In The Orthodox Study Bible, we find the
following discussion about the Eastern Orthodox understanding of the Fall and
the nature of man (post-Fall):
ANCESTRAL SIN
In the Old Testament account of creation, God
created mankind and established a place for him called Paradise. He also gave
him a commandment regarding the tree of knowledge of good and evil: “And the
Lord God commanded Adam, saying, ‘You may eat food from every tree in the
garden; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you may not eat;
for in whatever day you eat from it, you shall die by death’” (Gn 2:16, 17). In
that Adam and Eve did not physically die the day they ate from the tree, the
words “you shall die” indicate a spiritual death through separation from God.
Ancestral sin is the disobedience of Adam to
God’s command regarding the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Adam willingly
disobeyed this commandment and diverted himself, or fell, from God’s path to
perfection, thus separating himself from His Creator, the Source of life.
WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE
FALL?
1. The Fall of Adam caused mankind to become
subject to mortality. While this is often seen mainly as a punishment, or
penalty, the emphasis concerning God’s judgments on Adam and Eve at the Fall is
best understood in term of His mercy. So, for example, concerning man’s
mortality (Gn 3:19), St. Gregory the Theologian states, “Yet here too He
provides a benefit—namely death, which cuts off sin, so that evil may not be
everlasting. Thus His punishment is changed into a mercy.”
2. We who are of Adam’s race are not guilty
because of Adam’s sin, but because of our own sin. However, because all of
mankind fell away from the grace of God through Adam’s disobedience, man now
has a propensity, disposition, an inclination towards sin, because just as
death entered the world through sin, now sin enters through fear of death.
3. Mankind’s strong propensity to commit sin
reveals that in the Fall, the image of God in man (Gn 1:26, 27) is also fallen.
However, the ancient Fathers emphasize that the divine image in man has not
been totally corrupted or obliterated. Human nature remains inherently good
after the Fall; mankind is not totally depraved. People are still capable of
doing good, although bondage to death and the influences of the devil can dull
their perception of what is good and lead them into all kinds of evil.
4. Adam’s all not only brought mortality and
sin into the world, but also sweat, toil, hunger, thirst, weariness, sorrow,
pain, suffering, sickness, tribulations, tragedy, and tears.
5. Even after the Fall, the intellectual,
desiring and incensive (forceful or driving) aspects of the soul are natural
and therefore neutral. They can be used in a good way, or in a bad, harmful
way. For instance, desire is very good when one directs it towards God. But
when desire is out of control, one may use it in very inappropriate ways, such
as becoming gluttonous or desiring another person’s spouse. The classic analogy
is that these powers of the soul are like iron, which can be made into a plow
to help grow food, or into a sword to be used to kill someone.
Christ, by His Death and Resurrection, conquered
the devil and death, freeing mankind from the fear of death (Heb 2:14-15) and
making possible a more complete communion between God and man that was ever
possible before. This communion allows people to become “partakers of the divine
nature” (2Pt 1:4) to transcend death and, ultimately, all the consequences of
the Fall. (The Orthodox Study Bible:
Ancient Christianity Speaks to Today’s World [Nashville, Tenn.: Thomas
Nelson, Publishers, 2008], 7)
While not
one-to-one equivalent with Latter-day Saint theology, such a view is much
closer to the LDS view than the view of Roman Catholicism (from the Second
Council of Orange [AD 529]).
On the topic
of the Fall, many LDS have a naïve, simplistic and way too positive view of it;
for a balance view, see Critique
of “The Christ Who Heals” (under “Chapter 3: The Fall”). Also consider the
following from the Book of Mormon:
O Lord, thou hast
said that we must be encompassed about by the floods. Now behold, O Lord, and
do not be angry with thy servant because of his weakness before thee; for we
know that thou art holy and dwellest in the heavens, and that we are unworthy
before thee; because of the fall our natures have become evil continually;
nevertheless, O Lord, thou hast given us a commandment that we must call upon
thee, that from thee we may receive according to our desires. (Ether 3:2)
