Adam-Eve

The Many Overlooked Lessons in Adam and Eve’s Original Sin

All around us today we see a world filled with the allure of pleasure, indulgence, instant gratification, and self-love. Even church pulpits blare the world’s message that everything is about me, about what I want, about what I can get! It’s about materialism and claiming it is spiritual for God to give you a new house, a new car, or even a new you if you just believe!

The message of the world is about becoming a god unto yourself, worshipping yourself, and about self-indulgence–, hedonism is today’s way. What we see all around us is the same temptation that the serpent presented to Eve. It is the age old quandary of who will you serve? Will you serve yourself or will you deny yourself and serve the living God?

Now the serpent was more cunning than any animal of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God really said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’” The serpent said to the woman, “You certainly will not die! For God knows that on the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will become like God, knowing good and evil.” When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took some of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves waist coverings. Genesis 3:1-8

This passage is one of the best known, but most overlooked passages in modern Christianity. There are so many critical lessons about Christianity. Eve’s temptation was to “become like God…” and her justification to disobey God was the fruit was “good for food” and “a delight to the eyes” and “the tree was desirable to make one wise…” Her justification for disobeying God’s instruction was all about self-indulgence and what she wanted! Her “justification” was all based in our earthly, human logic! The Bible warns about this idea that somehow, we know better than God when it says, “professing themselves to be wise, they became fools…” Romans 1:22

The serpent’s temptation was to ignore what God had said, and to decide for oneself, to become wise in one’s own eyes. As Proverbs 3:7 teaches “Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and turn away from evil.” The original temptation, leading to the original sin of disobedience, was to focus on self. Eve’s very temptation was you will “be like God…” The temptation is an appeal to arrogance and pride to be equal to God Almighty, or, as we see all around us, to be a self-centered god unto oneself.

Until Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they did not even know sin! They had no knowledge of good or evil. There was no moral decision to make except to obey God. As the Bible says in James 4:17 “one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, for him it is sin.” Until they had this knowledge, gained through disobedience, they did not know sin. Through Adam and Eve’s original sin, we are all born into sin and need a savior, because “the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23.

Eve was Deceived, but Adam Rebelled

When the issue of the original sin is discussed, it is almost universally in the context of Eve being deceived. The Bible is clear “it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression. But women will be preserved through the bearing of children if they continue in faith and love and sanctity with self-restraint.” 1 Timothy 2:14-15. Likewise, as the Apostle Paul said to the Corinthian Church “I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 11:3. But, what about Adam? Does he get by without blame? Of course not! Adam’s sin is called out as well:

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— for until the Law sin was in the world, but sin is not counted against anyone when there is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the violation committed by Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. Romans 5:12-14; “For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous.” Romans 5:19 (see the context by reading the entire Chapter).

However, there are key things frequently overlooked when the original sin is discussed:

  • The Apostle Paul’s message to the Corinthians (2 Corinthians 11:3) was not just to the women, but to the whole Corinthian Church who might be deceived and misled. The message was to men and women alike. If we use history as a guide, the leaders of the Church would have been men, who would also be the ones receiving Paul’s letter. Every one of us can be deceived and misled.
  • Reading the passage about the original sin carefully, we see that Eve “also gave some to her husband with her, and he ate.” That is disturbing because Adam was right there with Eve, as she was deceived. He appears to have witnessed the whole event and then willingly participated in the sin without trying to stop her.
  • Through “the one man’s disobedience” we are all subject to the sin and its consequences. Where Eve was deceived, Adam’s disobedience to God’s authority and instruction, makes his action deliberate.

Conclusion

Adam and Eve both sinned. If we accept scripture, Eve was deceived, and there is a Biblical admonishment that women, by extension, may be more susceptible to deception. However, as Paul’s warning to the Corinthians notes (2 Corinthians 11:3), it is not only women who are deceived but anyone can be deceived just as Eve was. Now we come to Adam. The Bible is clear he was not deceived but disobeyed. This is a serious issue because it indicates Adam’s sin was plain rebellion. If we are to read the New Testament passages in their proper context, Adam appears to be the one held primarily responsible for the sin because he was not deceived. Because of the original sins of both Adam and Eve we are all in need of salvation through Jesus Christ who is the only human in history who has ever avoided sin.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes on him should not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:16