ancestral sin

7/28/2019 Ancestral Sin

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Ancestral Sin

Scene: Paradise

Key Players: The Devil & Man

Plot: The Fall

Consequences: Death

Original or Ancestral Sin is not aboutguilt for sin of Adam, but about death,the consequence of his sin.


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Paradise?

Then the Lord God planted a garden eastward in

Eden, and there He put the man He formed. (Gen 2:8) Saint Ambrose:

He placed man in Paradise, just as He placed the

sun in the heaven.

At time of Adams creation Paradise was a

place where God put Adam bodily.


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Where is Paradise?

Saint Paul the ApostleI know a man in Christ who fourteen years agowhether in the body I do not know, or whether out of

the body I do not know, God knowssuch a one wascaught up to the third heaven. And I know such amanwhether in the body or out of the body I do notknow, God knows how he was caught up into

Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which it isnot lawful for a man to utter.(2Cor 12:2-4)

At the time of Paul, Paradise was beyond earth in the

third heaven.


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Paradise is

Beautiful

God caused every tree beautiful

to the sight and good for food to

grow from the ground. (Gen 2:9)

Saint Gregory the Sinaite.

Placed between corruption and incorruption, it is

always both abundant in fruits and blossomingwith flowers, both mature and immature.


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Mankind in Paradise?

Saint John Chrysostom

Before the fall men lived in Paradise like angels; theywere not inflamed with lust, were not kindled by other

passions either, were not burdened with bodily needs;

but being created entirely incorruptible and immortal,

they did not even need the covering of clothing.Homilies on Genesis 13:4, 15:4


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Paradise

Its site is higher in the East than all the earth: it istemperate and the air that surrounds it is the

rarest and purest: evergreen plants are its pride,

sweet fragrances abound, it is flooded with light,and in sensuous freshness and beauty it

transcends imagination: in truth the place is

divine, a meet home for him who was created inGod's image: no creature lacking reason made its

dwelling there but man alone, the work of God's

own hands.John of Damascus


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Mankind in Paradise

Made from dust and potentially immortal.

Made in Gods Image and placed in Paradise.

Not deified but created for deification.

Free of bodily needs yet bodily - like the angels

Free from suffering.

Free from passions.

Given a challenge and responsibilities.


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The Devil

What do you thinkabout the Devil?Who is He or She?


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What is Meant by the Term Devil ?

In the Greek New Testament the Hebrew word

Satanis often translated into the Greek worddiabolos,which most commonly is translated asDevil.

Diabolosmeansthe accuser, slanderer, maligner, one whoseparates.

Known by numerous other designations In NT:

devil(e.g., Matt. 4:1),the tempter(e.g., Matt. 4:3),the accuser(e.g., Rev. 12:10),the prince of demons (e.g., Luke 11:15),

the ruler of this world(e.g., John 12:31)


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Who is the Devil?

Scripture tells us:Angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own

habitation.(Jude 6, II Peter 2:4)

Jesus said, I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.(Luke10:18)

And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought

with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they

did not prevail, nor was a place found for themin heaven anylonger. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old,

called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he

was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

(Rev 12:7-9)


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Stage set for Fall of Mankind Man created in Image of God

Lives in Paradise

Devil working to deceive world


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Now the serpent was more cunning than all the wild animals the Lord

God made on the earth. And he said to the woman, Has God indeed

said, You shall not eat from every tree of the garden?And the woman said to the serpent, We may eat the fruit of the trees of

the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the

garden, God said, You shall not eat from it, nor shall you touch it, lest

you die.

Then the serpent said to the woman, You shall not die by death. For

God knows in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you

will be like gods, knowing good and evil.

So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, was pleasant

to the eyes, and a tree beautiful to contemplate, she took of its fruit and

ate. She also gave it to her husband with her, and he ate. (Gen 3: 1-6)

Michelangelo'sTemptation andFallfrom theSistine ChapelCeiling.

Fall of Mankind


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Why Did the Devil Tempt Adam and Eve?

He was envious.

He saw man as an inferior creature yet he as a

superior creature is part of a non-spiritual

existence.


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Why Was the Devil Successful?

He is devious, shrewd and clever.

He knew what was in the human heart:

Mans desire for worldly things.

They were not willing to submit to Gods will.


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Genesis continues the story:

Then the eyes of both of them were

opened, and they knew that they werenaked; and they sewed fig leaves together

and made themselves coverings.(Gen 3:7)


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What is the Significance of Hiding Their Nakedness?

They lost the glory of God andnow only saw the lower things

of this earth.

The soul came under thedomination of the body and its

passions.

Became self-centered.

They were separated from Spirit.

They lost their dispassion and

began the passionate earthly life.


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What Was Gods Response?

Genesis story continues:And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the

garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid

themselves from the presence of the Lord God among thetrees of the garden. Then the Lord God called to Adam and

said to him, Where are you?

Where are you?Indicates their separation from God and Godsimmediate searching for them to return.

God is calling for them to repent.


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How Did Adam and Eve

Respond?

Adam says: I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid

myself.

The woman whom You gave to be with me, shegave me of the tree, and I ate.

Eve says:

The serpent deceived me, and I ate.


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How Did Adam and Eve

Respond?

Responded with self-justification. Adam blamed Eve

Eve blamed the snake.

There was no humility, no remorse.


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What are the consequences

of the Fall?

And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of everytree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the

knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day

that you eat of it you shall surely die. (Gen 2:15-17)

Paul says:

As by one man sin entered into the world, and death by

sin; and sodeath

passed upon all men, for that all have

sinned. (Rom 5:12)

The wages of sin is death. (Rom 6:23)

Death is what we inherited from the Original Sin.


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What are the

consequences of the Fall?

Death, not guilt.


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How does reality of

Death impact us?

Self-Preservation, fear and anxiety:Self-assertion, egoism, hatred, envy.

Fear of our life becoming meaningless:

Strive to prove ourselves, seek self-worth,compliments and success, fear insults, envy otherssuccess and want to be liked.

Seek either security and happiness in wealth, gloryand bodily pleasures or a misguided individualisticpossession of Gods presence that brings happiness.

Zealous over idealistic principles of love yet hate

closest neighbor.


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Death

Evil force which came into the world by sin.

Primary power of Satan - god of this world.

Why Paul says the following:


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Apostle Paul

For thegood that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I willnot to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no

longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.

I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one whowills to do good. For I delight in the law of God according to the

inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring

against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the

law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am!Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God

throughJesus Christour Lord!

So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the

flesh the law of sin. (Romans 7:19-15)


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Man lost his home in the Kingdom of God.

Then the Lord God said, Behold, theman hasbecome like one of Us, to know good and evil.

And now, lest he put out his hand and take also ofthe tree of life, and eat, and live forevertherefore the LordGodsent him outof thegarden of Edento ti$the ground%om which hewas taken. So He drove out the man; and Heplaced cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden,and a flaming sword which turned every way, to

guard the way to the tree of life.Gen :22-2


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Loss of the Kingdom of God

In place of the prospect of life eternal,mankind beheld death, and separation

from God.

Did God reject Man? God did not reject man.

He took away neither His image,

freedom of his will, nor his reason.

Man still had image of God - tarnished.

Man now needed help of a supernatural power toovercome death, sin and return to a union with God.


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Man was created in Paradise in fullcommunion with God

Rejected own vocationmaking what is created the object of his desire.

Looked at things of this world for fulfillmentrather than his Creator,we separate ourselves from God.


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Soul

Body

God

Our Present Condition

Soul

God

Our Natural Condition

Body


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Review

What is the fallen nature of mankind?

How does this compare to his Natural orcreated nature?

What is Adam and Eve do to cause this

condition? Who was responsible?


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Other views?

Many Western Churches have a

innovative view of Sin.

Original Sin

Leads to different view of Salvation.


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What is Original Sin?

Unknown by East and West until Augustine in the5th century (354-430).

Greeks used concept ofancestral sin. Greek word is amartema - means missing the mark and

applies to an individual. Sin is not a violation of an impersonal law or code of

behavior, but a rejection of the life offered by God.

A separation in a relationship. There is no concept of a guilt that is passed on fromAdam and Eve.

It is not guilt that is passed on, but a condition we

inherit, its like a disease.


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SAINT AUGUSTINE

Augustine (354 430) introduced the notion thatdeath was a personal punishment for Adams sin.

Paul views the Fall as a battle between God and

Satan. According to Paul, Eve was deceived bySatan and they both were taken captive by theDevil through death.

Last enemy to be destroyed is death (1Cor 15:26)

the sting of death is sin. Death is the weaponof the devil.

This is how Christ freed us from our enslavement.

The idea of guilt is misleading. We have a disease.


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The main act of Christ was His victoryover death. He destroyed the greatestpower of the Devil.

The spiritual war against the devil andthe striving for selfless love is centeredin the Eucharistic life of the Church -Body of Christ who is the head.


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Problem does not go

away with payment

We are subject to sinful tendencies, sickness,

suffering, and death as a result of ourdescendence from Adam.

Christ comes to free us from fear of death and

showed us the way to perfection in union withHim.


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We need the help of the Holy Spirit toovercome our sinful tendencies. We get

this only in union with Him as part ofthe body of Christ, the Church. Requiresrelationship not atonement.

Our goal is to perfect ourselves incooperation with God so we can live inunion with Him.


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How did Man fall into Sin?

God gave us the gifts of freedom, reason, andlove.

With freedom there is the possibility ofwavering in ones choices thus temptation is

possible.


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Two Primary Temptations

ReasonTo grow proud in mind.

To seek the knowledge of good and evil outside of God.Not acknowledging the wisdom and goodness of God.

To desire oneself to be God.

Love

In place of love for God and ones neighbor,

Loves ourselves and everything that satisfies lowerdesires and gives earthly enjoyment.


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What is Evil?

God did NOT create evil or death.

Evil is the moral order that results from

exercising our free will separating us fromGod.


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Is Misfortune Evil?

Misfortunes are in themselves neither evil or

good.

Part of our fallen condition - fear of death

One must have reverence for the all-wise order ofthe world.


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Endlessly, the various and mutually opposed

strivings of blind elemental powers and organiccreatures are colliding with each other at everymoment, and are brought into harmony becominga source for continual renewal in the world.


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How About Our Difficult Sufferings?

Suffering began with the Fall.

The causes of diseases and sufferings are men themselves,

Consequences of moral evil spread from people to the

animal world and to the whole of creation. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and

travaileth in pain together until now For the creation

was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason

of him who hath subjected it in hope: because the creation

itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of

corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.(Rom 8:22, 20-21)


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How About Our Difficult Sufferings?

Evil is a deviation from the original condition of

Paradise.

God is not the cause of moral evil.

Due to a separation from God, willingness to do asHe commands, and the inability to do moral law

which is written in the human conscience becauseof death.

This Separation is called sin.


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Review

Man has free will.

Human action responsible for Sin.

Consequence of first sin was a separation from GodDeath and expulsion from Paradise.

Mankinds nature was changed - image tarnished.

We inherit consequences of death and loss of the

kingdom.

We are in need of healing to find union with God.


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