Anthony’s Cell
YouTube
Ancestral Sin: What We Inherit From Adam, and What We Do Not
4:39
What the video says
A reading of the article on Ancestral Sin from the Orthodox Study Bible. It explains that ancestral sin is Adam's disobedience to God's command regarding the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which separated him from God, the source of life. The article lists five consequences of the fall, including mortality, an inclination toward sin, and the fall of the divine image in man.
It closes by stating that Christ conquered death and made possible communion with God, allowing people to become partakers of the divine nature.
Key moments
- God created mankind, established paradise, and commanded Adam not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, saying that on the day he ate from it he would die by death (Genesis 2:16-17).
- Since Adam and Eve did not physically die the day they ate, the words 'you shall die' indicate a spiritual death through separation from God. Ancestral sin is Adam's willing disobedience, by which he fell from God's path to perfection.
- The fall made mankind subject to mortality. Saint Gregory the Theologian says death cuts off sin so evil may not be everlasting, so God's punishment is changed into a mercy.
- We are not guilty because of Adam's sin but because of our own. Yet because mankind fell from God's grace through Adam's disobedience, people now have a propensity toward sin, since sin enters through fear of death.
- The divine image in man is fallen but not totally corrupted or obliterated. Human nature remains inherently good, and people are still capable of doing good, though bondage to death and the devil can dull their perception of what is good.
- Adam's fall brought mortality and sin into the world, along with sweat, toil, hunger, thirst, weariness, sorrow, pain, suffering, sickness, tribulations, tragedy, and tears.
- The intellectual, desiring, and irascible aspects of the soul remain natural and neutral after the fall. They can be used for good or harm, like iron made into a plow or into a sword.
- Christ, by his death and resurrection, conquered the devil and death, freeing mankind from the fear of death and making possible communion with God in which people become partakers of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4).
This audio reading presents the article on Ancestral Sin from the Orthodox Study Bible. It begins with God creating mankind, establishing paradise, and commanding Adam not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, saying that on the day he ate from it he would die by death (Genesis 2:16-17). Since Adam and Eve did not physically die that day, the words 'you shall die' point to a spiritual death through separation from God, the source of life.
Ancestral sin is Adam's willing disobedience, by which he fell from God's path to perfection. The reading lists the consequences of the fall: mortality, an inclination toward sin, and the fall of the divine image in man, along with sweat, toil, hunger, thirst, weariness, sorrow, pain, suffering, sickness, tribulations, tragedy, and tears.
It draws on Saint Gregory the Theologian, who says death cuts off sin so evil may not be everlasting, turning God's punishment into a mercy. On the question of guilt, the article states that we are not guilty because of Adam's sin but because of our own. Yet because mankind fell from God's grace through Adam's disobedience, people now have a propensity toward sin, since sin enters through fear of death.
The divine image in man is fallen but not totally corrupted or obliterated. Human nature remains inherently good, and people are still capable of doing good, though bondage to death and the devil can dull their perception of what is good. The intellectual, desiring, and irascible aspects of the soul remain natural and neutral after the fall; they can be used for good or harm, like iron made into a plow or into a sword.
The reading closes with Christ's death and resurrection, by which he conquered the devil and death, freed mankind from the fear of death, and made possible communion with God in which people become partakers of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4).
Main points
- Adam's willing disobedience brought spiritual death, separation from God the source of life (Genesis 2:16-17).
- We inherit mortality, a propensity toward sin, and fear of death, not personal guilt for Adam's transgression.
- Saint Gregory the Theologian says death cuts off sin so evil may not be everlasting, making punishment a mercy.
- The divine image is fallen but not obliterated; human nature remains good and capable of good.
- Christ's death and resurrection conquered death and the devil, making us partakers of the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4).