Did Adam “fall” into sin? If we follow the strict language of Scripture, it would seem not. So far as I can find, Adam is never said to have “fallen.” Adam sinners, transgressed, committed an act of transgression, and by his action sin and death entered the world (Romans 5:12-21). But the only reference to a Genesis 3 “fall” is to the “fall” of Eve: “it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being quite deceived, fell into transgression” (1 Timothy 2:15).
Perhaps this is because the image of a “fall” suggests a sin of inadvertency as opposed to a high-handed sin. Adam didn’t fall because he knew full well that he was disobeying God by not intervening to stop Eve from eating and by eating the fruit himself. Eve was the one who “fell” into sin, misled by the serpent and stumbling because of her husband’s neglect and selfishness.
Dear Reader,
Can I be direct with you?
War abroad. Socialists on the rise. AI upending human life. Endless uproar online. The modern attention economy doesn’t want readers — it wants users enslaved to the tyranny of the present.
First Things is the antidote: literary excellence, timeless truths, and a fixed point of reference in a culture that has lost its bearings.
But we can’t do it without readers like you.
Our goal: Raise $150,000 by November 1 to sustain First Things in the year ahead.
Your gift anchors readers in the permanent things.
Make your Fall Campaign gift now using the button below.
If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Giovanni Del Piero, Director of the Editor’s Circle, at gdelpiero@firstthings.com or 212-627-1985.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
The Church in the Age of Therapy
In 1966, Philip Rieff wrote in The Triumph of the Therapeutic that “Religious man was born to…
Canada’s Deadliest Blind Spot
On September 20, the Daily Mail ran a story with the provocative headline, “Our 83-year-old Christian grandmother…
The Faithful Joy of Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen
Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen seem to have had little in common. She favored rhinestones; he wore…
