Part 3 - The Fall and the Restoration

The Rebellion of Man's Mind

The creation of Adam and Eve produced a situation where the finite, man, was in fellowship with the infinite, God. He who is infinite has a total grasp and understanding of that which He created. It is His design, and it is He who guides and sustains according to His will and plan. On the other side, man who is finite is extremely limited in his outlook and understanding compared to that which God has. God is omniscient, knowing all. Man is not. God is omnipresent, in all places. Man is not. God knows the end from the beginning while man of his own being cannot know the future. A right relationship between the infinite God and finite man requires an important characteristic on the part of man: faith and trust.

Man's limited knowledge and understanding is not a result of God withholding something from man. It is simply a limitation of being finite. Man will never be an equal to God, and so man will never have the knowledge and understanding that God has. The faith that God requires on man's part is likened to that which a child has in a parent. Jesus said, "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 18:3).

Man's own understanding

One of the aspects of the fall of Adam and Eve was the rebellion of their minds. In establishing mankind in the garden setting, God set up boundaries. Man did not understand and appreciate the restriction of not eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This required faith and trust in his creator. Man elevated his understanding of the situation above God's understanding. Man rejected God's understanding and proceeded according to his own.

Eve's understanding of the forbidden tree was that it was "a tree desirable to make one wise" (Gen. 3:6). She understood that she would "be like God, knowing good and evil" (Gen. 3:5). In her own understanding, Eve expected to elevate her mind to the level of God. This lie and delusion of the serpent evaporated in the fall, for the only understanding that Adam and Eve received was that they lacked.

Because the heart of fallen man is centered on himself, his mind acts accordingly. He demands full understanding and will not submit to the understanding of the infinite Creator through faith and trust.