The Fall of Man and Original Sin
As taught in the Pentecostal / Charismatic tradition
Understanding how humanity's rebellion led to spiritual death and the need for redemption.
In the Pentecostal tradition, the doctrine of the Fall of Man and Original Sin is not merely a dry historical footnote or a philosophical abstraction; it is the essential "diagnostic" that explains the human condition and necessitates the "Full Gospel" of Jesus Christ. The question this subtopic answers is fundamental: Why is the world broken, and why do we find ourselves fundamentally incapable of achieving righteousness by our own effort? To the Pentecostal believer, the Fall explains the universal need for a transformative encounter with the Holy Spirit. Without a robust understanding of the depth of human depravity, the heights of Pentecostal restoration—including salvation, sanctification, and the baptism in the Holy Spirit—lose their urgency and their power.
By the end of this lesson
- **Identify** the specific narrative elements of the Fall in Genesis 3 that contribute to the Pentecostal understanding of human rebellion.
- **Distinguish** between "actual sin" (individual acts) and "original sin" (the inherited nature of depravity).
- **Explain** the concept of "spiritual death" and how it manifests in the unregenerate person according to Ephesians 2.
- **Articulate** the relationship between Adam's "federal headship" and the universal condemnation of humanity as described in Romans 5.
- **Trace** the historical development of the doctrine of the Fall from the early church councils through the Wesleyan-Holiness tradition into modern Pentecostalism.
- **Defend** the necessity of the New Birth and the Holy Spirit’s empowerment as the only viable response to the condition of total depravity.
- **Apply** the doctrine of the Fall to personal prayer and evangelism, fostering a posture of total dependency on God’s grace.
- **Compare** the Pentecostal view of Original Sin with Pelagian and semi-Pelagian views, highlighting why the latter are rejected as insufficient for the "Full Gospel."
Scripture
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