As we consider the question how sin could have penetrated and entered into creation, we will encounter unavoidable difficulties. After all, everything has a beginning. And ultimately everything can be traced back to the absolute beginning, i.e., God’s creation. For, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1). Creation looked very different at that time than it does now. And in a few centuries, if Christ has not yet returned by then, the earth will also appear quite different than it does at the end of the 20^th century. There is a constant flow of development. And God gave all those possibilities for development in the creation. The industrialization of the past century, the automation of our age, these are all possibilities and realities that God has provided.

But what about sin? Did it originate with God? That cannot be, for of God we read that he is “of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong” (Hab. 1:13). Neither can sin exist in the created things, for God made everything very good. Also outside of it sin cannot exist as an independent power, for nothing exists outside of God and his creation. Herman Bavinck wrote the familiar words that to our way of thinking, sin is the greatest cross and the biggest riddle in our life. And also that sin has no origin but only a start. Bavinck wrote literally, “The origin of evil is, after the origin of being, the biggest mystery of life and the heaviest cross of our understanding” (Reformed Dogmatics, Kampen 1929, III.29). In this same work, III.18 Bavinck posits that sin in its origin displays folly and incongruence. “It has no origin in the actual sense, but only a start.”

However, we are confronted with sin. The Bible teaches us this hard reality, and beyond it, we experience it every day. Sin has started at some point in time. God’s word also informs us about this. However, for this origin of sin we may never, even if it is only for a small part, put the blame on God or on what the Lord had made — for he made all things well. Do not ever assign guilt to God, as if there was in the creation, as it came from God’s hand, a possibility that things would go wrong.

We will skip over all kinds of unbiblical speculations, such as for example that the sinful was present in God himself as a dark background. This idea we find with Jacob Böhme in the 17^th century, as he developed his thoughts in “Beschrybung der drey prinzipiën göttliches Wesens” (Description of the three divine beings, 1617).  We will also not go in depth in Manichaeism. The Manicheans taught that the forces of good and the forces of evil had always opposed each other. That way, outside of God and his creation there would be yet another reality; a contra-power. Very remarkable is also the idea of Julius Müller who came to the conclusion that man had fallen into sin in some sort of pre-existence. In all of these opinions a solution is sought, yet all of these place us outside of the clear biblical teaching.

The Fall of the Angels⤒🔗

Even though we want to address the origin of sin in the human world, the very first instance of it was with the angels. Because of the fallen angels sin has also, through temptation, penetrated into the human race. Karl Barth speaks too lightly about this when he states that the fall into sin on the part of the angels is only a bad dream of orthodoxy. The Bible does not speak about it as a nightmare, but as of a terrible reality. The information and data from Jude and 2 Peter are rather sparse, but they are also clear. It says that angels did not remain standing within their positions of authority and have left their proper dwelling (Jude 6). In these books of the Bible we read that the angels sinned (2 Peter 2:4).  What other origin of the angels is there than the creating hand of the good and wise God? And also the devils were created good by God. They too had beautiful gifts, especially the most important one of them, the devil. But they became unfaithful to their God. It is inexplicable how this could be possible. The guilt however lies entirely with the fallen angels. They chose freely against God. It is very bad that they did not remain faithful, did not hold on to love. We know it from our own life. The unfaithfulness of a husband or a wife who walks away from the family and so-called starts a new life — this can never be justified. However, here it is so much worse. With people there can also be guilt with the other party. But can anything be alleged against God?

These angels left their dwelling. They started to be independent. Many young people leave the parental home simply to be independent. It is assumed that this gives freedom, and no more supervision. This is only a weak image. The fallen angels had a beautiful dwelling and if they had remained faithful they would have been happy forever, praising God. But they wanted to be free. In their pride they wanted to be like God. The evil spirits were not tempted, as it happened with man when in a cunning way doubt was sown regarding God’s loving intentions. Therefore the punishment of the evil spirits is so much worse. God has kept them in eternal chains under gloomy darkness (Jude 6). Why is there no salvation for them? Could it be because they sinned on their own initiative? That Christ therefore came to save fallen people, while the fallen angels remain in their ruin? Meanwhile we need to observe some reservations here.

There are theories of a general atonement, i.e., that all people will be saved and not only they, but also things will turn out all right for the devils. In the 2^nd century Origen already harboured this idea, and later on others as well, including for example G. Papini in our present time. Such theories appear attractive: how beautiful it would be, if needed after heavy penance, that not only ungodly people but also the devils would as yet repent some time and be saved. However, Scripture does not speak like this. Instead a warning example is held before us that we should not fall into the snare of the devil.

The Origin of Sin in Man←⤒🔗

We read about the origin of sin in the human race in Genesis 3. Until recently it was almost undisputed that here we were presented with historical facts. There was, so we assumed, a state of righteousness, a sinless state in which our first parents, Adam and Eve, werealive. That is also how it was presented in our confessions. In general it was assumed that they ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This was accepted as a fact. People accepted a historical fall into sin. Only liberal-minded people and some others denied it. During the last decades this has changed, even in Roman-Catholic circles. However, we will limit ourselves here to the theologians with a reformed background.

H. Berkhof does accept the account of creation. According to him, we are anchored in God’s love. But man was at the same time inclined to take risks, and also sin was deeply anchored within us.

H.M. Kuitert, who equally denies that the history of paradise and the fall into sin were historical facts, says that the intention of the story of Genesis is to declare that sin has been there right from the start, but that the blame of it is not in God but in us, people.

All these speculations are human fabrications. They fall short of the correct interpretation of God’s word. They want to bring the biblical message in agreement with what is generally accepted today. In this regard Kuitert says that what science has taught us is that the further we go back in history, the more we end up with man as a herd-creature rather than a fine civilized man such as Adam.

And yet the Bible speaks in clear language. Genesis 3 informs us of what really did take place. Jesus and the apostles also take their starting point with an actual paradise, a first couple, and also a historical fall into sin. Jesus reminds in Matthew 19 of the institution of marriage in paradise and of the historical creation of husband and wife. And in the important verses of Romans 5:12-21 it points out the first sin of the one man, namely Adam, and in 2 Corinthians 11:3 Paul says that the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning.

There is in the first chapters of Genesis no question of any poetic representation. That is not how the history of paradise and the fall into sin are shown to us. We also read that Adam was tasked to work and to keep the garden where he had been placed. We might ask: why did he have to keep and maintain it? It appears that already then there were forces of sin, of evil spirits, against whom man needed to be on guard.

The start of sin with man is generally called the fall into sin. That is also how the Heidelberg Catechism speaks about it in Lord’s Day 3. It mentions the fall and disobedience of our first parents in paradise. Man is therefore not simply a creature that started out low on the ladder of development and started his climb upwards. No — man already was well developed, had a high position, and therefore could fall deeply as well. And indeed, he fell deeply. Scripture warns us all the time against this falling, for the falling away from God. “Take care,” we read in Hebrews 3:12, “lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.” And the exalted Christ warns the church at Ephesus and reminds them from what height they have fallen (Rev. 2:5). At first they lived so close to the Lord, but the initial genuine love was being abandoned.

We had a very important position and were destined to live forever with our God. But we loosened ourselves from God and fell away from him. With the first sin man was not just an ambivalent creature that could choose different ways and therefore someone with whom things could turn out the wrong way. Man was created such that he would be able to resist evil. In much more serious circumstances Christ, the second Adam, the true Man, resisted the evil one up to three times when he was tempted in the wilderness. Man in paradise was only tempted once and he failed. From this we can see the terrible power of sin.

Before, there had been a sinless state, as also once again there will be a new Jerusalem, a state of perfection where no one will be able to sin anymore. There will be the tree of life, bearing fruit each month (Rev. 22:2).

In the first paradise there was as yet the possibility of sin, and that possibility turned into reality. This sin at the very start was, as we have seen, characterized by pride. But in its origin sin is also disobedience and wrongful desire.

a. Scripture speaks of disobedience in Romans 5:19.←↰⤒🔗

It states that through the disobedience of the one man many have been made sinners. God’s command was transgressed deliberately. And over against this disobedience that caused so much misery stands the obedience of Christ.

Man, in a subordinate position, created in dependence on God to serve him and to accept his love and favour, could only be truly happy in him. However he became disobedient and wanted to take matters into his own hands. It resulted in his death.

Christ was God’s Son, and was himself God. And he was obedient even though he stood above all and everyone. Christ himself had made all things, and as the eternal Son of God had also given the laws. Yet Christ was born under the law. And when the Father determined that Christ would humble himself and would carry the curse and shame of our sin, he obeyed. It was a perfect voluntary act of obedience. It was also the expression of the great love of the Son for those whom the Father had given him. In the days that Christ was on earth he taught obedience through what he suffered, and in this way he has become our eternal salvation (Heb. 5:8).

Our fall and disobedience were the causes of our misery, by which we are subjected to all sorts of misery, even subject to eternal damnation. There is an important aspect of foolishness and stubbornness in this disobedience. It is somewhat like a patient who does not listen to his doctor when he points out that his lifestyle is wrong. But this does mean that it will result in trouble. It is like a child who is warned to be careful and to pay attention to the dangers on the road, but who is not listening. That can have fatal consequences. These are only poor examples to try to clarify how things began with sin, to show the source of all misery. Only in obeying, in paying attention to the laws that God has given, could man flourish and live well.

It started with disobedience, wanting to take matters into one’s own hands, and how is this echoed throughout the ages! Everyone wants to decide for himself. The question is asked of anyone and everyone, mature and immature, even children included, how they think about all sorts of things. And that has to be taken into account. Man is so autonomous! However, it will end up in absolute disaster for his life.

b. The first sin is also characterized by wrongful desire.←↰⤒🔗

The tempter starts by raising doubts. Is it true what God has said? Can God give such a remarkable command? Eve entertains this and in fact this means she has lost already. Much later when the Lord Jesus was tempted by the evil one he dismissed him shortly and to the point with an appeal to Scripture. Initially the woman contradicts the serpent. But as she is speaking the desire is awakened in her heart. That means she has lost. Sin is there already before man has eaten from the fruit of the tree of knowledge. There was the desire (the epythemia or concupiscentia). And this desire gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death (James 1:15).

God did not place this evil desire in man. There were indeed inclinations and man had a will, but that will was good and directed toward God, such that the heart of man would go out to God and he could rejoice in the Lord and relish his love. But through the temptation of the devil all these desires were bent and directed toward rebellion and dissatisfaction with what the Lord had determined.

In itself, desire is not wrong. God has put this into man. In the Bible we read about a good desire, a strong yearning for God. We are admonished to be very desirous for God’s word.

This wrongful desire is not the sexual inclination or desire. As God has also made this something beautiful. God created man in his image, male and female, so that a man and his wife are matched to one another. But through the deceitful presentation of the evil one all of this has become tainted and corrupted. That was the beginning. Through it we have become entirely contaminated, and we can only be saved from it through Christ. His food was to do the will of his Father. To him, that was life. That was his desire.

Sin and the Counsel of God←⤒🔗

Sin is not from God. Did sin then originate altogether outside of him? Or has sin become too powerful for God such that — respectfully speaking — he could no longer control it? No. Sin is indeed against the will of God, but it does not happen outside of God’s will. And sin is also not something outside of God’s eternal counsel. The Lord wants to reach his glorious goal with it. It excludes that God is actually sinning, or that he could be called the author of sin. It would be blasphemy to think like this. It has often been said in this context that God permits sin to happen. But yet there is more to it. God is not the powerless observer. He is not passively and idly involved as if he has no choice but to allow it to happen, the way we so often appear to be powerless when it comes to injustice and violence. The Lord triumphs over sin. He prepares salvation for us, even from the most horrendous transgressions. For what was greater sin than that people dared to lay hands on the Son of Man? That people rejected their own Messiah, and that we continue to reject Christ?

But in Acts 2:23 is says that Jesus of Nazareth was “delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God”. Lawless men crucified him, not God, but people. However, — and again speaking respectfully — knowingly and intentionally God caused it to happen. F.W. Grosheide speaks in connection with this plan and foreknowledge of a conscious, deliberate plan of God.

Through it all God was working out our eternal salvation, by raising Christ from the dead and to give him as Head of his church.

 It is also said of Judas that the Son of Man would indeed be delivered as it was written about him. Christ had to suffer, according to the Scriptures, according to the clear will and counsel of our God. But this became reality through the betrayal of Judas. God determines even that sinful action of men.

Sin remains a horrible reality for us against which we need to guard ourselves. God allowed sin to enter into the world and there was a historic start to sin. Sin is not something that was created, but it disrupts and destroys all that God had made beautiful. Only the grace of Christ can restore it.

God does show his supreme power over sin. Not a defenseless power, but a glorious triumph. In the meantime we remain an enemy of all sins. It continues as a terrible force in our lives. And yet we may live in the knowledge that God, who hates all sin, also holds each of his creatures in his hand in such a way that against his will they cannot so much as move (see HC Q/A 28). And that is how God guides all things, also the fall into sin and all our sins, according to his counsel and his purpose toward the eternal salvation of all those who belong to him.