The Devestating Effects of the Fall on Communication

Last time I wrote I asked you what you thought is the reason that we communicate in these ways? Of course, sin would be the overarching reason, but I would maintain that selfishness is the specific reason. Selfishness causes conflict in our physical bodies– headaches, stomachaches, and in the immaterial man or the non-physical part like our emotions- anger, sadness and Spiritual conflict because we sin due to anger and sadness.



How did this get so messed up? It didn’t begin that way. In the Garden God communicated with Adam in a personal way.



The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.” Genesis 2:1-17 (NIV)



The Bible says we were created in the image and likeness of God. (Gen 1:27) the Us in 1:27 is Elohim, the Hebrew word we get our understanding of the Trinity from. The Trinity is a model of perfect communication. They function in perfect harmony and there is never a time when They argue or disagree about anything, and there never will be! If we are created in His image and likeness, what went wrong? Why doesn’t God communicate with us in the same way? Why don’t we have that perfect relationship with each other like Adam and Eve did?



When sin entered the world (Gen 3) that perfect communication was severed. Adam and Eve became aware of good and evil after eating the fruit of the tree they were commanded not to eat from, therefore they were afraid and hid. They desired to break communication with God out of fear of discovery. And God, being Omniscient (all –knowing) didn’t fall for it J. He sought them out and asked questions of accountability.



Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?” “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.” “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?” Then the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.” And the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” Genesis 3:9-13 (NKJV)


This one sinful act by Adam brought sin into the world.



When Adam sinned, sin entered the entire human race. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. Romans 5:12 (NLT)



“There is no one righteous, not even one; Romans 3:10 (NIV)



The sin of Adam has taken mankind, who was created to have a moral capacity and a spiritual resemblance to God, and brought us to a place of complete depravity. The Bible says things like we are lost, blind, without hope, completely depraved, walk in darkness, sons of disobedience, unrighteous, unprofitable, under the wrath of God, and uses other descriptive words to describe our state.



From this background it is suddenly easy to see why we have trouble communicating righteously with each other.



Next time: The need for change

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