The Fall of Man is a complicated and crucial part of Christianity. I don't think it's something that can fully be understood in a single study session, but I wanted to try and talk through the basics. I think studying these three attributes of The Fall can help anybody understand a little more about the event.
1. What Really Happened for Adam to Fall
In the Garden of Eden, God commanded Adam "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die." (Genesis 2:16-17).
Adam and Eve eventually both did partake of the fruit. After they partook of the fruit, we learn that "the eyes of both of them were opened" (Genesis 3:7) and they understood their nakedness and guilt.
God returns to the garden to speak with Adam and Eve, but they "hid from the Lord among the trees of the garden" (Genesis 3:8) because their changed state allowed them to understand their sin.
God didn't create beings that had sinned, but when Adam and Eve disobeyed His commandments they fell from their state of innocence and thus fell into a state of mortality where sin was possible.
2. Why Are WE Punished Because of The Fall
It can be frustrating to understand why those of us on Earth now must still endure the punishments that Adam and Eve received when they sinned in the Garden.
In the most simple terms, Adam's fall made it so that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23); even though the initial sin wasn't our own, we are now able to to sin and therefore must die a mortal death in order to fulfill God's plan for us.
3. What Are Some Effects of The Fall
The first major effect, which we have talked about already, is that man became able to sin. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God's commandment they lost their righteousness.
A second effect was a physical separation from God. In the Garden, Adam and Eve were able to talk to God, but after eating the fruit "God banished [them] from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken" (Genesis 3:23).
If we continue reading in Genesis we learn the third consequence of the fall: that the ground inside and outside of the Garden was cursed.
The fourth effect is physical deal. God told Adam that he would return to the dust from which he was taken, as would all of his descendants.
And finally, because of the loss of innocence, man would be required to walk before God clothed. In our fallen world, nakedness is a source of shame, which was not an emotion felt in the perfect Garden.
Understanding the Fall is a lifetime pursuit, but we hope this blog helps you make a little more sense of its events!