InSlaveryToChrist
Puritan Board Junior
I have hard time understanding the reformed view of Adam's fall. I believe that God cannot make anything good BY NATURE, that is, when anything created by God is left on itself, it cannot but act contrary to God's ways. I hold this view mainly because I believe God is HOLY, meaning, anything that God claims Himself to be, none else is. If God acts righteously, none else does. If God loves, none else does. If God is merciful, none else is. etc.
Until now, none has been able to make sense of the reformed view of Adam's fall to me. I do have great expectations of the reformed theologians, but as I see it, the holiness of God is at great risk here.
"We were made in God's image." I take this to mean that we were made as mirrors to God's glory, to reflect back the glory of God to Himself.
That God saw all the earth as "very good" before the fall of Adam does not contradict my idea of all the creation being EVIL by nature. What I mean by "evil" is "without God", since there is no good without or outside of God. I would gladly approve of Adam being good by nature, if there were any references in the Bible to God being united with Adam, that is, being ONE with Adam as we are ONE with God through Christ.
Thus, I conclude that Adam's fall was simply a righteous demonstration of God's sovereignty in all things to Adam, and to us also. And the very same explanation I would give to Lucifer's fall, since even the greatest reformed theologians struggle with it. Lucifer fell not because He reached some point of authority that was too close to God's and caused Him to sin, but because God desired to start demonstrating His sovereignty in all things. When I think of it, I would have did the exact same thing, that is, to raise up the highest possible being and then make it fall, to show that without God's grace there is no way to be like God.
So, please, in your best ability, explain Adam's fall from the reformed point of view. Do also criticize my view, if you know any Bible verses that clearly contradict it!
Until now, none has been able to make sense of the reformed view of Adam's fall to me. I do have great expectations of the reformed theologians, but as I see it, the holiness of God is at great risk here.
"We were made in God's image." I take this to mean that we were made as mirrors to God's glory, to reflect back the glory of God to Himself.
That God saw all the earth as "very good" before the fall of Adam does not contradict my idea of all the creation being EVIL by nature. What I mean by "evil" is "without God", since there is no good without or outside of God. I would gladly approve of Adam being good by nature, if there were any references in the Bible to God being united with Adam, that is, being ONE with Adam as we are ONE with God through Christ.
Thus, I conclude that Adam's fall was simply a righteous demonstration of God's sovereignty in all things to Adam, and to us also. And the very same explanation I would give to Lucifer's fall, since even the greatest reformed theologians struggle with it. Lucifer fell not because He reached some point of authority that was too close to God's and caused Him to sin, but because God desired to start demonstrating His sovereignty in all things. When I think of it, I would have did the exact same thing, that is, to raise up the highest possible being and then make it fall, to show that without God's grace there is no way to be like God.
So, please, in your best ability, explain Adam's fall from the reformed point of view. Do also criticize my view, if you know any Bible verses that clearly contradict it!