The Fall of Man — The Spiritual Man

Chapter Three: The Fall of Man

The man whom God created is vastly different from the other kinds of beings God made. Man possesses a spirit like the angels, and a soul like that of (lower) animals. When God created man, He gave him full freedom—not as a mechanical being to be controlled at will. As we see in Genesis chapter 2, when God instructed man about the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and the tree of life, we observe that the man He created was not a dead mechanism subject to divine manipulation, but rather a being with complete free will. If he wished to obey God, he could; if he chose to rebel, he could. He had full autonomy. Both obedience and rebellion were within his own authority, dependent on his own decisions. This is the most crucial point. In our spiritual walk, we must understand that God does not override our freedom. Unless we take the initiative, God does not act in our place. Whether it is God or the devil, neither can work without the consent or rejection of our will—because man’s will is free.

Originally, the spirit was the highest part of man’s being, with the soul and body subject to it. In a proper order, the spirit is like the mistress of a household, the soul like the steward, and the body like a servant. The mistress gives instructions to the steward, who then assigns tasks to the servants. The commands originate from the mistress in secret, and the servants receive orders from the steward. Outwardly, the steward seems to be the master of all, but the true master is the mistress. Sadly, man has fallen, failed, and sinned—thus the original order of spirit, soul, and body has been disrupted and overturned.

God gave man the power of autonomy. The soul of man received many gifts from God. Among them, the mind and the will—or the intellect and volition—are the most critical parts. God's original intention was that man’s soul would receive and digest the life of the spirit, along with its truth and substance. These gifts were given so that man could know God and understand His will. If man’s spirit and soul had remained whole, healthy, and vibrant as they were created to be, his body would have endured forever, unchanging. If man had used the will of his soul to obtain the fruit of life, then God’s own life would have entered his spirit, saturated his soul, transformed his inner being entirely, and even transfigured his body, making him incapable of death and corruption—thus granting him eternal life. In this way, the soul would be fully filled with the life of the spirit, and the whole person would become spiritual. On the contrary, if the order between spirit and soul is inverted, and the inner man is darkened, then the body—capable of dying—will not last long, and everything of the body will soon decay and perish.

We know that the soul stood between the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Yet man did not choose the tree of life, but rather the tree of knowledge. In Genesis 2:17, God forbade Adam to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, declaring that on the day he ate of it, he would surely die. Yet in the prior verse, God permitted him to eat freely from every other tree. We see that in this chapter, God specifically mentions the tree of life before mentioning the tree of knowledge. He allows the fruit of every tree except the tree of knowledge. But is it not God’s purpose that Adam eat from the tree of life? Who can say otherwise?

The fruit of the knowledge of good and evil uplifts the soul and subjects the spirit. Knowledge of good and evil, in this world, is the work of the soul. God forbade man to eat this fruit not to test him, but because He knew that man had both spiritual and soulish life. Eating this fruit would awaken the soulish life and cause the spiritual life to die—that is, to lose the knowledge of God and become dead to Him. This was an act of divine love. Knowledge of good and evil, in this world, is wholly evil. Knowledge arises from the intellect, the part of the soul. Eating of the tree of knowledge inevitably stimulates the soul’s life, causing it to rise. As the soulish life is elevated, the spiritual life correspondingly declines, losing the knowledge of God—becoming like death.

Most of God's servants understand that the tree of life represents the life God gives to man through His Son, the Lord Jesus—eternal life, God's own uncreated life. Thus, the two trees represent two sources: one that stimulates the spiritual life, and the other that stirs the soulish life. Man, though innocent, was not yet holy or righteous. He stood in a neutral state, capable of receiving God's life to become spiritual and partake of God's nature; or, he could awaken his own created (soulish) life and become soulish, thereby rendering his spirit dead. Within man’s tripartite nature, God had perfectly balanced the spirit, soul, and body. If one part develops excessively, the others inevitably suffer loss.

Understanding the origin of the soul and its governing principle greatly benefits our spiritual life. The spirit comes directly from God, as a divine gift (cf. Numbers 16:22). The soul, however, does not come in the same direct manner. It arises when the spirit enters the body. Thus, the soul is related to created things. It is a created life—a natural life within the created realm. If the soul always remains in its proper place as steward, with the spirit as mistress, it is most useful. For man can use his volition to receive God’s life and thus be united with Him. But if the soulish life is awakened, it suppresses the spirit, confining all of man’s actions within the limits of created natural life, unable to unite with God’s transcendent life. Because man ate from the tree of knowledge, his soulish life was awakened, and he fell into the realm of death.

Satan's temptation began with a question. He knew that once the question was raised, Eve would begin to reason with her mind. Had Eve remained under the dominion of her spirit, she would have rejected the question outright. But in answering, she had to use her reasoning, thereby causing her soul to overstep the spirit’s control. Moreover, Satan’s question was deliberately flawed. He wanted Eve to correct his error, thus further engaging her intellect. Eve not only added to and subtracted from God’s word in her reply, but also entered into dialogue with him. So the enemy tempted her further, suggesting that if she ate, her eyes would be opened and she would be like God, knowing good and evil. “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise…” (Gen 3:6). This was Eve’s judgment. First Satan stirred her mind; now he targeted her will—thus leading her into sin.

The enemy's strategy began with a bodily need. He first spoke of eating fruit—a purely physical matter—then advanced to stir her soul with the idea that eating would open her eyes and grant knowledge. This pursuit of knowledge seemed legitimate. The result, however, was rebellion of her spirit against God, concluding that God's prohibition was due to selfish motives. Satan’s temptation proceeded from body to soul, and finally to spirit.

After being tempted, Eve’s decision rested on three points:

“The fruit was good for food”—the lust of the flesh; her body was first moved.

“A delight to the eyes”—the lust of the eyes; both body and soul were captivated.

“Desirable to make one wise”—the pride of life; her emotions and will were stirred.

Now her soul was active beyond control. No longer passive, she had affection for the fruit. Emotion is a dangerous master.

Why did she desire it? Not only because of bodily lusts or curiosity, but because the fruit could make her wise. The soul’s activity often appears in the pursuit of knowledge—even “spiritual” knowledge—apart from waiting on God or relying on the Holy Spirit’s guidance. Attempting to increase knowledge through intellect and books is a function of the soul. The end result is harm to spiritual life. Since humanity’s fall began through seeking knowledge, God used the foolishness of the cross to “destroy the wisdom of the wise.” (1 Cor 1:18–25). Reason was the cause of the fall, so salvation must come through faith in the “foolish” message of the cross—so man will not trust in his intellect. The tree of knowledge caused the fall; God used the “foolish wood” (1 Pet 2:24) to save. Thus, “if any man thinks he is wise, let him become a fool that he may become wise, for the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God.” (1 Cor 3:18–19).

As we carefully examine the account of temptation and fall, we see how Adam and Eve’s rebellion developed their soul life at the expense of the spirit. The most critical parts of the soul are the mind, the will, and the emotion. The will is the master and decision-maker; the mind is the faculty of thought; the emotions govern love and affections. The apostle tells us, “It was not Adam who was deceived,” indicating that his mind was not confused. It was Eve whose intellect was weak—she was deceived and fell into sin (1 Tim 2:14). In Genesis, the woman says, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” Adam says, “The woman gave me the fruit, and I ate”—not that he was deceived. Adam’s mind remained clear; he knew the fruit was forbidden, yet he ate it. This was due to emotion. Adam knew that all the serpent said was deception. From the apostle’s words, we know Adam sinned willfully—not through deception like Eve. He loved Eve more than himself. In making her an idol, loving her excessively, he betrayed the Creator’s command. How pitiful it is that his heart overruled his head; reason was conquered by emotion. Why do people “not believe the truth”? Because they “delight in unrighteousness” (2 Thess 2:12). The issue is not lack of reason, but a heart that refuses to love the truth. That’s why true conversion is when “one believes in the heart (not mind) unto righteousness.” (Rom 10:10)

Satan gained Adam’s will through his emotions, and deceived Eve’s will by confusing her mind. Once man’s will, mind, and emotion—poisoned by the serpent—joined Satan in rebellion against God, the spirit that connected man to God suffered a fatal blow. This reveals Satan’s pattern: through the body (eating fruit), he tempts the soul; once the soul sins, the spirit is darkened and fallen. His work is always from the outside in. If not beginning with the body, he starts with the mind or emotions, aiming for the will. Once the will yields, he controls the whole person, bringing the spirit to death. His method remains unchanged. God’s work is from the inside out—beginning with the spirit, illuminating the mind, stirring the emotions, leading the will to direct the body in doing God’s will. All of Satan’s works are from the outside in; all of God’s works are from the inside out. This helps us discern what is from God and what is from Satan. It also shows that once Satan captures the will, he can rule the whole person.

We must pay careful attention: the soul is the seat of personality and the expression of free will. It is the master of man. Thus, Scripture often speaks of the soul as the sinner. Micah 6:7 speaks of “the sin of my soul”; Ezekiel 18:4, 20 declares “the soul who sins shall die.” Leviticus and Numbers repeatedly speak of the soul sinning. This is because sin originates in the soul's decisions. Sin is defined as “the will consenting to temptation,” so it is a matter of the soul. Therefore, atonement is also for the soul. “They shall give a ransom for their souls to the Lord” (Exod 30:15); “it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul” (Lev 17:11); “to make atonement for our souls” (Num 31:50). Because the soul sins, it is the soul that needs atonement. And only the soul can be atoned for (Lev 17:11). “Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush Him and cause Him to suffer. And though the Lord makes His soul an offering for sin… He shall see the travail of His soul and be satisfied… He poured out His soul unto death… He bore the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors.” (Isa 53:10–12)

If we study the nature of Adam’s sin, we see that beyond disobedience, there was also independence. We must always remember the matter of free will. The tree of life represents dependence—since man had not yet received God's life, eating of this tree would result in eternal life. This shows that man, though capable of attaining the highest life, had not yet reached it; he needed God’s life to become complete. This is dependence. The tree of knowledge symbolizes independence—man sought knowledge that God had not given, and used his will to obtain things outside of God. This is disobedience manifesting as independence. True spirituality is total dependence on God and satisfaction with what He gives. Soulishness seeks freedom from God, pursuing what He has not granted—especially knowledge. Independence is a hallmark of the soul. No matter how good a thing is—even worship—if it is not based on full dependence on God, but has any element of self-reliance, it comes from the soul. In one’s being, the tree of life cannot thrive beside the tree of knowledge. Such rebellion, such independence, is the root of all sin—whether in sinners or saints.