The Effect of the Fall on the Human Race
By Rod Dreher
Rawlings School of Divinity
CLED 800: Biblical & Theological Foundations of Education
Genevieve Hamer
July 3, 2022
The Effect of the Fall on the Human Race
The devastating effect upon Adam’s personal situation was extended to the entire human
race because Adam was the head, or beginner, of humanity.
In the discussion of sin and its effect upon the human race, the Bible teaches that what
Adam did was imputed, or reckoned, to all his descendants. Accordingly, it is revealed in
Romans 5:12-14 :
Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in
this way death came to all men, because all sinned—for before the law was given, sin was in
the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned
from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a
command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come.
The whole human race was considered as if they themselves had done what Adam did, and
the judgment was affirmed that if they had the same opportunity in the same situation that
they would have sinned against God also.
In providing a solution for human sin as intimated in Genesis 3:15, God provided in Christ
crucified the One who would make it possible for people to be saved. This required an
imputation, or a reckoning, of people’s sin as if Christ Himself had performed it. As stated in 2
Corinthians 5:21, “God made him [Christ] who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we
might become the righteousness of God.” When Christ died on the cross, He died in our place
as a Lamb of sacrifice because He was bearing the sins of the whole world (John 1:29).
The fact that Christ has died and paid the price of man’s sin makes it possible now for God
to reckon, or impute, righteousness to those who believe in Christ. An earlier example of this is
the statement that when Abram believed in the Lord concerning his future posterity, “it was
credited to him as righteousness” (Rom. 4:3). Accordingly, though Abram was a sinner like all
other members of the human race, when he put his trust in God as the one who would fulfill His
promises, he received by divine reckoning the righteousness that only God can give.
Accordingly, the same God who permitted sin to occur also provided a Savior in the person and
work of Jesus Christ, which now makes it possible for sinners to be saved and be considered
righteous in God’s sight.
The principle of imputation of righteousness to those who believe in Christ is the basis for
our justification and is mentioned frequently in Scripture (Rom. 3:22; 4:3, 8, 21-25; 2 Cor. 5:21;
Philem. 17-18). Though it is difficult to understand completely what Christ did when He died, He
died as our sin-bearer, as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, a fact that is
mentioned many times in Scripture (Isa. 53:5; John 1:29; 1 Peter 2:24; 3:18). The fact that
Christians have been made righteous and justified before a holy God makes it possible for them
to be a part of the body of Christ through the baptism of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:13).
Just as the Scriptures make clear that a believer in Christ is justified by faith, or declared
righteous in the sight of a holy God, so it is also true in Scripture that one outside of Christ has
none of the benefits of Christ’s redemption. The unsaved have the sin of Adam reckoned to
their account; they are born with a sin nature that naturally sins against God; and to this their
personal sins are added. Because of Adam’s sin everyone, even those who are Christians,
experiences physical death (Rom. 5:12-14). Those who are not saved through faith in Christ are
spiritually dead and are separated from God (Eph. 2:1; 4:18-19). They will also experience the
second death, which is defined as eternal separation from God (Rev. 2:11; 20:6, 14; 21:8).
