The concept of afflictions as a result of the Fall is deeply rooted in the narrative of the Bible, beginning with the account of Adam and Eve in the Book of Genesis. The Fall, as described in Genesis 3, marks the moment when sin entered the world through the disobedience of the first humans. This act of rebellion against God's command brought about a fundamental change in the human condition and the natural world, introducing various forms of suffering and affliction.

Genesis 3:16-19 provides the foundational text for understanding the afflictions that followed the Fall. To the woman, God said, "I will greatly multiply your pain in childbirth; in pain you will bring forth children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you." To Adam, He declared, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat, cursed is the ground because of you; through toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it will yield for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your bread, until you return to the ground, because out of it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you shall return."

These verses highlight several key afflictions that are direct consequences of the Fall:

1. Pain in Childbirth: The increase in pain during childbirth is specifically mentioned as a direct result of the Fall. This affliction is emblematic of the broader suffering that entered human experience.

2. Strained Human Relationships: The dynamic between man and woman is altered, introducing a struggle for dominance and a distortion of the harmonious relationship intended by God.

3. Toil and Labor: The ground itself is cursed, leading to a life of labor and toil for humanity. The ease of provision in the Garden of Eden is replaced by the necessity of hard work to produce sustenance.

4. Mortality: The inevitability of death is pronounced, as humans are reminded of their origin from dust and their eventual return to it. This marks a significant shift from the intended eternal life in communion with God.

The afflictions resulting from the Fall extend beyond these immediate consequences. The entire creation is described as being subjected to futility and decay. Romans 8:20-22 states, "For the creation was subjected to futility, not by its own will, but because of the One who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until the present time."

This passage underscores the cosmic scope of the Fall's impact, affecting not only humanity but all of creation. The afflictions experienced in the natural world—natural disasters, disease, and death—are seen as manifestations of this bondage to decay.

Throughout the Scriptures, the theme of affliction is recurrent, often serving as a backdrop for God's redemptive work. The afflictions consequent upon the Fall are not without purpose or hope. They are part of the larger narrative of redemption, where God promises restoration and healing through the work of Jesus Christ. Revelation 21:4 offers a glimpse of this future hope: "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the former things have passed away."

In summary, the afflictions that followed the Fall are integral to the biblical understanding of human suffering. They serve as a reminder of the brokenness introduced by sin and the need for divine intervention and redemption.Genesis 3:16-19
To the woman he said, I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; in sorrow you shall bring forth children; and your desire shall be to your husband, and he shall rule over you.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Similitudes and Examples a Most Important Part of Right ...
... by employing constantly voluntary afflictions as training ... they themselves might not
fall into like ... and exhibits the punishment consequent upon it, alluring ...
/.../clement/the instructor paedagogus/chapter viii similitudes and examples a.htm

Acts III
... benevolent in reference to the afflictions of those ... to climb where we are certain
of a fall. ... Holy Spirit, which were immediately consequent upon repentance and ...
/.../mcgarvey/a commentary on acts of the apostles/acts iii.htm

Letter xxvi. --On Different States of Resignation.
... If God were to send you exterior afflictions that you ... view love every humiliation,
and its consequent abjection, as ... What had they to depend upon then save only ...
/.../abandonment to divine providence/letter xxvi on different states of.htm

A Stanza of Deliverance
... Our past guilt, and the condemnation consequent thereon, have ... alone; for plagues
and deaths fall upon us thick ... Trials and afflictions, which threaten to kill us ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 38 1892/a stanza of deliverance.htm

An Essay on the Scriptural Doctrine of Immortality.
... fall" an elaborate statement of received views respecting "the fall of man ... thirdly,
that pain and death, although, according to law, consequent upon sin, were ...
/.../an essay on the scriptural.htm

Walking with God
... and more especially from practices naturally consequent on such ... there be a greater
honor put upon a creature ... so to sweeten sufferings and afflictions with his ...
/.../whitefield/selected sermons of george whitefield/walking with god.htm

Perseverance of Saints.
... watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the ... certainty, though real, was
dependent upon the warning and threatening, and the consequent fear to ...
/.../finney/systematic theology/lecture l perseverance of saints.htm

Repentance unto Life
... spiritual life, or rather, is the first consequent thereof. ... or did it come upon you
and go away suddenly ... In pains and afflictions I have been praying and trying ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 1 1855/repentance unto life.htm

From the Close of the General Conference of 1832 to the Beginning ...
... should he die in Africa, he replied, Let thousands fall before Africa ... of a
semi-barbarous state, and to the poverty and wretchedness consequent upon their ...
/.../chapter 12 from the close.htm

Appendix ix. List of Old Testament Passages Messianically Applied ...
... to rebellion against the Messiah, and consequent judgment, according to ... that in all
Israel's afflictions they were ... it, so shall darkness fall upon the kingdoms ...
/.../edersheim/the life and times of jesus the messiah/appendix ix list of old.htm

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