Before and After the Fall

Before the Fall

1. Man enjoyed unhindered fellowship and friendship with God. God walked with them in the Garden. They saw God. They talked with him. Genesis 3:8
2. Man was given rulership and authority over all the earth, over all the plants and the animals. Genesis 2
3. Man was given a purpose, work to do that was easy and pleasing. Genesis 2:15
4. Man was naked but had no shame. He was completely innocent and without sin. Genesis 2:25
5. Man was free to do whatever he wanted except to eat the fruit of one specific tree. Genesis 2:17
6. Man did not age or die. He was immortal
7. Women had no pain in childbirth, so we can assume there was no pain at all.

After the Fall

1. Mankind was separated from God and from fellowship with God. Genesis 3:8
2. Man lost his rulership over the earth. It was given to Satan. Ephesians 6:12
3. Man's work became hard and unpleasant. Genesis 3: 17-19
4. Man lost his innocence, became sinful and ashamed. Genesis 3:7-8
5. Man lost his freedom and became enslaved to sin. Romans 6
6. Man lost his imortality, aged and eventually died. Genesis 3:19
7. Women will give birth in great pain and their husbands will rule over them. Genesis 3:16

You'll notice that the first thing man did when God asked him what happened was blame Eve, then she went on to blame the snake. Isnt' that just like fallen human nature? We never take responsibility for our own actions.

I thought it was so cool that even after Adam and Eve defied God and disobeyed the one command he'd given them, God still made garments of skin for them and clothed them. He still loved them and cared deeply for them. Genesis 3:21. What a God we serve!

We lost a tremendous amount in the fall, didn't we? But the good news is, when Jesus defeated Satan on the cross and rose again, we gained a few of our privileges back, namely, unhindered fellowship with God, freedom from the slavery of sin, and immortality-everylasting life. The rest will be restored after this life ends. Praise God for his love and grace!