Reverend Martin Adhikary

The problem of sin or evil has always been faced by theologians and Christian anthropologists throughout the ages. But, how did sin come into this world? This question cannot be satisfactorily answered from a rational perspective. The Bible narrates the origin of sin, but it does not conclusively explain it. In the third chapter of the book of Genesis, we come to know that Eve was deceived by the serpent into eating of the forbidden fruit (Genesis 3:13). Satan used the crafty serpent to entice to do this act of disobedience to God. He knew that Eve did not directly know of God’s commandment to not to eat that fruit. That commandment was given to Adam (2:16-17).

Eve exaggerated what God had commanded Adam. We do not know if Adam had shared God’s commandment with her, and if he had shared it with her, why she should have exaggerated that to the serpent. Perhaps, she wanted to rebuff the serpent’s enticement fearing the fatal consequence.

But in the end, Eve acquiesced to the serpent’s behest and ate the forbidden fruit. God created both Adam and Eve in his image with his moral or communicable attributes of integrity and uprightness, Man was, we need to note here, as God’s creation morally accountable to God. However, we also need to note that Man was created with a free-will, the freedom to make decision as he was a person, not merely an object. As a person man had the free-will to make decision.

We can say that man violated God’s command and sinned. Man was not created without the possibility to commit sin. He was created with the possibility to sin, “posse peccary” as it is said in Latin. Man had the Fall because he had the pride—pride for higher status of becoming like God. This was coupled with greed. Genesis 3:4-6 records: “You will not surely die”, the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God knowing good and evil.” When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her; and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened and they realised they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.”

Devil prompted man, who, because of his pride and greed, sinned. Our first parents ,though they were created upright, yielded to the devil, who was adversary against God right from the beginning, enticed man to violate God’s commandment. Adam and Eve, in their state of innocence, were overpowered by Satan or Devil, who himself had fallen because of pride and arrogance.

God is not to blame. God’s adversary Satan or devil always wants to separate innocent people from the Creator. Satan originally was an angel. But pride and conceit caused his fall from his original angelic state glory. Saint John wrote: “He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning” (1 John 3:8).  But Satan or devil may lead people to sin or godlessness. But Loving and gracious God takes the responsibility to save us from all devilish designs. He sent his sinless Son Christ to save us from the bondage of sin. The same verse which is quoted above continues “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the work of the devil.” The work of the devil is to entice people to disregard God, lead man to sin eventually to darkness, destruction and death. 

But where did pride come from? This is a perennial question before us. God created everything in the universe ‘Good’. We may not have in us the conclusive answer, but what we have is that if we love and trust God he gives us the will and strength to overcome evil and darkness. God is truth and trustworthy. We do well if we trust and obey him. We may not obey all that the commands us to in our mortal frame. But he wants our willing heart. We can emerge victorious over the greed and pride in our mundane life with God’s blessings that he gives us through his light and strength all adding to the final victory over all darkness and evil. We should sincerely try to do as much as we can. Jesus Christ overcame sinfulness. If we follow him, sin will not have mastery over us.

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The writer is a Christian Theology teacher and Church leader