Sin Also Reached Nature

Sin Also Reached Nature

Did sin affect nature? If so, how has sin altered the nature? To answer this question two passages come to mind. One is found in Genesis 3 (verses 17, 18, 22, and 23). The other is by Sister White from Patriarchs and Prophets (Pages 59 and 60.) Let us read from Genesis 3 first,

Genesis 3: 17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
Genesis 3:18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;
Genesis 3:22 And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:
Genesis 3:23 Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.

Before the fall, man was fed from a garden planted by God Himself. Now man had to work to eat in an environment that is hostile toward him. While in the garden all things were subdued to him, now he must tame it. As the man worked the field, the ground responded with thorns and thistles. According to the author of the lesson, ‘Prior to the Fall, only beautiful or useful plants were found upon the earth. God "never made a thorn, a thistle, or a tare. These are Satan's work, the result of degeneration." Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 6, p. 186.’
While Adam lived in the garden he could eat of any tree including the tree of life (excluding, of course, the tree of knowledge of good and evil). Now he could eat the fruit of any tree, except the tree of life - God guarded this tree from Adam. Now, instead of the tree of life man is to eat the herb of the field (Genesis 3: 18).

Now let us turn to Sister White in Patriarchs and Prophets,

“Under the curse of sin all nature was to witness to man of the character and results of rebellion against God. When God made man He made him rule over the earth and all living creatures. So long as Adam remained loyal to Heaven, all nature was in subjection to him. But when he rebelled against the divine law, the inferior creatures were in rebellion against his rule. Thus the Lord, in His great mercy, would show men the sacredness of His law, and lead them, by their own experience, to see the danger of setting it aside, even in the slightest degree” (Patriarchs and Prophets 59-60).

We have often seen paintings depicting Christ with children and no longer wild beasts grazing with them and sometimes with what in this world would be their prey. What a contrast. Now man must protect himself from the beasts that once were friendly toward him.

But, nature still had one more lesson for Adam and Eve. In deed, they were not ready for what would happen next. Sister White says that, “As they witnessed in drooping flower and falling leaf the first signs of decay, Adam and his companion mourned more deeply than men now mourn over their dead. The death of the frail, delicate flowers was indeed a cause of sorrow; but when the goodly trees cast off their leaves, the scene brought vividly to mind the stern fact that death is the portion of every living thing” (Patriarchs and Prophets 62).

No wonder Paul says in Romans 8: 22, "We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time." Sin affected nature also, and is apparently crying out for an end to the problem. Nature cannot do anything about it, but we can. We can accept the salvation that is ours in Christ by grace through faith. In Christ we can look forward to the day when we live forever willingly submitted to Christ, and nature will never die and be submitted and friendly toward us.