January 20 – LD 3, Day 6: Adam’s Fall
by Prof Herman Hanko
Read: Genesis 3.
Satan was the tempter who
tempted Adam and Eve to fall. He was an angel, probably the highest angel, who
conspired against God and attempted to seize the heavenly creation from God.
Joining him was an enormous host of angels. All were banished from heaven.
They, with Satan at their head, now conspired to take control of the earthly
creation and use it for their sinful purposes. To take control of the earthly
creation, Satan and his demons had to gain Adam to their side, for Adam was the
head of the creation.
Satan tempted Eve before
he tempted Adam. He called Eve’s attention to the beauty of the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil and lied about God: He charged God with deception
when he said that God forbad eating of this one tree because he knew that if
man would eat of it, man would be like God and determine for himself what was
good and what was evil.
Eve listened, and she
took it upon herself to tempt Adam to do the same. They both disobeyed God’s
command. The result that God’s judgment of death came on them. God’s punishment
for sin was death! Death is separation from God. As we sing in Psalm 73, “To live apart from God is death.’
Death is basically total
depravity. Our nature is so corrupted that it is no longer able to do any good.
But that total depravity is also physical death so that the moment we are born,
we start on a road that leads to the grave. And the grave is the door to
eternal death in hell.
It is a sad story, for
Adam’s sin opened the flood gate to hatred, war, bloodshed and constant
bitterness between men. Adam’s sin opened the door to sickness, disease,
suffering, pain, and the need for hospitals and cemeteries. Adam’s sin opened
the door to floods, tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, hurricanes,
typhoons and tornados, all of which kill hundreds of thousands. All these are
part of death, dreadful death.
There are two important
truths to remember in the midst of the chaos that sin brought. The first is
that Adam’s sin is our sin and we can and do go to hell for that one sin of
eating of the forbidden tree. We are conceived and born in sin because God is
punishing us for eating of the tree he told us not to eat of.
The second truth is that
Adam’s fall was not a mistake in God’s plan. God was preparing the way for
Christ. And Christ gives us salvation..