Chapter 7: After the Fall – Three Effects on Human Enterprise
This chapter explains and examines the three effects of the Fall on enterprise:
Communicative distortion, economic scarcity, and managerial control. Chou comments “Looking
for the results of the Fall is not hard because every corner of our lives overflows with these.” If
we look closely at our everyday lives, we can see these three effects of the Fall are extremely
prevalent. Depending on your worldview, you may not notice the effects of the Fall.
The first effect mentioned is communicative distortion. Chou begins by discussing
Adam’s engagement with enterprise. God commanded Adam to cultivate the Earth, tending the
Garden. Looking back to the original sin, you will discover it actually began in the workplace.
The command given by God, direct and concise, to not eat the fruit of the knowledge of good
and evil or your life would be forfeited, introduces the cost/benefit into the workplace. Satan
used this to corrupt Eve by increasing the benefit and eliminating the cost. Communicative
distortion then entered into word, direct or straightforwardness communication has been lost and
now the world has developed a “Loophole” mentality.
The second effect mentioned is economic scarcity. Economic scarcity is a formula
explaining the with the average growth rate of the population, the population doubles every
twenty-five years and that supplies will eventually become scarce. In Genesis, God tells Adam to
“eat freely” (Gen 2:18) and that He has provided everything in abundance. His next command
was to be fruitful and multiply. These scriptures together suggest that God’s design for mankind
was to have continued abundance in everything. The advent of scarcity is a direct result of the
Fall. Scarcity has caused competition among the nations of the world. Competition for land and
water access has been the root cause of several wars in history.
The third effect mentioned is managerial control. Management is broken down into four
parts/functions: Planning, Organizing, Leading and Control. Control can be identified as
accountability. In a perfect world, control would be unnecessary, the Garden prior to sin was
perfect and there was no need for control. The world is not perfect, controls are in place to
recognize potential outcomes good or bad. God established the first three when He created Adam
and giving the responsibilities of tending the Earth and assigning headship. After sin entered the
world, God asked Adam and Eve where they were, knowing full well they were hiding from
Him. Asking this question, the standard of accountability was established, and allowed
conviction to enter the hearts of man and with-it redemptions were also set in place. God
promises to create a new Heaven and a new Earth which will re-establish God’s perfect design.
How can a proper biblical worldview impact these effects of the Fall? A biblical
worldview is the way Christians view the world based on what the Bible teaches. The Bible is
the foundation and authority to having a Biblical worldview. Getting into God’s Word and
learning what He is teaching us is the key to making the right decisions in life. Having a biblical
worldview and applying it can solve communication distortion. “Treat others just as you want to
be treated”(Luke 6:31), “Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to
your neighbor, for we are all members of one body”(Ephesians 4:25). These two scriptures
represent being honest and establishing trust in all relationships, which will ultimately resolve
communication distortion.
“The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows
bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not
reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver”(2 Corinthians 9:6-8). John 6:1-
14, Jesus shows that scarcity can become abundance when he takes just two fish and five loaves
of bread and feeds five-thousand people. We are also promised that God will establish a new
Heaven and a new Earth full of abundance, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the
old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. And I saw the holy
city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed
for her husband… It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To
all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life.”(Revelation 21:1-2,6).
There will be no more scarcity.
In conclusion, understanding the biblical worldview perception of the Fall we can
identify the effects that are in are everyday lives. Identifying these effects, finding the root cause
of certain issues, relating them properly to the Fall, we can work towards eliminating them
through redemption. Jesus came to establish redemption, He says “I am the way the truth and the
life, no man comes through to the Father except through me.” When Jesus died, He created a
bridge that connects us back to God and His promises and plans for our lives.
