The Fall: Original Sin and It’s

Consequences
“ FOR I do not do the good I want, but I do the evil I do not want.”
- ROMANS 7:19

“ IT is a dogma of our Christian faith that we all need to be redeemed”

- CATECHISM FOR FILIPINO CATHOLICS
- CATHOLICS 376
These are some questions we are curious about
regarding sin and evil.

1. Why does evil exist?

2. Why does God allow these to happen?
3. Why do we sin?
Exercise 1.0

• Graded oral recitation:

1. Give some examples of evil/ sin that you see in school.
 St. Paul wrote,
“ All have sinned and are deprived of the
glory of God”

(Rom 3:23)
The beginning of Sin
Narratives in the Book of Genesis about the
origin of sin.

1. The Fall of Man

2. Cain and Abel
3. The Great Flood
4. Tower of Babel
The Fall of Man (Gen 3)

• A narrative in Genesis 3 that symbolizes the origin of evil or sin.

• Characters:
1. Adam – the first man who sinned after being convinced by Eve to
also have a taste of the fruit of wisdom.
2. Eve – the first woman who was tempted by the serpent to pick
the fruit of wisdom and eat it, disobeying God.
3. Serpent – Tempted eve to pick the fruit of wisdom and eat it.
 Symbolisms in the narratives of:
“The Fall of Man”

• Eden – reflects God’s will for all of creation which is human beings
living in harmony with him.
• Eating of the Fruit – symbolizes the abuse of human freedom. It
also symbolizes the temptation to “Play God”.
• Fruit of Knowledge – symbolizes the “desires of Men” which leads
us to sin.
• Serpent – symbolizes the devil who uses our doubts in our faith and
our own personal desires to lead to us to sin.
Important Points

• Adam and Eve’s sin was not their act of eating the fruit of
knowledge, their sin is disobedience to God.
• The result of Adam and Eve’s playing to be like God was neither
knowledge nor wisdom but shame.
• Indeed, Adam and Eve were tempted and persuaded by the
serpent, but their act was based on their free choice. Their
disobedience was a free act against God’s direct command.
Temptation Makes Something Bad Looks Good

• [The serpent said,] “Did God really say, ‘You shall not ear from
any of the trees in the garden?’ … God knows well that when you
eat of it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods, who
know good and evil.”
• The serpent made eating from the forbidden tree look good. This
is the nature of temptation. It makes something that is wrong
seem attractive.
• Temptation itself is not a sin, but it can lead to sin if we choose to
give into it and choose to do it.
Satan or the Devil

• Scripture and church tradition support the existence of an evil

force that came in the form of a serpent, it was called Satan or
the Devil.
• The devil and other demons were created naturally good by God,
but they became evil by their own doing.
• Scripture gives witness to the disastrous influence of these created
beings also called “fallen angels.” Their power is limited by the
providence of God who “makes all things work together for the
good of those who have been called according to his purpose.
Original Sin as the First Sin by the First
Humans

• Original Sin – the first sin that brought moral evil in this world.
• Consequences of the original sin by Adam and Eve
1. Loss of God’s Grace
2. Human kind lost its original state of harmony and friendship to
God.
Original Sin as a Universal Effect

1. Sins of the World

• The original sin destroyed the harmony that existed at the beginning
and started a cycle of more sins up to this day.
• Even if Jesus redeemed us, we continue to be tempted and drawn to
do evil.
• Examples of sins that Students commit:
• Cheating
• Bullying
• Disobedience
Original Sin as a Universal Effect

2. Concupiscence – is the inner disorder of our basic drives.

• We all have the tendency to become selfish, gluttonous, greedy,
and lustful.
• Our tendency to sin does not give us an excuse to do wrong.
• We commit sin because we freely choose to do so.
• God has given each of us a good nature. Since we are humans, we
are capable of freely doing what is good.
The Grave Consequences of Sin

Sin alienates us from:

1. God 2. Ourselves and Others 3. Nature
Cain and Abel (Gen 4: 1-6)

• Cain was furious because God looked on Abel with favor.

• Cain murdered his own brother.
• Cain’s jealousy made him ignore his responsibility
• After having killed Abel, Cain isolated himself.
• Cain then became a “relentless wanderer.”
• Despite what Caid had done God still protected and watched over
him.
The Great Flood (Gn 6-9:17)

• Shows the worst that can happen to a world that has become too
evil.
• But at the same time, it is also about God’s Mercy.
• This genesis account of the flood is a way to highlight the truth
that God is totally opposed of sin.
• The ark is a symbol of God’s salvation.
• Noah became an instrument of God in saving the good in the
world.
The Tower of Babel (Gn 11-1-9)

• This narrative shows how arrogant the early people were.

• Humans can become Godlike by freely cooperating with God’s free
gift of grace. This cannot be made by rejecting their creator and
playing God.
• The division among people can be observed in the constant dispute
of the citizens of a country and among different nations.
• In class, there may be arrogant students who protect their selfish
interests and indirectly cause misunderstanding and quarrel among
the students.