Pride Goes Before The Fall

Pride Goes Before the Fall. We’ve all heard that phrase in one context or another, but it has its origins, pardon the pun, in what has been traditionally called the Original Sin. The account takes place in Genesis 3. The serpent, coyly implies to Eve that she will not die if she eats of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, that God just didn’t want she and Adam to know that on the day that they ate from that tree their eyes would be opened and they would be like gods, knowing good and evil.

In short Adam and Eve took the bait, blinding themselves from all the love, kindness and generosity God had given them, and out of this new feeling, pride, they ate of the fruit. Their eyes were opened alright! They were suddenly embarrassed by their nakedness. What had been natural and pure, was now tainted and, indeed, death become their fate.

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Adam’s and Eve’s original motivation was rooted in pride, a desire to be as gods, but their act was one of complete disobedience. As a result they were burdened with toil and the pains of life, child bearing, competition, and suffering, and loss. “He banished them, and in front of the garden of Eden he posted the cherubs, and the flame of a flashing sword, to guard the way to the tree of life.” The gates to paradise were closed behind them.

Now, it is true that God’s love has already forgiven us all of our sins through His death on the Cross and the gates of Eden have been opened to us once again. But our salvation is not passive. With God’s Grace, in our free wills, WE must choose to turn away from pride by developing the habits of humility. With God’s Grace WE must turn away from our rebellion, our disobedience by developing the habits of obedience. Humility and obedience are the habits of Heaven. The irony? Humble obedience to the Truth and Goodness of God is really liberation. “The Truth shall set you free.”