You know the story. You’ve heard the account before. Adam and Eve, Garden of Eden, one rule, serpent, forbidden fruit– BAM. Stuck with sin for all generations.
But that’s not the end of the story. Let’s take a closer look, because there are some important lessons for us here.
We’ll start in Genesis 3: “When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it” (Genesis 3:6, emphasis added).
I’m a big movie buff, and in almost every film and cartoon I’ve seen about this, Eve is always pictured alone with the serpent. Then she goes and finds Adam and gives him the fruit (note to self: don’t get your theology from Hollywood).
The fact is, that’s not how it went down at all.
Where was Adam during the temptation?
Right there next to Eve.
And what did Adam do about it?
Nothing.
Back in Genesis 2, Adam was the one who received the command not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:17), before Eve was even created. And prior to that, in Genesis 1:28 God had said, “Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” Adam knew the consequences of disobedience– “for when you eat from it you will certainly die”– and God had already given him authority to cast that serpent right out of the garden.
But he didn’t.
God has given that same spiritual authority to all Christians, but we have to exercise it. We need to confront evil boldly, not stand by passively as Adam did.
Lesson #1: Passive doesn’t cut it; true faith takes action
But Adam’s passivity wasn’t the only problem. When Eve saw the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, she thought it was:
- good for food
- pleasing to the eye
- desirable for gaining wisdom
That’s what Eve thought– but she was wrong. Food nourishes and strengthens, but sin weakens and destroys. Sin may be attractive on the outside, but as Mama always said, “It’s what’s inside that counts.” A pretty exterior can hide inner corruption.
And as for gaining wisdom, you only need to look at the next verse to see that wasn’t true, either: “Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves” (Genesis 3:7, emphasis added).
Okay, so they saw that they were naked– and the brightest idea they could come up with was fig leaf fashion? Aside from the comfort factor, it never occurred to them that plant-based clothing has a rather short lifespan. Forget wrinkles; think withering.
Lesson #2: Sin has only empty promises
If you’re still not sure about that, take a look at what comes next: “Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden” (Genesis 3:8, emphasis added).
Hiding from an omniscient, all-knowing God? Yeah, that’s a smart move.
And man has been trying to hide from God ever since. We’ve all done it at times. We sin, and we become afraid that God is angry, that God wants to punish us, that God will reject us, that God doesn’t love us.
But those are all lies, sown into our minds by our enemy Satan, the father of lies. He lied to Adam and Eve, and he lies to us as well, because he wants to keep us separated from God.
How do I know they are lies? Check out the next verse: “But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” (Genesis 3:9).
Why did God say that? Didn’t He know where Adam was?
Of course He did. God always knows where we’re at.
When God asks a question, it isn’t because He’s looking for the answer. God asks because He’s looking for a response.
One of the most liberating verses in the Bible is I John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” God asked “Where are you?” because He wanted them to come to Him and confess. That’s all they had to do.
But they didn’t.
Don’t make the same mistake. When you sin, don’t let the lies of the devil push you away from God. Instead, run to God. Confess, and receive His forgiveness and cleansing. Remember, God’s not angry at you; He’s calling you, just as He called Adam and Eve.
Lesson #3: Don’t hide from God; He already knows where you are
Adam and Eve brought sin into the world, but we don’t have to stay in its grasp. There’s forgiveness and freedom in Jesus. Don’t make the same mistake they did. Come to Him, and start living the transformed life.
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Related posts:
“Little Man, Big Transformation Part 1” https://www.livingthetransformedlife.com/little-man-big-transformation-part-1
“Little Man, Big Transformation Part 2” https://www.livingthetransformedlife.com/little-man-big-transformation-part-2
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Me too on Adam being “right there with her,” never got that before and that’s really a
VERY important part of the story! Why didn’t he speak up? Still trying to figure that out!!
I am so blessed by these blogs Tim, many thanks and keep them coming! Nita
Such an amazing post. Thank you for pointing out that Adam was right there. I’ve read the verse before but never realized that fact in that way. God is great!