The Fall and God's injustice

[Jean-Serge]

In a discussion I am having, someone is raising the commentary that God showed injustice in extending the consequences of the fall to Adam's descendants. Indeed, these were not personally responsible from the sin, eating the fruit but suffered the consequences, whithout being the opportunity to sin or not sin in paradise like their parents. Has nay Father addressed this point of "God's injustice" in the Fall, in relation to the sons of Eve and Adam?

[Maria]

In a discussion I am having, someone is raising the commentary that God showed injustice in extending the consequences of the fall to Adam's descendants. Indeed, these were not personally responsible from the sin, eating the fruit but suffered the consequences, whithout being the opportunity to sin or not sin in paradise like their parents. Has nay Father addressed this point of "God's injustice" in the Fall, in relation to the sons of Eve and Adam?

I do not recall the source, but in my catechism class and in the many required readings, including The Orthodox Church by (Met. Kallistos) Timothy Ware, it was stressed that if God did not force Adam and Even out of the Garden of Eden, and if they had eaten of the Tree of Life after partaking of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, then they would have suffered far worse, enduring an eternity of sin. We would have been the walking dead, zoombies, committing all sorts of evil including killing each other without the benefit of death to end our suffering.

In God's great mercy and justice, Adam was sent out of Paradise. By Adam's act of disobedience, he and his descendants became mortal--subject to sin, suffering, and death. In addition, God foresaw that we would fall, and He had a remedy as the beginningless God was Triune: Father, Incarnate Son, and All-Holy Spirit. We were created in God's image, in the image of Jesus Christ, the Incarnate God.

[Dcn.Ephrem]

I do not know what the person you are talking to believes about the Fall, but it seems likely that this person does not understand its consequences. Roman Catholics, for instance, say that the consequence of the Fall was that God simply withdrew his sanctifying grace from mankind.
But according to the Holy Fathers, the essence of the Fall was not in what God took from man. As Maria mentioned, banishment from the Garden was actually a merciful forestalling of human disintegration. Instead, Adam's nature was corrupted because he betrayed His Creator. Sin entered into his nature like a contagion, disfigured it, made it susceptible to death, and filled it with sinful passions. When he had children, this contagion passed to them because they took on the nature of their father. This was not God's injustice, but man's injustice. On the contrary, God gave every possible means for man to find healing for his disfigured nature.

[Jean-Serge]

Thaank you. But the question of this person is more about the children of Adam. They did not personally eat the fruit but nevertheless, they suffer the consequences for something they never did.

[Maria]

Thaank you. But the question of this person is more about the children of Adam. They did not personally eat the fruit but nevertheless, they suffer the consequences for something they never did.

The sin of Adam altered creation because that sin and all sins have a cosmic effect. Did you notice in the Genesis account that Adam immediately blamed anyone but himself? Pride led Adam to desire to know good and evil and to be like God, so he disobeyed God's commandment and ate of the fruit of that special tree. Then pride caused him to blame others. If man cannot be honest with God and with himself, how can he be honest with his sons? The sins I committed as a youth, my own son is now committing. Lord have mercy.

On the other hand, those children born of saintly parents tend to be saintly, yet they still suffer because we live in a fallen world. Look at the Virgin Theotokos' parents, relatives, ancestors. Many are regarded as Orthodox Saints: her parents--St. Joachim and St. Anna, her cousins--St. Elizabeth and St. Zachary, the child born to Elizabeth and Zachary--St. John the Forerunner, and many others, including St King David. Then look at the family of St. Basil the Great. His sister was St. Macrina and his brother was St. Gregory of Nyssa. His parents are also both saints.

[Jean-Serge]

No you do not get the question of this person. He says: why not giving the opportunity to the children that made nothing, to be in the paradise with the possibility to sin or not as their Fathers. They did not have the right to choose but are suffering the consequences of someone they did not do. I would be like punishing the son for the sin of the Father, which is injust. I am particularly looking for patristic commentaries.

[Maria]

No you do not get the question of this person. He says: why not giving the opportunity to the children that made nothing, to be in the paradise with the possibility to sin or not as their Fathers. They did not have the right to choose but are suffering the consequences of someone they did not do. I would be like punishing the son for the sin of the Father, which is injust. I am particularly looking for patristic commentaries.

The sins of the fathers do affect their children. There is generational sin (tendency to anger) and curses (cancer, allergies, physical weaknesses, and mental disorders). See Exodus 20:5, Exodus 34:7, Numbers 14:18, Lamentations 5:7, Psalms 51, Wisdom 1:12f; 2:23f; Sirach 25:24; 58. From the New Testament, there is Rom. 5:12-21, and 1 Cor. 15:21-22. This list is not exhaustive. Even Christ referred to the idea of generational sin when he healed the man born blind.

For example, there is a genetic disorder called Buerger's disease, wherein if a person were to be exposed to tobacco smoke or even to the heavy odor of chlorine in a swimming pool, he could suffer a ruptured aorta and die. Many young Black athletes have died from this disorder after attending a bachelor's party where their friends were smoking. The next day, when playing a game, they collapsed on the basketball court and were pronounced dead. This disorder can affect other races as well as my dad suffered from this but carefully avoided tobacco smoke. His cousin who was to be my dad's best man died just before the wedding because some of his friends had been smoking the night before.