When you think of “the fall” you might think of autumn, the season of brightly colored leaves, pumpkin spice lattes, and cooler weather. Or “the fall” might bring back to mind that nasty tumble you took when you tripped over a child’s toy, stumbled in the driveway, or attempted to roller skate resulting in a broken arm. “The fall” can represent a significant change either in the weather or in limiting one’s physical abilities.

In the Bible, “the Fall” refers to original sin. It was that moment Adam and Eve had total disregard of and disobedience toward God and God’s commands. It was that moment when the tempter said, “Did God really say…” (Genesis 3:1 NLT). That question preceded “the Fall.” Adam and Eve’s answer, demonstrated by their actions, led to “the Fall.”

The result of “the Fall” is that it opened the human heart to all kinds of evil and selfish thoughts. Those evil and selfish thoughts have influenced humankind ever since that moment. A significant change took place that day.

When God created everything prior to “the Fall,” He pronounced it as “good” and even “very good” (Genesis 1). How can something God pronounced as “very good” get so “very bad?” It is a matter of a genetic heart condition. Sin’s negative effect on our heart has been passed down from our ancestors. Ever since “the Fall,” we have all battled sin and the temptation to sin throughout our entire lives.

Jeremiah 17:9 reads, “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?” That is a direct result of “the Fall.” So, when people tell you to “follow your heart,” they are telling you to follow something that is deceitful and desperately wicked. That is not good advice!

Proverbs 23:7 tells us that “as a man thinks in his heart, so he is.” Our attitudes, our behaviors, our actions are all a result of the condition of our heart.

Matthew 15:19 reads, “For out of the heart come evil thoughts – murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander” (NIV). These are just a few of the results of “the Fall” on the human heart.

What is the answer to the results of “the Fall?”

The answer is found in the prayer of David in Psalm 51:10, “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me” (KJV). When we sincerely pray that prayer, God will give us an undivided heart and a new spirit. He will take away our “stony,” stubborn heart and give us a tender, responsive heart (Ezekiel 11:19). A tender, responsive heart will lead us to repentance, and repentance will lead us to a right relationship with God.

Then Romans 10:10 will be fulfilled in our lives: “For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved” (NLT).

The human heart – God created it. Humankind corrupted it. Christ cleansed it. Your heart can be cleansed today. Your life can be changed for the good. Your journey can begin anew. Allow God to change your heart this fall.

Rev. James R. Pentz, Presbyter, North Central Section, Penn/Del Ministry Network