Consequences of Sin

The first and second chapters of Genesis show God speaking the world into existence.

“And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” Genesis 2:7.

In the creation accounts, the Bible depicts a world brimming with abundant forms of life that are interdependent and mutually enriching. God’s response to his creation was the word “good.”

When he created human beings, he instructed them to cultivate and draw out the vast resources of creation. The Hebrew word for this perfect and harmonious part of creation is “shalom.”

Shalom means absolute wholeness, full, harmonious, joyful, flourishing life.

In Genesis 2:16 and 17 it reads, “And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat. But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”

However, man disobeyed and ate the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil. Shalom was devastated by this act of disobedience. The entire created world became broken.

Human beings are integral to the fabric of things, so when humans turned from God, the entire world unraveled. This is the death that God had said would occur if man disobeyed. God’s shalom was lost- physically, spiritually, socially, psychologically, and culturally. The result of this sin is oppression, war, crime, and violence. Also, disease, genetic disorders, famine, natural disasters, aging and death are the result.

In the book of Romans Chapter 8, the Bible tells us that the entire world is now in bondage to decay. The whole world is subject to futility because of this act of disobedience. Man is a fallen race living in a fallen world. Man gropes in darkness to try to find a solution to his problems. He creates religions of his own from the very world that is broken.

The solution is for man to reconcile with God by repentance and accepting Christ as savior.