The Fall in Us All

The Fall story of our original parents is lived out over and over
in each of us.
Not all new possibilities are temptations; but all temptations
are new possibilities.
Often our sin is not considered immorally evil but looks to us
like a greater good.
Covering-up is the natural response to shame, guilt, and
knowledge of wrongdoing.
When our desires rule us, we bend modesty until God turns us over
to ourselves, and modesty in the form of restraint
disappears.
There’s tension between the desire to be loved and the desire for
self-sufficiency. We pretend weaknesses do not exist and try to
earn through performance.
We are united in our vulnerability and exposure before God;
self-sufficiency is inherently individualistic and begets
isolating from others.
Although guilt cannot be denied, it’s often minimized by
projecting it on someone else. Blame-shifting, like shame, can be
observed from early childhood on.
Recognizing our participation in Adam’s sin ultimately opens us
to grace, especially if we believe that God comes specifically
for the sick (Mk 2:17).
Being in Christ is the only way that we can ever be free of sin,
He took our sin upon Himself.