Human Nature Before The Fall Of Man
Before the Fall, human nature was characterized by a harmonious relationship with God, an unblemished inner state, and a unique position within creation. This original state, often referred to as "original righteousness," is a foundational concept in Christian theology [3].
Augustine of Hippo describes this pre-lapsarian state as one where humanity was "pleasing to God, and God was pleasing to them" [1]. Though humans possessed an "animal body," they experienced no internal "disobedience moving against themselves" [1]. This suggests a perfect alignment between the soul and the body, where the body served the soul without resistance, just as the soul obeyed God [1]. The absence of shame in their nakedness (Genesis 2:25) is often cited as evidence of this uncorrupted state [1].
John Calvin emphasizes that humanity was created in the image of God, endowed with faculties of the soul, free will, and original righteousness [3]. This image of God encompassed not only intellectual and moral capacities but also a spiritual likeness to their Creator. The human soul was considered immortal [3].
The relationship between humanity and the animal kingdom was also different. Adam Clarke, in his commentary on Genesis, suggests that before the Fall, humans ruled animals through "love and kindness," and animals were characterized by "gentleness and docility" [2]. After the Fall, this changed, with "savage ferocity" prevailing among animals and a "fear and terror of man" being impressed upon them by God to prevent humanity's destruction [2]. This implies a peaceful coexistence and perhaps even a vegetarian diet for humanity before the Fall, with animal food being granted only after the flood (Genesis 9:3) [7].
The early church father Tertullian suggests that in the beginning, human nature received greater assistance from God, enabling progress toward understanding and virtues, and the development of arts, before humans were expected to sustain life independently [6]. This highlights a period of divine guidance and support in humanity's initial existence.
The Fall introduced a profound change in human nature, leading to the corruption and death that are now evident [4]. Augustine notes that the transgression of the first humans altered human nature significantly, making it "subject to the great corruption we feel and see, and to death, and is distracted and tossed with so many furious and contending emotions" [4]. This contrasts sharply with the original state where good could exist without evil, as in God Himself and in celestial creatures [5].
The concept of human nature before the Fall is crucial for understanding the theological implications of sin and redemption. It establishes a baseline of perfect creation from which humanity deviated, highlighting the severity of the Fall and the necessity of divine intervention for restoration.
Sources
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 5: Augustine — Anti-Pelagian — CHAP. 36 [XXII.]--MAN'S STATE BEFORE THE FALL. (part 1): Before they had thus violated their obedience they were pleasing to God, and God was pleasing to them; and though they carried about an animal body, they yet felt in it no disobedience moving against themselves. This was the righteous appointment, that inasmuch as their soul had received from the Lord the body for its servant, as it itself obeyed the Lord, even so its body should obey Him, and should exhibit a service suitable to the life given it without resistance. Hence "they were both naked, a”
- Genesis (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on Genesis 9:2: The fear of you and the dread, etc. - Prior to the fall, man ruled the inferior animals by love and kindness, for then gentleness and docility were their principal characteristics. After the fall, untractableness, with savage ferocity, prevailed among almost all orders of the brute creation; enmity to man seems particularly to prevail; and had not God in his mercy impressed their minds with the fear and terror of man, so that some submit to his will while others flee from his residence, the human race would long ere this have been totally destroyed by the beasts of ”
- CCEL (Reformed) “John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, section 31: 159 CHAPTER 15. STATE IN WHICH MAN WAS CREATED. THE FACULTIES OF THE SOUL—THE IMAGE OF GOD—FREE WILL—ORIGINAL RIGHTEOUSNESS. This chapter is thus divided:—I. The necessary rules to be observed in considering the state of man before the fall being laid down, the point first considered is the creation of the body, and the lesson taught by its being formed out of the earth, and made alive, sec. 1. II. The immortality of the human soul is proved by various solid arguments, sec. 2. III. The image of God (the strongest proof of the soul’”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 2: Augustine — City of God, Christian Doctrine — CHAP. 12.--OF THE NATURE OF MAN'S FIRST: SIN. If any one finds a difficulty in understanding why other sins do not alter human nature as it was altered by the transgression of those first human beings, so that on account of it this nature is subject to the great corruption 273 we feel and see, and to death, and is distracted and tossed with so many furious and contending emotions, and is certainly far different from what it was before sin, even though it were then lodged in an animal body,--if, I say, any one is moved by this, he ought”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 2: Augustine — City of God, Christian Doctrine — CHAP. 11.--OF THE FALL OF THE FIRST MAN, IN WHOM NATURE WAS CREATED GOOD, AND CAN BE RESTORED ONLY BY ITS AUTHOR. (part 2): sake of demonstrating how the most righteous foresight of God can make a good use even of them, yet good can exist without evil, as in the true and supreme God Himself, and as in every invisible and visible celestial creature that exists above this murky atmosphere; but evil cannot exist without good, because the natures in which evil exists, in so far as they are natures, are good. And evil is removed, not by rem”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “ANF Vol 4: Tertullian IV, Minucius Felix, Commodian, Origen — CHAP. LXXX.: Those holy Scriptures, moreover, which bear the name of Moses, introduce the first men as hearing divine voices and oracles, and beholding sometimes the angels of God coming to visit them.(2) For it was probable that in the beginning of the world's existence human nature would be assisted to a greater degree (than afterwards), until progress had been made towards the attainment of understanding and the other virtues, and the invention of the arts, and they should thus be able to maintain life of themselves, and no longe”
- Genesis (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on Genesis 9:3: Every moving thing - shall be meat - There is no positive evidence that animal food was ever used before the flood. Noah had the first grant of this kind, and it has been continued to all his posterity ever since. It is not likely that this grant would have been now made if some extraordinary alteration had not taken place in the vegetable world, so as to render its productions less nutritive than they were before; and probably such a change in the constitution of man as to render a grosser and higher diet necessary. We may therefore safely infer that the earth was ”