CWV-101-301 Topic 3 Overview

Fall (God-Centered Humans; Results of Replacing God as the

Center)

Introduction

The second major act of the Bible is the fall of humanity. This affects, supports, and
influences several core beliefs of the Christian worldview, especially the nature of
humanity and human purpose. The biblical account of origins and creation takes a turn
when Adam and Eve sin (Gen. 3). That fall of humanity led to suffering and had a serious
impact on humanity’s creational purpose. Here, we begin to see why humans suffer and
hope for human flourishing.

True wisdom is only found when one is aligned with God’s will. People always think they
know better. Much of the Old Testament tells of case after case of people and nations
departing from following God, and thus departing from a life of wisdom with all the
blessings that would accompany it.

In Genesis 3–9, things went wrong quickly in the garden. Adam and Eve were designed
with creational purpose: to live in harmonious marriage (Gen. 2:24), to be fruitful and
multiply (Gen. 1:28), to take dominion over the earth and care for the garden (Gen.
1:28; 2:15), and to live in relationship with God. With this, they were commanded not to
eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (Gen. 2:17). This knowledge was not
the opposite of ignorance, but the opposite of innocence. Satan tempted Eve and
accused God of holding back from them what was good.

This same test came later to Job and comes into all our lives. We each must determine if
we love God only for the blessings and obey him only when we agree with him, or if we
love and obey him even when we do not fully understand or do not like what is
happening. Satan, “the deceiver of the whole world” (The Holy Bible, English Standard
Version, 2001/2016, Rev. 12:9), twists what God says. As he did to Eve (Gen. 3:4–5), so
he did to Jesus (Matt. 4:1–11), and so he does to us—raising doubts in our minds as to
God’s goodness. The now popular saying makes the truth clear: God is good—all the
time. All the time—God is good.

Humanity: Fallen Image Bearers

God’s first words to Adam after the fall were, “Where are you?” (The Holy Bible, English
Standard Version, 2001/2016, Gen. 3:9), indicating not that God really had no clue
where he was, but that Adam and Eve were no longer where they should have been—
walking with God. To the serpent, God pronounced the earliest prophecy, known as the
proto-evangelium or first gospel, that although Satan would strike the seed of the
woman (Jesus) on the heel, Jesus would strike Satan on the head—a mortal blow (Gen.
3:15). So even from the earliest of time, God gives hope that he is in control and will

ultimately triumph over evil. Jesus himself will take the pain of the distance between
God and humanity due to sin.

Notice also that the fall introduced pain into the world and into each of our creational
purposes—pain in childbirth, pain in marriage, and pain in work (Gen. 3:16–19). Work
was always part of the plan for humanity. As the Father is working and Jesus is working
(John 5:17) so, too, we are to work. It is good to find fulfillment in work (Ps. 90:17;
Eccles. 2:24; 3:22). Because of sin’s curse we experience pain in each of these areas, but
as we will see in Topics 4 and 5, Jesus Christ has overcome the curse, and this provides
hope and power for us to overcome as well.

Genesis 4 tells the story of Cain murdering Abel, his younger brother, in a fit of jealous
rage. When God questioned him as to the whereabouts of Abel, Cain answered with a
lie, “I do not know,” and responded to God with the retort, “Am I my brother’s keeper?”
The answer to this question is certainly yes; we are to care for others and control
ourselves even when jealous or angry. Human flourishing or well-being requires looking
after others. But the ultimate flourishing that lasts for eternity is found only in the
provision he has given, namely himself, found preeminently in the God/man Jesus
Christ. In Hebrew, the word that even better captures the sense of human flourishing is
the word shalom, which means “peace and wholeness,” and is a blessing used for
greeting or saying goodbye. The opposite of the biblical concept of peace and wholeness
of shalom is found in the four pains of the fall. Sin’s curse injures our relationship with
God, with family, and our relationship with work.

This sinful condition of rebellion (often called original sin) manifested itself quickly and
strongly. Genesis 6–9 is the story of Noah and the Great Flood, where God judged the
earth for the out-of-control wickedness of humanity. Righteous Noah and his family
were on the ark for just over a year, and life was sufficiently preserved for a fresh start.
God’s promise to never again flood the earth, as symbolized in the rainbow, brought
new hope (Gen. 9:11–17).

The Problem of Evil and Suffering

The age-old question of the problem of evil and suffering still haunts people: If God is
all-good and all-powerful, then how could he allow suffering in the world? The world
was not created to include suffering. Suffering came as a result of the rebellion of
humanity, when Adam and Eve first decided to rebel and go their own way (Gen. 3). God
created everything out of nothing to love and be loved. God could have created beings
who would love him automatically, but that would not be true love. True love requires a
choice. God created humanity with free will so that we would have the choice to love
and serve God or to love and serve ourselves. What is evident from the fall is that evil
exists in our world because humanity has chosen poorly. Sinful and selfish choices cause
suffering for oneself, for others, and for creation itself.

In the book of Job, the author tells the story of a man named Job whose life quickly
changed from prosperity to extreme suffering. Job served and loved God faithfully (Job
1:1). Some of Job’s friends tried to convince him that his suffering was because of a sin

he committed, a lack of faith, and some seemed to question God. Finally, God said, “Will
you even put me in the wrong? Will you condemn me that you may be in the right?
Have you an arm like God, and can you thunder with a voice like his?” (The Holy Bible,
English Standard Version, 2001/2016, Job 40:8–9). Through a series of questions and
answers, God showed Job that there was a bigger picture that he was not considering,
and Job responded in humility (Job 42:2–6). The account of Job shows that everyone
suffers no matter how righteous they may be, and it is all right to ask God questions. At
the same time, we should not demand that God be our genie to do our bidding. Job
shows us that we do not see the big picture. God is working all things together for the
good of those who love him (Rom 8:28).

The Patriarchs: Abraham to Joseph

The remaining chapters in Genesis cover the period of the patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac,
Jacob, and Joseph. God called Abraham and made a covenant (think of a marriage
covenant) to bless him such that he would be a blessing to “all the families of the earth”
(The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, 2001/2016, Gen. 12:2–3). God made a
number of covenants, the heart of which may be summarized in the words repeated in
various forms throughout Scripture, “I will be your God, and you will be my people.”
God revealed this heart of the covenant in many places, including to the patriarch
Abraham (Gen. 17:7–8), to Moses (Exod. 6:7), and through the prophet Jeremiah (Jer.
30:22; 31:33). The phrase is sometimes referred to as the “Immanuel Principle”
(Robertson, 1980, p. 46) because it is culminated in Jesus who is called Immanuel—”God
with us” (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, 2001/2016, Matt. 1:23)—and
ultimately in the new heavens and new earth of Revelation 21 when God and his people
will dwell together for eternity.

The Exodus and the Wilderness

Genesis closes with the Israelites in Egypt, where eventually they became enslaved for
over 400 years until God raised up Moses to save the people (foreshadowing Christ) and
lead them to the Promised Land. The book of Exodus tells the story of the Israelites’
departure from Egypt and their miraculous crossing of the Red Sea, as well as the
receiving of the Ten Commandments (Exod. 20).

The first five books of the Bible are known as the Pentateuch, or Torah, and include the
following books: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. The last four
of these include extensive listings of genealogies and explanations of laws, in addition to
the story of the Israelites wandering in the wilderness of Sinai and learning to live as the
people of God. Deuteronomy includes the greatest law, “Hear O Israel, the LORD your
God, the LORD is one. And you shall love the LORD with all your heart and with all your
soul and with all your might” (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, 2001/2016,
Deut. 6:4; Mark 12:29–31). Deuteronomy closes with the death of Moses as the
Israelites had finally come to the Jordan River, across from the Promised Land.

The Conquest and the Judges

God called Joshua to lead the people of Israel into the land that had been promised to
Abraham (Gen. 12:1–7). This process also involved conquering and destroying those
living there as an act of judgment for the extreme wickedness these nations had
committed over an extended period of time (Deut. 9:3–6). God promised to be with
Joshua and to give him success (Josh. 1:1–9). The land was conquered, and God led and
protected the people by raising up a series of judges, some of whom were like
superheroes (Samson). But it became a very chaotic time as the Israelites cycled from
rebellion to repentance and redemption through a judge, only to fall back into sin again.
The book of Judges ends with these memorable words, “In those days there was no king
in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (The Holy Bible, English Standard
Version, 2001/2016, Judg. 21:25).

The Monarchy

Eventually the Israelites demanded a king, and Samuel the priest anointed Saul to be the
first, followed by David and Solomon. After these 120 years of a united monarchy, the
kingdom became divided and the northern kingdom endured for another 200 years,
falling to the Assyrians in 722 BC, and the southern kingdom of Judah for another 150
years after that, falling to the Babylonians in 587 BC.

Throughout these nearly 500 years of monarchy, there were very few good kings; in
fact, the northern kingdom never had one. David, the first and greatest good king, is the
standard by which all other kings were evaluated in the accounts of 1 and 2 Kings, and 1
and 2 Chronicles. David, who Scripture says was a man after God’s heart (1 Sam. 13:14),
wrote many of the Psalms, which are a collection of poems and prayers to be set to
music for worship. Solomon, his son, wrote other Wisdom literature, including some
Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon.

During those many centuries when Israel was governed by judges and then kings, there
were also a number of prophets whom God raised up to lead the people in spiritual
matters. They proclaimed God’s will and also spoke of coming events, most often of
judgment. Some, like Elijah and Elisha, have no recorded writings to their name other
than what is included in the historical books mentioned above. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel,
and Daniel wrote large volumes and are known as the major prophets, while others like
Hosea and Joel have few writings to their name and are known as the minor prophets
(the last 12 books of the Old Testament).

The Exile and Return

The exile in Babylon lasted some 70 years (Jer. 25:11–12), after which the people
returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the city and temple under the rule of the Persian
Empire, as recorded in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. The hope of the Israelites was
in the prophecies of the coming Messiah, who they believed would deliver the people
and usher in a new era of freedom. These prophecies point to the first coming of Christ
as deliverer from sin as well as the Second Coming of Christ as judge of the world (see

Isa. 9:1–7; 11:1–16; 53; Jer. 31:31–34; 33:14–16; Mic. 5:2–5).

Finally, with the coming of Jesus Christ into our world, these passages were made more
clear (Matt. 2:6; 4:15–16; 8:17; Luke 2:32; 22:37) as he fulfilled prophecies through his
life, death, and resurrection—overcoming humanity’s fall into sin and conquering death
for all who entrust themselves to him.

Conclusion

The second act of the Bible is the fall of humanity. This is seen first and directly in
Genesis chapter 3 and the consequences are lived out through the Old Testament. The
fall reveals several worldview beliefs of the Christian worldview. In the nature of
humanity, humans are fallen and now have a sin nature—internal temptation toward
sin. Humanity continues in the same pattern of falleness. Because humans are fallen,
humanity needs a moral standard outside of ourselves. God reveals his moral standard
that is absolute and objective rather than relative and subjective. This is the Christian
worldview belief concerning ethics. Even with the commands and words of God,
humanity perpetuates its propensity for disobedience and destruction. This is the reality
of human nature, but God does not leave humanity there. Importantly, God also
predicts and reveals his plan for hope for reconciliation and restoration through the
Messiah, a savior. This promised savior would save them from their enslavement to sin
and lead them into life and freedom, according to God’s original design for humanity.

References

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. (2016). Bible Gateway.
https://www.biblegateway.com/versions/English-Standard-Version-ESV-Bible/#copy
(Original work published 2001)

Robertson, O. P. (1980). The Christ of the covenants. Presbyterian and Reformed.

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