The Fall of Man

The Fall of Man is the event in which the first human beings disobeyed God's commandment, lost the grace of original holiness, and plunged humanity into the condition of sin, suffering, and death from which only Christ could rescue it (CCC 388, 390).

What Happened

God placed Adam and Eve in paradise, commanding them not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The serpent tempted them with the suggestion that by disobeying they could "be like God." They chose to trust the serpent over God (CCC 396–398).

The Heart of the Sin

The Fall was fundamentally a sin of pride and distrust — the refusal to accept the creature's place before God, the preference for autonomy over dependence on God's goodness. This is the template for every subsequent sin (CCC 397–398).

The Consequences

The consequences were universal: loss of sanctifying grace; darkening of intellect; weakening of will; concupiscence; suffering; death; and the wounding of all human relationships (CCC 399–409).

The First Gospel

Even in pronouncing the consequences, God gave the first promise of redemption — the proto-evangelium of Genesis 3:15: the woman's offspring would crush the serpent's head. The Church sees this as the first announcement of the Messiah and of Mary (CCC 410–411).