How does Genesis 3:17 connect with Romans 5:12 about sin entering the world? Setting the Scene in Eden “Then to Adam He said, ‘Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, “You must not eat of it,” cursed is the ground because of you; through toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.’” • A literal, historical act of disobedience by a real man, Adam • Immediate result: the ground itself is cursed, signaling that sin affects not only people but creation • Ongoing labor and eventual death become the new human condition Paul’s Perspective on the Same Event “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, so also death was passed on to all men, because all sinned.” • Paul treats Adam’s sin as an undeniable historical fact • Sin is pictured as an intruder that steps into God’s good world through Adam • Death arrives hand-in-hand with sin, spreading to every person Direct Connections Between Genesis 3:17 and Romans 5:12 • One Man, One Act – Genesis identifies Adam; Romans echoes, “through one man” • Entry Point of Sin – Genesis shows the first act; Romans explains its universal gateway effect • Curse and Consequence – Genesis: ground cursed, life becomes toil – Romans: spiritual and physical death now reign • Universality – Genesis forecasts continual hardship for humanity – Romans states death “passed on to all men” • Harmony of Scripture – The Pentateuch records the event; the Epistle interprets its cosmic reach Why the Link Matters Today • Reveals the origin of every form of suffering and death • Explains why no one is naturally exempt from sin’s power • Sets the stage for the need of a second “one Man” (Christ) to undo what Adam unleashed |
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