The Problem of Sin
By Rod Dreher
Rawlings School of Divinity
CLED 800: Biblical & Theological Foundations of Education
Genevieve Hamer
July 3, 2022
The problem of sin in the world has been faced by theologians as well as by philosophers of
all kinds, and some explanations have been attempted. People who ignore the Bible fall into
two classifications-those who explain sin as that which occurs because God is not omnipotent
and could not prevent it, and those who postulate that God Himself is sinful and that,
therefore, sin is in the universe. Adherents to polytheism, the belief that there are many gods,
assume that the gods have limitations, that they are not omnipotent, that they sin. Therefore,
they can offer no solution for the sin problem.
Christianity explains the problem in terms of divine revelation and what took place after
Adam and Eve were created. The answer to the sin problem is that man freely chose evil and
this brought sin into the human race. God had commanded Adam and Eve, “You are free to eat
from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and
evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die” (Gen. 2:16-17). The biblical narrative in Genesis,
however, continues with the account of how Eve partook of the fruit of the tree and Adam
joined with her in partaking of it (Gen. 3:2-6). The result was that the entire human race was
plunged into sin.
The biblical narrative also supplies the fact that Satan, who appeared to Eve in the form of
a serpent, was evil. This implies that there was an original creation of the angelic world and that
some of the angels sinned against God and became the demon world, led by Satan, that exists
today. Scripture assumes that God would not create evil but created a world in which there was
moral choice possible, and both angels and men chose evil instead of that which was right.
Unlike the philosophic world, which has no solution for the problem of evil, the Bible not
only accounts for its origin but also provides a divine remedy in the promise of Genesis 3:15
that the woman would have offspring who would crush the head of the serpent, fulfilled in the
death of Christ on the cross and His resurrection. Satan was defeated and his ultimate
judgment was assured.
A biblical doctrine of sin is absolutely essential to understanding the Scriptures as an
account of God’s revelation of salvation that is available through Christ and a record of victory
over sin that is promised to those who will put their trust in God. The doctrine of sin is at the
root of explaining history with its record of wickedness, suffering, sin, and death. The proper
doctrine of sin is also necessary to understand humankind and his reaction to God and to God’s
revelation.
Before Adam sinned he was innocent in thought, word, and deed. He had been created
without sin but with moral choice. The challenge of obedience to God was very simple. The only
command God gave that could be disobeyed was the command not to partake of the forbidden
fruit (Gen. 2:17).
After Adam sinned a radical change took place. He died spiritually. Physical aging began the
process that led ultimately to his death, and his conscience was aware of the fact that he had
sinned against God. The immediate result of sin was that God cursed the serpent for tempting
Eve (Gen. 3:14-15). The woman was promised that she would be subject to her husband and
that her pain in childbearing would increase (Gen. 3:16). Adam was promised that the ground
would be cursed because of him and he would find it difficult to produce food. He was also
informed that eventually he would die and return to the dust from which he was made.
Because of the changed situation, Adam and Eve were driven out of the garden where they had
been placed, which prevented them from eating of the Tree of Life, which would have given
them physical life forever (Gen. 3:22-24).
