An Apologetical Explanation of the

Original State of Human Beings

What was the condition of human beings before the Fall?

God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.”… And it was so. And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. (Gn 1:27-31)

“Because you have [sinned],… I will greatly multiply your pain in child bearing; / in pain you shall bring forth children, / yet your desire shall be for your husband, / and he shall rule over you…. [C]ursed is the ground because of you; / in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life; / thorns and thistles it shall bring forth to you; / and you shall eat the plants of the field. / In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread / till you return to the ground, / for out of it you were taken; / you are dust, / and to dust you shall return.” (Gn 3:14, 16-19)

God created our first parents in an original “state of holiness and justice” (cf. Council of Trent [1546]: DS 1511), a state of perfect harmony in nature free of sin, pain, and death. Man, uniquely created in the very image and likeness of God, lost this original state by using the gift of free will to choose evil over good.

God created man, “the only creature on earth which God willed for itself” (GS 24), in his own image and likeness, endowed with the ability to know and love him and to choose freely between good and evil. As long as Adam and Eve remained close to God through fidelity o his will, they possessed a joyful relationship with God, with each other, and with the rest of creation. “Sacred Scripture teaches that man … is capable of knowing and loving his Creator” (GS 12). This perfect state bestowed on our first parents is called original holiness and justice. (Cf. CCC 355-357, 374-376)

This state enjoyed by Adam and Eve included a number of gifts that were lost due to Original Sin. These preternatural gifts included immunity from sickness, suffering, and death as well as freedom from disordered appetites and passions. Our first parents’ natural inclinations were subject to the control of their minds and wills, and they enjoyed harmony and self-mastery inside their hearts. In the state of original holiness and justice, work was not a burden but rather an easy and rewarding activity. It was clearly God’s intention for man and woman to find pleasure and fulfillment in every aspect of their lives; indeed, “his plan was to raise men to a participation of the divine life” (LG 2). (Cf. CCC 376-378, 384)

The Catechism addresses this question in paragraphs 356 and 375.

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