Historically when Adam & Eve were in the Garden of Eve as husband & wife, they both ate fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good & evil, even though God had commanded them not to eat of it. God commanded this for their protection, since if they ate eat it, they would die, as they eventually did. To disobey God & sin was Adam & Eve’s own choice, and was contrary to the good image of God’s character already in them. The fall was not predetermined to happen, even though God planned for the contingency of this choice, and knew what they would do shortly before they did it. In the sovereignty of God, God set boundaries & limits on what Adam & Eve could do. Adam & Eve were not slaves to sin at the beginning. God made Adam & Eve good and made a very good world. It was their choice whether to obey or disobey God, so they had to bear the responsibility of their choice.
Genesis 3:1-7 (ESV): 3 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made.He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” 4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 So 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 to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.
As Adam was married to Eve, what does God expect from husbands?
Husbands are expected to love their wives in ways that sanctify & protect them bodily & spiritually in Christ.
Ephesians 5:25-31 (ESV): 25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. 28 In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, 30 because we are members of his body.
How does Adam‘s participation contrast to what is expected of husbands?
Adam was with his wife Eve, who was tempted to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good & evil. Adam also knew God informed them that eating of the tree of the knowledge of good & evil would lead to death, so Adam knew the serpent was endangering his wive Eve. Yet Adam did not “Stand Up” to correct Eve who was endangering herself physically & spiritually.
1 Timothy 2:13-14 (ESV): 13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve; 14 and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.
Did Adam sin also by eating from the tree of the knowledge of good & evil?
Yes, Adam did sin.
Romans 5:12-13 (ESV): 12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— 13 for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law.
Was it God’s fault Adam & Eve sinned? Was God guilty?
The first thing that Adam did was blame God for providing Eve to Adam as the cause of the sin. This is the very same Eve that Adam longed for when naming the many creatures God created. This is the very same Eve that Adam called “flesh of my flesh”, that Adam happily received from God as awesome.
Genesis 3:8-13 (ESV): 8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” 11 He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” 12 The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” 13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
God was not guilty of deliberately disobedient choices Adam & Eve made. God made them good, enabled them to pick what is right, taught them good, showed them good, cared for them well, and cautioned them too.
Who did God punish?
God knew what had happened, and so punished the serpent first, since the serpent cleverly, yet unwisely, initiated the temptation that lead to the fall.
Genesis 3:14 (ESV): 14 The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life.
Why did Adam sin and eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good & evil too?
Adam loved & obeyed his wife more than he loved & obeyed God, and God’s command. This misguided love & obedience contributed to Adam’s sinning against God. In loving his wife more than God, Adam effectively loved his wife less than if Adam had loved God first and foremost, and loved his wife second. Why? Because if Adam loved God first, and his wife second, then Adam would have intervened in Eve’s decision to disobey God’s command & would have protected Eve his wife and their family together. Adam eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good & evil was not noble in any way.
Genesis 3:17-19 (ESV): 17 And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; 18 thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. 19 By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
Ever since then, people have been dysfunctionally loving family, friends, possessions, and worldly ways more than God.
How could God help future husbands & wives to avoid the same dysfunctional love relationship of Adam & Eve?
God made it crystal clear that the husband was the head of the household, which means the husband is absolutely responsible to protect the life of his wife physically & spiritually in Christ. Previously Adam had blamed Eve for his poor decision to eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good & evil and to not stand up to his wife nor for his wife. No longer could husbands use that same excuse. God laid that responsibility squarely on the husbands.
Genesis 3:16 (ESV): 16 To the woman he said, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.”
Was God going to help Adam & Eve and all humankind in this fallen state?
God foretold sending his own son Jesus Christ generations later. Jesus Christ would have the victory, confronting the hypocrisy of Adam & Eve’s descendants.
Genesis 3:15 (ESV): 15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
Why was Adam’s wife called Eve?
Genesis 3:20 (ESV): 20 The man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.
Why did God put clothes on Adam & Eve?
One reason in context is that earlier Adam and Eve indicated their discomfort without clothes.
Genesis 3:21 (ESV): 21 And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.
Genesis 3:9-11 (ESV): 9 But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” 11 He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?”
In providing clothes for Adam & Eve, did God sacrifice an animal to forgive the sins of Adam & Eve at this time, as later done with the Jewish sacrificial system?
The Jewish sacrificial system was to remind people of the severity of their sins. It was to remind people that the wages of sins is death. The sacrifices of animals never took away sins. Only God the Father takes away sins through the sacrifice on the cross of the Son of God, who is Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 10:1-4 (ESV): 10 For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near. 2 Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sins? 3 But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. 4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
Why did God cast Adam & Eve out of the Garden of Eden?
If Adam & Eve lived forever in their current condition, they would be marred forever by sin. Adam & Eve would also be tempted to eat of the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden. Knowing they already ate from one tree that God commanded them not to eat, now it would be irresponsible to allow them to remain in a situation too harmful to their soul’s eternally. To spare them this risk of eating from the Tree of Life and remaining in a sinful condition forever, God kicked out Adam & Eve from the Garden of Eden.
Genesis 3:22-24 (ESV): 22 Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—” 23 therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. 24 He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.
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