The Origin of Sin and Death in the Bible
Who sinned first—Adam or Cain?
Primeval Murder. The Bible recounts that Cain murdered his brother Abel. Gustave Doré’s illustration shows the moment after this deed has been committed. In antiquity, some believed that this was the first sin in the Bible—and how sin and death entered the world. The Wisdom of Solomon is one text that expresses this view.
What is the origin of sin and death in the Bible? Who was the first sinner?
To answer the latter question, today people would probably debate whether Adam or Eve sinned first, but in antiquity, it was a different argument altogether. They debated whether Adam or Cain committed the first sin.
John Byron of Ashland Theological Seminary explores ancient interpretations of the origin of sin and death in the Bible in his Biblical Views column “Who Sinned First—Adam or Cain?” published in the July/August 2017 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review.
So, Who Sinned First in the Bible?
According to the Book of Genesis, Adam and Eve were the first humans. Cain was their first son, and Abel their second. The majority of Biblical interpreters—throughout the ages—have considered Adam and Eve’s disobedient act of eating the forbidden fruit (Genesis 3:6) as the first sin in the Bible—the moment sin and death entered the world. However, in antiquity, some believed that Cain’s murder of his brother Abel (Genesis 4:8) was the first sin; certainly, this was the first human death in the Bible. The apocryphal Wisdom of Solomon is one text that expresses this view.
Original Sin? This scene by Adolf Hult depicts Adam, Eve and the serpent in the Garden of Eden. Most would consider Adam and Eve’s disobedient act of eating the forbidden fruit as the first sin in the Bible—the moment sin and death came into the world.
The Wisdom of Solomon credits Cain’s unrighteousness as ushering in death—and the Biblical flood:
“Wisdom protected the first-formed father [Adam] of the world, when he alone had been created; she delivered him from his transgression and gave him strength to rule all things. But when an unrighteous man [Cain] departed from her [Wisdom] in his anger, he perished because in rage he killed his brother [Abel]. When the earth was flooded because of him, Wisdom again saved it, steering the righteous man [Noah] by a paltry piece of wood.” (Wisdom of Solomon 10:1–4)
John Byron explains that in the Wisdom of Solomon’s interpretation of Genesis, “neither mortality nor bad consequences resulted from Adam’s sin. Rather, Wisdom saved Adam, and his sin is glossed over.” It is Cain who rejects Wisdom, sins and ushers in death.
To learn more about the ancient interpretation of Cain as the first sinner in the Bible, read John Byron’s Biblical Views column “Who Sinned First—Adam or Cain?” in the July/August 2017 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review.
BAS Library Members: Read the full Biblical Views column “Who Sinned First—Adam or Cain?” by John Byron in the July/August 2017 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review.
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A version of this post first appeared in Bible History Daily in July, 2017
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Interesting how Adam preferred Abel’s offering of meat, (with Abel been the cattle farmer) over Cain’s offering of crops. Do we see a Law of Karma taking affect here with his feelings of envy and with the killing of his brother?
Well I am going to have to stick with the Apostle Pauls version of who was responsible for sin and death entering the world. Romans 5:12-19
God gave mankind the first commandment in the garden of Eden he said “of the tree of the knowledge of both good and evil THOU SHALT NOT EAT of it, for in the day that thou eat thereof THOU SHALT SURELY DIE.
Notice this was the first commandment God gave to mankind it was the Law of Sin and Death given to mankind right at the start the very first Thou Shalt Not in the bible and the consequence of not obeying that law was DEATH (the law of sin and death)
OK in Romans 5:12 Paul says the blame squarely with Adam for sin and death entering the world. Wherefore just as by “one man” sin entered into the world and death by sin; and death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.
When you read this its obvious who responsible for sin and death entering the world. But the last part of that verse “and death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned”. Has been interpreted as meaning that death passed to all men because of their personal sins? But that is not what Paul is saying at all because right after that Paul says :(for until the law “came” sin was in the world but sin is not imputed where there is no law.
When Adam sinned he broke Gods commandment that had been given to him personally from God, apart from Eve nobody else broke that specific commandment. And the law of God had not yet been given to men and so where their is no law sin is not imputed (charged against people) if sin is not charged against people it is not their sin causing their deaths. It was Adams sin that caused their deaths. How? When Adam and Eve sowed into their bodies that which was forbidden they became corrupted with forbidden knowledge and as a result of that corruption God banned them from the only source of eternal life that existed on the Earth the tree of Life having been banned from the tree of life it would that they would eventually die. But when Adam and Eve were cut off from the tree of life which caused their death so were the rest of mankind cut off from it also and they therefore would also die. Cain and Able had no access to the tree of life so they would die to, and so it is with the rest of mankind they to were cut off from the tree of life and so die.
Adam was the seed carrier of all mankind but Adam has been corrupted with the knowledge of both good and evil something that God told him not to do, now everything reproduces after its own kind having its seed within itself, Adams seed is corrupted and so everything he reproduces will be corrupted also and so only rightly they will also have no access to the tree of life which would have enabled them to live forever. So we see again why in Romans 5:12 Paul lays the blame for sin and death entering the world at the feet of Adam, Eve was not the seed carrier so she is not held responsible for sin and death entering the world as she has no seed with which to propagate it further.
Reading the rest of Romas 5:12-19 we see that the one man Adam is held responsible for all the ills that have befallen mankind because of his disobedient behaviour, but God has then put everything right through another one man his own Son. The second Adam as he is often called.
Romans 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: 13, (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. 14, Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, (before the law was given) even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, (had not broken a commandment of God) who is the figure of him that was to come. (Jesus Christ) 15, But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one “Adam” many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. (Notice here it is Adams offence that has caused the death of many not theirs) 16, And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgement was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. Again notice the judgement was by one “Adam” to condemnation, what was the condemnation? it was death by what Adam did. 17, For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) Again notice that its the one mans offence Adams that has caused death to be reigning over everyone else. But much more those who receive an abundance of grace and the “gift of righteousness” shall reign in life “eternal life” by one Christ Jesus. This next verse 18 couldn’t be anymore clearer, “Therefore as by the offence of one “Adam” judgement came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life”. Its was Adams one offence of breaking God command that caused judgement to come upon “all men” and in the same way the righteousness of one man Jesus Christ has caused the free gift of justification “righteousness” to come upon all men that entitles them to eternal life “if they receive him as their saviour” from their corrupt sinful condition. than Gods righteousness is imputed to then is charged to their account. Why does God do this for mankind? 19, For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. God does this because it was the offence of one man Adam eating from the forbidden tree that caused all mankind to be corrupted with a sinful nature he made the many to be sinners by his disobedience even so by the obedience of another man Jesus Christ shall many be made righteous (by placing their faith in him) For he died to free us from the law of sin and death and his death covered Adams offence and all ours in Adam. 1 Corinthians 15:22 As in Adam all die (that’s us we were all in Adam) even so in Christ shall be made alive. The Judgement upon men is that they were in Adam when Adam sinned and were corrupted with a sin nature and were sinners from birth and so sin. God could not allow any of us access to the tree of life in that fallen corrupt state as we would have lived in that fallen corrupt state forever. As will those who are not born again as Jesus said was required to even see the kingdom of God. A mas sinful corrupted spirit must be born again regenerated by the Holy Spirit of God we must be born again by incorruptible seed the second time. When our spirit man is regenerated born again by the spirit of God our spirit man is sealed by the Holy Spirit that was promised us. We are vacuum packed and all the goodness is sealed in. Our flesh is not born gain “the flesh profits nothing” it is the spirit that is quickened “made alive”. That which is born of the flesh is flesh but that whih is born of the Spirit is spirit. Grace and Peace in Jesus name Alan any comments are welcome.
Lies! That is the teaching of a cult! That is not at all what the bible teaches! Adam and Eve did not curse mankind with mortality because they were already created MORTAL!
After they ate of the forbidden fruit, they were cursed with sorrow and hard-labor – not with death! [Genesis 3:16-20]
God prevented them from BECOMING IMMORTAL by immediately banishing them from the Garden and blocking them from eating of the Tree of Life! [Genesis 3:22-24]
And Cain could not curse the generations before the flood! There’s not collective punishment! A man cannot die for the sins of another, neither will innocence be used to punish the wicked! [Deuteronomy 24:16, Ezekiel 18, Jeremiah 31:29].
If you teach and believe what is not in the bible then YOU ARE IN A CULT.
If you consider the whole of Christianity a cult, you may be right. However to us, it sounds like you are the one who is holding a cult belief.
Who said that a man cannot die for the sins of another? Jesus did, and He was fully man AND fully God.