#46 Cosmic Sin: Why Aliens Don’t Exist
When Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, it brought about cosmic consequences that affected all of creation. Paul writes in Romans, “For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.” (Romans 8:20-22). From this passage, we recognize that the whole world and, in fact, the entire universe has fallen. This may be seen as an explanation for why there are natural disasters and account for much of the suffering in the world.
The Fall and Its Cosmic Consequences
The Bible provides further insight into the pervasive impact of sin. In Genesis 3:17-19, God pronounces a curse on the ground because of Adam’s sin, indicating that the physical world is directly affected by human disobedience, “Then to Adam He said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat from it’; Cursed is the ground because of you; With hard labor you shall eat from it All the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; Yet you shall eat the plants of the field; By the sweat of your face You shall eat bread, Until you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return.” This curse extends beyond humanity to the whole creation, aligning with Paul's description in Romans. Getting into some detail on this, the entire universe fell into sin when Eve ate of the fruit. Adam became a sinner before he ever took a bite from the fruit. The reason is that sin is fundamentally about relationships. We sin against God when we harm that relationship. Anyone who does not know God is a sinner because of the lack of relationship. Furthermore, we sin against each other in the same way. When Eve ate of the fruit, it threw her relationship with God into disarray, as well as her relationship with Adam. Then for Adam, he sinned by not protecting her from this mistake and again by eating the fruit himself. The earth was then thrown into disarray as it couldn’t relate to both God and man correctly.
Relational Nature of Sin
The relational impact of sin is further illustrated in Isaiah 24:4-6, which states, “The earth dries up and crumbles away, the mainland dries out and crumbles away, the exalted of the people of the earth dwindle. The earth is also defiled by its inhabitants, for they violated laws, altered statutes, and broke the everlasting covenant. Therefore, a curse devours the earth, and those who live on it suffer for their guilt. Therefore, the inhabitants of the earth decrease in number, and few people are left.” This passage underscores the idea that human sin leads to a profound disruption in the created order, reinforcing the cosmic scope of the fall.
Aliens and Cosmic Sin
Now let’s talk about aliens. They don’t exist because of cosmic sin. If the whole earth has fallen, then the whole universe has fallen as well. If there were aliens, then when Adam and Eve sinned, that whole species would have become sinners as well. This perspective is supported by the fact that the Bible consistently presents humanity as the focal point of God's creation and redemptive plan. For instance, in Romans 5:12, Paul writes, “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all mankind, because all sinned” This passage indicates that sin and its consequences are universally applicable because of one man's disobedience. Furthermore, Colossians 1:16-17 emphasizes the centrality of Christ in creation, “for by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, or dominions, or rulers, or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” If there were intelligent life elsewhere in the universe, it would imply a separate redemptive plan for those beings, which is not hinted at in Scripture. This theological framework suggests that the absence of any biblical reference to extraterrestrial redemption supports the idea that humanity is unique in the universe.
Conclusion
Perhaps I am wrong, but it would seem unjust for a whole other planet to love and serve God and all of a sudden find themselves in a fallen universe due to human sin. This is just a theological guess, but in my opinion, this negates the possibility that aliens exist. Given the universal impact of the fall, as described in the Bible, it seems reasonable to conclude that extraterrestrial life does not exist. The whole creation is awaiting redemption through Christ, as indicated in Romans 8:21, “that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God..” Therefore, the cosmic consequences of sin provide a compelling explanation for why we are likely alone in the universe.
