4.6 The Primary Characteristics of the Fallen Nature
Eve inherited from the Archangel all the proclivities incidental to
his transgression against God when he bound her in blood ties through
their sexual relationship. Adam in turn acquired the same inclinations
when Eve, assuming the role of the Archangel, bound him in blood ties
through their sexual relationship. These proclivities have become the
root cause of the fallen inclinations in all people. They are the
primary characteristics of our
fallen nature.
The fundamental motivation which engendered these primary
characteristics of the fallen nature lay in the envy the Archangel felt
toward Adam, the beloved of God. How can there be anything such as envy
and jealousy in an archangel, whom God created for a good purpose? The
Archangel was endowed with desire and intellect as a part of his
original nature. Because the Archangel possessed an intellect, he could
compare and discern that God's love for human beings was greater than
the love God gave to him. Because he also possessed desires, he had a
natural yearning for God to love him more. This desire of the heart was
naturally conducive to envy and jealousy. Envy is an inevitable
byproduct of the original nature, like the shadow cast by an object in
the light.
After human beings reach perfection, however, they will never be
induced to fall because of incidental envy. They will know deep inside
that the temporary gratification they might feel by attaining the object
of their desire is not worth the agony of self-destruction that would
ensue. Hence, they would never commit such crimes.
A world that has fulfilled the purpose of creation is a society built
upon organic inter-relationships much like the structure of the human
body. Recognizing that the downfall of an individual would cause the
whole to perish, society will keep its individual members from such
self-destruction. In this ideal world, the envious desires that arise
incidentally from the original nature will be channeled into spurring
the progress of humanity. They will never cause people to fall.
The primary characteristics of the fallen nature can be divided
broadly into four types. The first is failing to take God's standpoint. A
principal cause of the Archangel's fall was his failure to love Adam
with the same heart and perspective as God; instead he felt jealous of
Adam. This led him to tempt Eve. An example of this characteristic of
the fallen nature is when a courtier feels jealous of the king's
favorite instead of sincerely respecting him as one whom the king loves.
The second is leaving one's proper position. Seeking more of God's
love, Lucifer desired to enjoy the same position of love in the human
world as he had in the angelic world. This unrighteous desire caused him
to leave his position and fall. People are induced by unrighteous
desires to step beyond the bounds of what is right and overreach
themselves because of this primary characteristic of the fallen nature.
The third is reversing dominion. The angel, who was supposed to come
under the dominion of human beings, instead dominated Eve. Then Eve, who
was supposed to come under the dominion of Adam, dominated him instead.
This disruption of the proper order has borne bitter fruit. Human
society is thrown out of order by people who leave their proper position
and then reverse the order of dominion. These repeated occurrences are
rooted in this primary characteristic of the fallen nature.
The fourth is multiplying the criminal act. After her fall, had Eve
not repeated her sin by seducing Adam, Adam would have remained whole.
The restoration of Eve alone would have been relatively easy. However,
Eve spread her sin to others by inducing Adam to fall. The proclivity of
evil people to entangle others in an expanding web of crime stems from
this primary characteristic of the fallen nature.
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