The Fall of Man
A Sermon on the Fall of Man from Genesis 3:22-24
Originally preached Nov. 18, 1956
Scripture
22¶ And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: 23Therefore the LORD God sent him …
Sermon Description
What is at the root of all of humanity’s problems? In this sermon on the fall of man from Genesis 3:22–24 titled “Man Ate of the Fruit,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones preaches on the fall and the first transgression of Adam and Eve. He says the reason the first parents sinned is because they refused to acknowledge their own creature-hood and ignorance. They sought to become like God Himself. This is still the fundamental problem of sin and evil: people do not accept that they are God’s creatures and subject to his law. In their pride, people seek to understand and explain the world by their own reason and standards. This is utter folly because apart from God, no one can truly know themselves or the world. True understanding only comes when one accepts that they are not God, but His creatures. All must put their faith in God and in what He has done on the cross in Jesus Christ. Only by repenting and believing in Jesus Christ can one return to true fellowship with God and be freed from the curse of sin. This sermon calls all to ask, “do I believe? Have I forsaken any chance of understanding the world without Christ?” There is no more important question one can ask because it concerns not only their good in this life, but their eternal salvation.
Sermon Breakdown
- Man is as he is because he refused to realize who and what he is and tried to be something that he wasn't and was never meant to be.
- All that man obtains in this folly and sin of his, apart from God, always disappoints him and always leads to further trouble.
- Man still, in spite of all this, is foolish enough to try to evade the consequences of his own sin and action and to try to clutch at certain blessings which he desires.
- The whole story of civilization is the history of men trying to make a perfect world for himself without God.
- Man, you see, decided, I say, about 100 years ago, that knowledge would render man independent of God, and especially, of course, scientific knowledge.
- The trouble with men has always been that he has put his faith in knowledge in the place of his faith in God.
- Man looked at all these things theoretically, and his position was this. Now, I've got such a great capacity, there is nothing really that is beyond me. I'm capable of taking it all in.
- Man, in seeking it, has found it. But it wasn't what he'd anticipated. It wasn't what he'd expected.
- Man did obtain a knowledge of good and evil, but that's the knowledge he got that isn't God's knowledge.
- God sees it and hates it and is above it and is going to destroy it. Man has come to know it as an incubus that is upon him as something that grips him not only without, but within.
- We've got an appalling knowledge of evil. Every one of us. It's inside us.
- Man wanted the knowledge of evil. Well, he's got it. And this is it. That within us there is a kind of infernal.
- You're conscious, you're not. Every one of us is conscious of it, of some terrible power operating inside us.
- You may wake up in the morning and before you've had time truly to wake up and to think actively and positively, an evil thought comes to you.
- That's your part of your knowledge of evil. You may walk down the streets as innocent as a child as it were. And suddenly you find that there's evil within you. Knowledge of evil responding to something.
Sermon Q&A
What Does Genesis 3:22-24 Teach About Man's Condition After the Fall?
Based on Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones' sermon on Genesis 3:22-24, here are some key questions and answers that explore the profound theological implications of man's expulsion from Eden.
Why does Dr. Lloyd-Jones consider Genesis 3:22-24 relevant to our modern world situation?
According to Lloyd-Jones, this passage explains "the situation in which we find ourselves in this world at this present hour." He's not interested in discussing political or military events, but rather in understanding the deeper spiritual causes behind world crises. The Bible speaks to us "in the precise condition in which we find ourselves" and provides insight into why human troubles persist throughout history, regardless of the specific era.
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones identify as man's fundamental problem?
Man's greatest trouble is "his great conceit of himself." At the beginning, man refused to realize who and what he truly was—a created, finite being made from dust—and tried to be something he was never meant to be: like God. This original sin of pride continues today as humanity refuses to acknowledge its limitations and dependence on God. As Lloyd-Jones states, "Man will forget that he's come from the ground, from the dust, and he hates the idea."
How does knowledge without God become man's problem rather than solution?
Lloyd-Jones explains that man obtained the knowledge of good and evil he sought, but not in the way he expected. Instead of obtaining God's objective knowledge, man gained a subjective knowledge where he became "the slave of evil" and fell "under the power of evil." The knowledge man thought would solve everything became his greatest problem—just as our scientific knowledge today, which we thought would make us independent of God, has become our greatest challenge. Lloyd-Jones illustrates this with the splitting of the atom, which represents both mankind's great knowledge and his great peril.
What do the Cherubim and flaming sword at Eden's gate represent?
The Cherubim represent "the presence and the unapproachability of Jehovah God" - His ineffable glory and holiness. The flaming sword that "turned every way" represents "the wrath of God against sin." Together, they illustrate that whenever man tries to return to paradise and obtain blessing, peace and joy, he immediately faces God's holiness and judgment against sin. Man cannot bypass these guardians through his own efforts, knowledge, or morality.
What is the only way back to paradise according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones?
The only way back is through Jesus Christ and His sacrificial death. Lloyd-Jones explains that Christ "advanced against a flaming sword. And it smote him and it killed him, and it broke his body. And in breaking his body, it broke itself." Through Christ's broken body and shed blood, a "new and living way" has been opened for believers to enter paradise. As Lloyd-Jones states, "There is no way into the paradise of God except through Jesus Christ and him crucified."
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones describe man's constant but futile attempts to create paradise without God?
Lloyd-Jones suggests that "the whole story of civilization is the history of men trying to make a perfect world for himself without God." Despite being expelled from Eden, mankind continuously tries to reach the tree of life and secure peace, happiness, and immortality while ignoring God. This enterprise is "tragic folly" because the cherubim and flaming sword prevent any approach except through Christ. Man seeks blessings but refuses to deal with God and His judgment against sin.
Old Testament
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.