In Genesis 2, 3 and 4, the Bible details the nature, origin and result of sin in a profound way. It reveals that the heart of sin is not moral failure, but the unwillingness of people to trust God.

The Christian Church has long described Adam and Eve’s sin as “The Fall,” which assumes that they “fell” from a position of moral purity to one of wickedness. But, while wickedness surely occurred as a result of sin, it began, not as a “fall,” but as an Uprising or rebellion.

When the serpent promised (falsely!) that “you will be like God,” Eve and Adam failed to trust God’s good will for them and tried to “rise up” beyond their status as creatures to try to be gods instead. In rebelling against God, they ruptured their relationship with Him and caused a break between the whole creation and its Creator.

Sinful rebellion against God has plagued people ever since. It is our human condition, the “original sin” that affects us from birth. It is such a part of our nature that we cannot overcome it or remove it from ourselves. The only solution to sin is the one God worked in Christ Jesus—to take our sin to the cross in order to forgive us, free us and return us to trusting faith in Him.

Pastor Scott Grorud responds to a theological question each month in our newsletter series “Stump the Pastor.” Have a question that you think will stump the pastor? Email it to Pastor Scott.