresponding with reality in every part of the world (throughout human history), the results observed in the first offspring of Adam and Eve (Cain) display tragic expressions of human evil — rebellion, anger, envy, hatred, bitterness, lying, and murder.
One can only imagine the grief that filled Eve’s heart at the death of her second son (Abel) at the hands of her first son (Cain). Why didn’t the Evil One tell her about these consequences?
It’s worth noting that Scripture identifies Cain as belonging to Satan (I John 3:12; cf. John 8:44). He bears unmistakable family resemblance. And the ways of Cain are self-evident everywhere in the world.
see also – What about Cain?
Steve Cornell
Wisdomforlife 
Pingback: The Fall and the Problem of Evil | fuglestadchristianthought2015
I have read dozens of essays by Christian authors on Genesis and The Fall. I have also spent hours questioning Christians in online forums about their understanding. A few of them acknowledge that through the fall something good happens, but most do not view it that way.
Many if not most of our mainstream Christian friends outside of Mormonism, as taught by their professors of theology follow a similar narrative on creationism. It goes something like this.
There is a single triune Deity in heaven. For no particular reason it created an infinite heaven with galaxies, solar systems, stars and planets galore just to populate a small garden setting on a very large world with some new creatures. About 6000 years ago two humans and some animals were placed there to provide fellowship for the Trinity after eons of a solitary existence.
Somewhere in space, It, they, (the Trinity) had tried creating angels and one of them ended up becoming a devil along with many others.
For some reason, it must have seemed like a good idea to put the main devil in the Garden of Eden with the new innocent people along with a tree that could kill them. Mainstream theologians act as if this were a strange game of chance, a form of Russian roulette and act shocked because what they think shouldn’t have happened did occur.
How Is living in a static garden paradise in a state of ignorance and innocence with the devil forever tempting mankind to eat the one bad fruit would a preferred condition of eternal existence?
Trinitarians blame Adam and Eve and the devil for all of the problems of humanity. The fallen world did not have to happen and should not have happened they say. Under their reasoning, the first two humans would still be in the Garden trying to resist the temptation to do the one bad thing they were not supposed to do, and none of the rest of us would be here.
They essentially teach that the fall was the worst possible outcome and was not a part of God’s plan.
The one thing that led to their fall, the only thing the devil could apparently tempt them to do, partake of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil no longer exists. After Adam and Eve ate, the Gods commented that man had now become like them.
How is it that the God’s had this knowledge of good and evil if sin and evil did not exist before Adam’s transgression? Satan obviously had it before that. Did it exist among the Gods before Satan came to be as well?
Why did they, the God’s (Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father) place Adam and Eve where they could get this knowledge so they could become like them? God obviously wanted them to have it.
If the fall was negative and not supposed to happen as the Christian biblical scholars claim, why did God clearly establish the means for it to happen? The stage was such that a fall was guaranteed. This life, the way it is, is exactly the will and plan of God. To think otherwise is to deny his power and wisdom.
If there hadn’t been a fall there wouldn’t be a Christ. In fact, there wouldn’t be any Christians to save at all or a Bible for that matter? How is this not plain to any logical thinking, Bible reading person?
Why would anyone, especially people that call themselves Christians, think that God didn’t want the history of this world to have his Son as the central means of redemption? Instead, traditional mainstream Christians make Jesus a back up plan, a reaction to the fall, a plan B.
Wouldn’t the viewpoint that the fall was a bad thing, or that it was not God’s initial plan actually be the NON-Christian perspective? To say the fall was a bad thing is contradictory to the gospel of Jesus Christ and an illogical position for a Christian to take.
Why do Mormons teach that the fall was necessary and planned by God and not a sinful rebellion? Latter-day Saints understand that Adam and Ever were chosen for their position as our first parents. They were also this world’s first Christians.
Jesus Christ is the gateway and the only way to exaltation and eternal lives. This was always the plan. The Garden setting was the means to implement the plan, without mankind being forced to accept the opposition and suffering inherent in mortality. It was a voluntary choice albeit with some adversarial influence. It was also our choice to come here as their seed before we were ever born.
The immortal corruptible bodies first given to Adam and Eve were not to fulfill their eternal potential and destiny. That is done through grace and mercy offered by Jesus Christ and and his atonement. When resurrected by the power of Christ our bodies will be incorruptible. We will inherit all powers and eternal blessings inherent in the covenants we make and keep.
Joseph Smith through the Book of Mormon and other revelations corrected the gross misunderstanding of the fall that had been established and held by Christian theologians and scholars for millennia. The Book of Mormon stands as an unmistakable testament of Jesus Christ and the eternal plan of redemption.
The following is an example of the orthodox positions on the fall.
http://www.orthodoxchristian.info/pages/original.htm
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Reblogged this on Wisdomforlife and commented:
There is a remarkably clear and compelling connection with this account and the reality we all understand – everywhere in the world, throughout all of human history.
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