The Creation and Fall of Man

By Ron Jones ©Titus Institute 2009


What people believe about man, his nature and fall seriously affect what they believe about the world. If they believe in evolution, then man has no accountability for his actions. If they believe that man is basically good, then he is not in need of salvation and he will be saved in the end. The Scriptures show man's true nature and need of salvation in Christ.

I. The Creation of Man

A. Man was directly created by God.

Genesis 1:26-27; 2:7-8; 5:1 Psalm 95:6; 100:3; 119:73

1 . God created Adam, then Eve

Genesis 2:7-8; 18-23 1 Timothy 2:13 1 Corinthians 11:8

2. The rest of mankind descended from Adam and Eve Genesis 1:27-28; 4:1; 5 1 Corinthians 15:45 (the first man)

B. How man did not originate

1 . Man did not originate through evolution

This theory that man originated through the evolutionary process from a one-cell creature without any divine involvement contradicts the Bible.

Genesis 1:27 General statement of creation

Genesis 2: How He did it, v. 7-8 man, v. 18-23 woman

2. Man did not originate through theistic evolution either.

Theistic evolution is the theory that God created an original form of life which by His guidance and intervention eventually developed into man.

This contradicts the Bible. See above Scripture. God created Adam and Eve.

II. The Nature of Man

Man is basically made up of two major parts: the material and the immaterial.

A. Man's body is the material part of man. 1 Corinthians 4:16 (outer man decaying - that's the body)

1 . It is external 2 Corinthians 4:16 (outer)

2. It is physical 1 Corinthians 15:44, v. 50 flesh and blood

3. It is subject to decay 2 Corinthians 4:16 1 Corinthians 15:42

4. It is made up of various parts: hands, arms, head, etc.

B. The immaterial part of man

1 . Man is also made up of an immaterial part. -- 2 Corinthians 4:16 a. It is invisible

b. It is not physical

c. It has two major parts

1) Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:23)

2) Soul (Hebrews 4:12) Heart (Matthew 22:37) Mind (Matthew 22:37) Will (John 1:13) Conscience (Romans 2:15)


III. Sin and Fall of Man

Man is in a terrible state of affairs today because of an event that occurred thousands of years previously, man's fall.

A. Man's condition before the fall

1. God created man, Adam and Eve, innocent: humanly righteous with no sin in them.

Ecclesiastes 7:29 Genesis 1:27; 2:1-17

2. Man had no sin nature, no tendency to sin as a result of God's creation. Sin was not a part of the human race originally.

Ecclesiastes 7:29

3. Man was also created with a will so that he could freely choose to obey or disobey God.

Genesis 2:16-17

Note: If Adam did not have free will, he would not have needed a command. God wanted to give man the ability to freely love Him; with that ability to freely love God came the ability to choose freely not to love God. The decision revolved around obedience, for that is how love is demonstrated to a Sovereign God. John 14:15, 21

B. The fall of man

1. Sin -- its definition

a. Sin is "disobedience to the will of God" Genesis 2:16-17; 3:6

b. God expresses His will through His Word, i.e., His commandments, laws, precepts, etc. Genesis 2:16-17 --- commandment Psalm 119:1-16

c. Sin is lawlessness, i.e., living without regard to God's moral law -- 1 John 3:4

2. God's will revealed to man in the garden a. God commanded Adam not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil Genesis 2:16-17

b. God revealed to Adam the penalty of disobeying Him -- death. - Genesis 2:17

Two kinds of death: Spiritual separation from God and physical separation of the immaterial part of man from the material

3. Satan's temptation of Eve a. Satan tempts Eve by deceiving her, stirring up doubts about God's love, goodness, and truthfulness. Genesis 3:1

4. Eve's sin

a. Eve is deceived by the devil and disobeys God, sinning against Him. Genesis 3:6 1 Timothy 2:14

5. Adam's sin

a. Adam, knowing the commandment of God and the penalty disobedience would bring, disobeyed God. Genesis 3:6 1 Timothy 2:14

Adam was not deceived. He knew exactly what he was doing. There is no record of feminine wiles. There is no record of sympathy.

6. The consequences of the fall

a. Sin and death entered the world (the realm of mankind) Romans 5:12

b. Adam and Eve were cursed and driven out of the garden. Genesis 3:15-19 Genesis 3:22-24

No longer would they enjoy the luxury of the garden, the regular fellowship of God's presence, or physical life without death.

c. Adam and Eve died spiritually and later physically.

Spiritually - Genesis 3:7 (had lost their innocence) v. 8 (hid from God) v. 24 (driven out of the garden) Physically -- Genesis 3:16-19 (cursed) Genesis 5:5 (death)

d. Adam and Eve's human sinless nature became sinful and corrupted. Through Adam, all mankind died spiritually and would experience physical death. Through Adam, all mankind became sinners and received at conception a sin nature.

Romans 5:15-19 Ephesians 2:3

"We sin because we are sinners and have a sin nature; we are not sinners and have a sin nature because. we have sinned."

e. As a result of the fall, man is: -- Ephesians 2:1-3 1) dead in sin -- separated from God

2) Dominated by the world, Satan and the flesh

3) Doomed to hell

He is in desperate need of salvation. Romans 3:23