Bible Study Week 1
Part 3
The Power of Choice
Sin Breaks Communion with God
Adam and Eve - Innocence
The second chapter of Genesis restates the creation of man and woman and gives more specific details. This chapter also reveals that God planted a garden eastward of Eden, where he placed the man, Adam. The garden was a beautiful place, growing every tree that was pleasant to the sight and good for food. Into this paradise God put Adam, with instructions for him to dress and keep the garden.
The Forbidden Tree
The Lord had other commandments for Adam as well. He was not left to his own will; one thing was forbidden him. God said, "Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die" (Genesis 2:16-17). Another unusual tree found in the garden was the Tree of Life (Genesis 2:9). It was permissible for man to eat of that tree, but he was not to eat of the tree that would give him the knowledge of good and evil. He was in a state of innocence; eating of the tree would awaken his conscience.
Eve Given to Adam
The Lord had created Adam before Eve, and He noted that it was not good for man to be alone. God said, "I will make him an help meet for him" (Genesis 2:18). The words help meet are translated from one Hebrew word that means aid. The Lord caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and He took one of Adam's ribs, from which He made a woman. God brought the woman to Adam, and he said, "This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man" (Genesis 2:23). In their innocence, both Adam and Eve were unashamed, though naked.
Humankind Given Free Will
Some have wondered why God placed the forbidden tree in the Garden. Would not it have been better if God had never given Adam and Eve the opportunity to do wrong?
This question overlooks Gods purpose in creating man. God did not create a puppet or a robot. He created a being with the power of choice, ow with a free will. God's promises are to whosoever will (Revelation 22:17). Would it be possible for God to have joyful fellowship with a being who had no choice in the matter, who in essence was forced into that relationship?
One of the major differences between humankind and the animal kingdom is the power of choice: to do good or evil. From the first, God has set before man the ability to choose to right and live, or choose to do wrong and die.
Two brothers were born into a family long ago, John Calvin was studious, thoughtful, and respectful. At the age of twenty-seven, he wrote one of the most influential books in Christendom, The Institutes of the Christian Religion. The other brother, Charles, led a life in the gutters of immorality. What explains the difference between the two? Not heredity, environment, or education, for they grew up in the same home with the same influences and opportunities. The difference is explained in the power of choice.
The Fall
Chapter three of Genesis outlines the terrible mistake that Adam and Eve made and its tragic consequences.
Eve Visits the Forbidden Tree
Evidently, one of the first mistakes that Eve made was to visit the site of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Since she knew that it was a forbidden tree, she should have avoided it altogether. She should have stayed away from it. Romans 13:14 commands, "Make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof." A similar admonition is found in Ephesians 4:27. "Neither give place to the devil." Many hurtful temptations could be avoided if people stayed away from sinful environments and compromising situations. Nevertheless, Eve-as have multitudes since then-made the fatal error of knowingly and willingly making provision for temptation.
Satan Pays a Visit Also
Satan, who is very subtle, was waiting for the right opportunity to inject his deceitful influence into the tranquil setting of the Garden of Eden. He knew tht he had only one possible course of action, and that involved the forbidden tree. It is important to notice the first words that Satan said to Eve. "Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?" (Genesis 3:1). Satan's first method of attack is always to question God's Words. In a very sly and crafty way, without actually denying God's Word, he tempts humankind to question the Word of God.
Satan's Wrong Interpretation
Next, let us observe the difference in God's perspective and the devils viewpoint by comparing word for word what each said.
God said: "Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it" (Genesis 2:16-17)
Satan asked if God said: "Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden" (Genesis 3:1)
This change may seem to be just a matter of semantics, or a play on words. But when we are talking about the Word of God, every single word is crucial, the phrasing is critical, and the perspective important. This truth cannot be overemphasized!
Now let us compare these statements again. God was speaking from a positive viewpoint; He told Adam that he could freely eat of every tree in the Garden except one. The serpents viewpoint focused on the fact that they could not eat of every tree. By so doing, Satan was attempting to make Eve feel deprived rather than blessed! He wanted her to think about that little bit she could not have rather than all that she could have! Time and time again Satan used this technique.
We must always watch for this tactic. Satan will quote something that sounds so much like the Word of God and is so close to what God actually said that he will fool those who do not know the Word themselves. Moreover, it is important to note that Satan actually questioned whether God had really given such a command or not.
>>> What are the results when we or others contradict Gods Word?
God's Word is reliable. Attempts to contradict or undermine its authority do not change the Bible, but sadly it does cause people to miss out on the blessing scripture provides (hope, direction, peace, wisdom, and so on).
Eves Lack of Knowledge of God's Word
The next tragic step in this scenario is that Eve did not really know what God had said. Eves statement sounds very close to what God said, but God forbids us to add or take away from what He has said.
Eve added to what God had said: "And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die" (Genesis 3:2-3)
Once again, let us compare this statement with what God actually said: "Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it; for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die" (Genesis 2:16-17)
God did not say, "Neither shall ye touch it." Again, at first glance, this addition may not seem important. But we are not dealing with the word of people, we are handling the Word of God! And while it may seem that Eve strengthened Gods commandment by adding a condition that He did not mention, we must realize that we cannot strengthen God's Word. If we add our own conditions, we go beyond the Word of God.
By thus misquoting what the Lord had said, Eve revealed to the serpent a major flaw in her ability to resist temptation.
A careful study of the temptation of Jesus in Mathew 4 will further clarify this point. The only way to resist the temptations of Satan effectively is to respond to his efforts with the Word of God, the pure Word of God. As he did with Jesus, Satan will attempt to enhance his temptation with his version of Gods Word. He misquoted and misapplied a verse from Psalm 91. Being the Word made flesh, Jesus caught him in his error and was not trapped. Satan is still in the business today of tripping up the unwary, those who do not know for themselves what God actually said.
If Jesus were not too great to be tempted of Satan, neither are we. And we cannot vote the devil out of existence. If he is not around, someone is certainly doing his work! A young man once asked and older man, "I suppose you no longer believe in the devil?"
"I certainly do believe in the devil," the older man responded. "If I didn't, I would have to believe I was my own devil."
Satan Attacks God's Motives
Thew next step in the temptation of Eve was an attack on God's motives. Having discovered that she did not really know what God said, Satan now directly contradicted God's Word: "Ye shall not surely die; for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil" (Genesis 3:4-5).
In short, Satan caused Eve to think that God prohibited her and Adam from eating the tree because he wanted to keep something good from them! This is another standard tool in the devils kit. He tries to convince people that it would be to their advantage to do those things forbidden by God and that God actually does not want the best for them but wants them in ignorance and bondage.
Adams Disobedience
Eve took the next unhappy step down the road to spiritual death: she began to follow her physical desire instead of the Word of God. She saw that the tree was good for food (sight and taste) and that it was a tree to be desired to make on wise (an appeal to her pride). She ate the fruit, she gave some to Adam and he ate also. What makes all this even more tragic is that, while Eve was deceived, Adam was not. He knew exactly what he was doing (I Timothy 2:14).
In exploring Gods Word, we discover the following facts about the fall of man. "By one man (Adam) Sin entered into the world" (Romans 5:12). "Death [came] by sin; and so death passed upon all men" (Romans 5:12). "Death reigned from Adam to Moses" (Romans 5:14). "By one mans [Adams] offence death reigned" (Romans 5:17).
"Therefore as by the offence of one [Adam] judgment came upon all men to condemnation" (Romans 5:18). "For as by one mans [Adam's] disobedience many were made sinners" (Romans 5:19).
After Adam and Eve ate the fruit, their eyes were opened, they knew the were naked, and they tried to cover up their shame by sewing fig leaves together and making aprons. Clearly, their conscience was awakened. The age of innocence was over.
God Comes Walking in the Garden
God Looks for Adam and Eve
Then Adam and Eve heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the Garden in the cool of the day, and in their shame and remorse they hid from His presence among the trees of the garden. Sin had broken their free relationship with God.
The Lord Called, "Where art thou?" (Genesis 3:9). Adam responded, "I heard thy voice in the garden and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself" (Genesis 3:10). God asked, "Who told thee that thou was naked?" Hast thou eaten of the tree whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?" (Genesis 3:11)
Adam and Eve Blame Someone Else
At this juncture, another development occurred that is typical of all humankind from that time to this: Adam blamed his sin on someone else. He answered God, "The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat" (Genesis 3:12). The fallen nature of humankind does not want to take responsibility for sin. This is why repentance is such a major step, and the reason it is absolutely necessary.
The same tendency is seen in Eve. God asked her, "What is this that thou has done?" She said the serpent beguiled me, and I did eat"(Genesis 3:13).