God's Creation, the Fall, and Sin
God's Creation and the Fall of Humanity
God created humans in His image with psychosomatic unity, granting them free will.
Humans were not puppets but had the capacity to disobey God.
The Fall in Genesis 3
Genesis 3 is not just an event narrative but a prototype of sinful human behavior.
The sequence of events in Genesis 3 illustrates a cycle of sin that humans repeat.
Temptation by the Serpent
Genesis 3:1: The serpent, craftier than other animals, questions God's command.
The serpent tempts by planting doubt: "Did God really say…?"
The temptation is to question and find a way around God's commands.
Eve's Choice to Engage
Eve chooses to engage with the serpent, setting a trajectory toward disobedience.
Instead of walking away, she considers the serpent's question.
Eve adds to God's Word (Genesis 3:2-3).
She says they cannot eat or touch the tree, while God only forbade eating.
Humans reinterpret God's word, making it stricter and harder to follow.
Desire to Be Like God
Genesis 3:4-5: The serpent promises Eve she will be like God, knowing good and evil.
The temptation is to be in control and make choices independent of God.
Eating the Fruit
Eve sees the tree as good for food, a delight to the eyes, and desirable for wisdom (Genesis 3:6).
She eats the fruit, acting on her desire to be like God.
Sharing the Fruit with Adam
Eve involves Adam in her disobedience.
Adam stands by, complicit through inaction.
Adam's silence and failure to intervene make him complicit in the fall.
Both Adam and Eve are complicit in each other's downfall.
Adam eats the fruit, and sin takes hold.
Their eyes are opened, they realize they are naked, and they sew fig leaves.
Repetition of the Fall in Humanity
The pattern of temptation, choice, and sin repeats in individuals.
Temptation: An opportunity to engage or reject.
Adding to God's Word: Reinterpreting commands to justify desires.
Wanting to be Like God: Desiring control over one's destiny.
Eating the Fruit: Yielding to temptation and taking action.
Involving Others: Bringing others into the sin, perpetuating the cycle.
The cycle alters humanity, distorting instincts and lowering resistance to sin.
Original Sin and Actual Sin
Original Sin: The first sin and its consequences spread radically and universally.
Radical: Sin goes to the root, affecting thoughts and systems.
Universal: Everything in the created world is affected.
Original sin causes a natural inclination toward sin, distorting our instincts.
Human instinct for self-preservation reinforces original sin.
Our instinct shifts from loving others perfectly to prioritizing self.
Actual Sin: Living out original sin through actions; specific, willful transgressions.
We choose to act pridefully, gluttonously, or lustfully.
Actual sins are specific actions or words.
Sin radiates out, leading to more sin and harm to others.
John Wesley defines actual sin as a willful transgression against a known law.
Sin is not limited to specific actions but includes the source, spread, and consequences.