Sin - The Fall

Today we are going to look at Adam and Eve and their first sin, which will be refer to as The Fall, and it that affects us. The text is found in Genesis 3.

The Attractiveness of Sin
In Genesis 3 God had just finished creating everything and Adam and Eve were created and everything was good. Then came this serpent which I will suppose is the devil (2 Cor. 11:3,14, Rev. 12:9). It approached Eve and spoke with her to deceive her. Eve then respond to the serpent and answers his question. This would eventually lead to The Fall. What does this mean for us? Don't negotiate or even dialogue with the devil, He is more crafty than we are and we are weaker than we think. "Resist the devil and he will flee from you" (James 4:7).
Secondly, the serpent calls God a liar, "you will not surely die"(v.4). Furthermore, he tells Eve that God is withholding something good from them (v. 5). What we must know is that God's word is always true and it is final, do not even entertain the thought that God's word may be wrong. Moreover, God never withhold something good from us, never. He is the giver of every good gifts (James 1:17).
Thirdly, the woman saw the fruit was good for food, pleasing to the eye, and desirable for gaining wisdom (v.6), this caused her to take the fruit. This is similar to what John says in 1 Jn. 2:16 "For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world." When we are tempted we struggle with our flesh, we struggle with our eyes, and we struggle with our pride. When Adam and Eve took the fruit they succumbed to all three.

Where is Adam?
it is interesting to note that the serpent spoke with Eve not Adam although he was with her (v. 6). The serpent was so rebellious to God that he purposefully approach Eve rather than Adam, for God created the woman to be a helper to man. Note that man is not greater than woman because they are both made in the image of God (Gen 1:27) and one image of God cannot be greater than another image of God. However, God did appoint Adam to be in charge. God addresses Adam first after The Fall (v.9). The man is the first one to be held accountable. What is sad in this passage is that Adam did nothing to stop Eve from taking the fruit. This is very common in today's culture that the men are apathetic and does nothing. We men are just like our father Adam, we sin by omission. It is plain, in church men should take the lead (not that women shouldn't be leaders eg. Lydia), in marriage men should be the head. It is not a matter of equality, it is a matter of God's appointment, to do otherwise is rebellion, the devil approached Eve and flipped God's chain of power upside down.

Personal Effects of Sin
Sin separates. It separates one from another. Adam and Eve made coverings for their nakedness. They were made one flesh (Gen 2:24) yet because of sin they separated themselves. Before sin Eve address her and Adam as "we", after sin Adam addresses himself as "I". Sin separates one from God. They hid themselves from God and they no longer has unhindered communion with God and finally God removed them from the garden.
Sin brings shame. They were not ashamed (Gen 2:25) but once sin entered they were ashamed of their nakedness. Sin causes fear. Adam was afraid when God called him. Sin dulls the mind. Adam and Eve became stupider after sin. They thought they can hide from God, Adam thought he can blame God for his sin (v.12), how stupid. Sin not only separates but causes animosity. Adam blames God and the woman. Eve blames the serpent, but there is no one to blame all were punished.

Effects of The Fall
1. Because of The Fall, sin and death entered the world (Rm 5:12).
2. Because of The Fall, all men are totally corrupted by sin and are condemned (Rm 5:19, see Rm 5:12-21) We will look at the total corruption of man next blog.
3. Because of The Fall, man needs a saviour (v. 15). God pronounced the first gospel message in which He promised that the Seed of Eve will crush the head of the serpent, Satan. It is important to note that it is the Seed of Eve and not the seed of Adam. Jesus was born as the Son of God through the womb of Mary. Jesus was not the son of a man, thus not a seed of Adam, but of Eve. This just shows the sovereignty and omniscience of God!
4. Because of The Fall, the world became painful (v. 16-17). The woman now have to endure birth pains and the man has to toil.
5. Because of The Fall, the whole earth was cursed (v17-19).

The effects of the sin incurred at The Fall is extensive and pervasive. The Fall is the only reasonable answer to questions like "Why is there evil in this world", "Why does natural disasters and pestilence happen?", "Why are there stillborn and deformed babies?" etc. etc. They are all the results of sin's corruption which entered the world through The Fall.

The Grace of God
As we close this brief study on The Fall it is important to notice the grace of God and the provision of God to Adam and Eve. In response to man's rebellion, God cursed the devil and promised a saviour (v.15), He provided clothing for them (V.21), and He kept them from living in sin forever (v.22). God is wonderful, even when we are rebellious against Him (Rm 5:8-10). He still gives us Jesus, our savior and only hope. Even when we are sinners, He provides for us the breath that we take, the food that we eat, the clothes that we have. Lastly, even when we are defiled in our sins, He still desire to be with us, to clothe us with the righteousness of Christ and spend eternity with us. From Genesis to Revelations, God had pursued mankind and still pursues us today through the finished work of the cross.

In light of The Fall and its effects (pain, sickness, injustice, disasters and the full array of the corruptive work of sin) let us be reminded of the abundance grace and providence of God.