If the fall of man were to have occurred in our times, it would make a great courtroom drama. The American Civil Liberties Union would immediately file suit—against God and in defense of Eve and her husband (the order of the two is not accidental), Adam. The suit would probably be pressed on the grounds of an illegal eviction. "And after all," we would be told, "this alleged sinful act was performed in the privacy of the garden, and by two consenting adults." The lawyers would emphasize that the crime (if indeed there even was a crime) and the punishment were totally out of proportion. Could God really be serious in what this account claims to report? Because of a mere bite of some ‘forbidden fruit’ the man and woman are evicted and will suffer a lifetime of consequence? And more than this, that due to this one act the whole world and all mankind will continue to suffer the evils about us?

Those who do not take the Bible seriously or literally have little difficulty here. They simply write off the third chapter of Genesis as a myth. To them it is merely a symbolic story which endeavors to account for things as they are. The details of the Fall present no problems for they are not fact, but fiction.

Evangelicals probably have tended to console themselves with the reminder that this was the long ago and far away. Since the Fall occurred so long ago, we do not tend to face the issues that glare at us from this passage.

But several serious questions arise in connection with the account of man’s fall. Why, for example, must Adam assume primary responsibility when Eve is the principle character in the narrative? To put the question in more contemporary terms, why did Adam get the blame when Eve did all the talking?

Furthermore, we must give thought to the severity of the consequences of man’s partaking of the forbidden fruit in the light of what seems to be a rather trifling matter. What was so evil about this sin that brought about such a harsh response from God?

The structure of the first chapters of Genesis demands this description of man’s fall. In Genesis chapters 1 and 2 we read of a perfect creation which received God’s approval as being ‘good’ (1:10,12,18,21). In chapter 4 we find jealousy and murder. In the following chapters mankind goes from bad to worse. What happened? Genesis 3 answers this question.

Thus this chapter is vital because it explains the world and society we live in today. It informs us of Satan's strategies in tempting men. It challenges us to consider whether or not we continue to ‘fall’ as did Adam and his wife.

This is a great chapter! It depicts the entrance of sin into the human race and the severity of the consequences of man’s disobedience, but beyond man’s sinfulness and the penalties it demands, there is the revelation of the grace of God. He seeks out the sinner and provides him with a covering for sin. He promises a Savior through whom this whole tragic event will be turned into triumph and salvation.

Somewhat rudely and without introduction, the serpent suddenly appears in verse one. The serpent is said to be one of God’s creatures, therefore, we must take this creature literally. While it was an actual snake, later revelation informs us that the beast was being used by Satan, who is described as a dragon and serpent (2Corinthians 11:3; Revelation 12:9; 20:2).

While we may wish to know the answers to questions pertaining to the origin of evil, Moses didn't supply them here. The point God wishes to make is that we are sinful. To pursue more distant causes only removes our responsibility for sin as the central focus of our attention.

Satan did not as an athiest or as one who would initially challenge Eve’s faith in God. Satan does sometimes present in antagonistic folks, but more often he prefers to take the form of an "angel of light" (2Corinthians 11:14). Satan often stands behind the pulpit, holding a Bible in his hand. The wording of his inquiry is significant and dripping with innuendo. Moses subtly changed the form of address in reference to God. He'd been using Yahweh Elohim, which means "the Lord God", but when Satan referred to the Lord God, he used only the term God (Yahweh). Satan cannot deny God, but he does reject his Lordship.

Satan’s initial approach was to deceive, not deny; to cause doubts, not disobedience. Satan came to Eve as an inquirer. He deliberately distorted the command of God, but in such a way as to imply, "I may be wrong here, so correct me if I am mistaken."

Eve should have never begun this conversation. It was a complete overturn of God’s chain of authority. That chain was Adam, Eve, creature. Adam and Eve were to express God’s rule over His creation (1:26). Eve would no doubt have rejected a more confrontational approach. Had Satan begun to challenge the rule of God or Eve’s faith in Him, her choice would have been an easy one. Instead Satan erroneously stated God’s command, presenting a question so as to appear that he was misinformed and needed to be corrected. Few of us can avoid the temptation of telling another that they are wrong. Wonder of wonders, Eve began to walk the path of disobedience while supposing that she was defending God to the serpent.

In a very subtle feint, Satan did not mention either the tree of life or the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. His question brought the forbidden tree to the center of Eve’s thinking without any actual mention of it. She brought it up. Satan cleverly took her eyes off the generous provisions of God and caused her to think only of God’s prohibition. Satan does not wish us to ponder the grace of God, but to grudgingly meditate upon His denials.

Adam and Eve lived in a lush garden with only one prohibition. God had been exceedingly generous. Eve should have remembered that; instead, she exaggerated the prohibition, emphasizing God's severity, while ignoring the judgment He had promised.

Presenting himself as a religious seeker who only wanted some questioned answered, Satan succeeded in creating doubts about the goodness of God, thu getting Eve's attention on what was forbidden rather that on what had been freely given. The first attack was subtle, the second was bold and daring. Now Satan boldly denied God's promise and slandered His character: "And the serpent said to the woman, ‘You surely shall not die!’" (Genesis 3:4). God’s words of warning were not to be understood as the promise of certain punishment, but as the mere threats of a self-centered deity.

I'm going to suggest that Satan's dogmatic certainty on this point is what weakened Eve's opposition. Many today are convinced more of the dogmatic tone of a teacher than they are by the doctrinal truthfulness of his teaching. Dogmatism is no assurance of doctrinal accuracy, but we take it that way.

Satan’s fatal blow is recorded in verse 5: "For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil" (Genesis 3:5).

Many have tried to determine precisely what Satan is offering in verse 5. "Your eyes will be opened," Satan assured them. In other words, they were living in a state of incompletion, of inadequacy and once the fruit was eaten, they would enter into a new and higher level of existence: they would become "like God." The assertion seems deliberately elusive and vague, which would stimulate Eve's curiosity. To know ‘good and evil’ may be to know everything. Of course, Eve had no means to grasp the specifics of the offer when she did not know what ‘evil’ was. The mysteriousness of this possibility of knowing more and living on some higher plane surely invites speculation and consideration.

Satan apparently left Eve with her thoughts at this point. His destructive seeds had been planted. While she had not yet eaten the fruit, she had already begun to fall. She entered into a dialogue with Satan and now she entertained blasphemous thoughts about God’s character. She seriously contemplated disobedience. Sin is not instantaneous, but sequential (James 1:13-15), and Eve was well on her way.

Notice that the tree of life is not even mentioned or considered. Eve had two very powerful trees to choose from, but she apparently saw only the forbidden fruit. It alone appeared to be ‘good for food and a delight to the eyes’ (verse 6), and yet in 2:9 we were told that all the trees had these features in common. Eve had eyes only for the forbidden tree that offered some mysterious quality of life which appealed to her.

Satan lied outright in assuring Eve that she would not die, but he simply failed to tell her the fine print in his promise of what the forbidden fruit would offer. Having studied that tree for some time (I imagine), she finally determined that the benefits were too great and the consequences quite unreasonable and therefore unlikely. She snatched the fruit and ate it.

We may shake our head at Eve’s action, but the real wonder is that Adam succumbed to Eve’s invitation to share her disobedience. He doesn't seem to have argued. Why? While I wouldn't bet the farm on this suggestion, I think it's clear that Adam was standing there the whole time:

"When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eye, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate" (Genesis 3:6).

Adam, it seems, was present throughout the entire event, but never opened his mouth. If he were there, listening to every word and assenting by his silence, then it is little wonder that he simply took the fruit and ate it when it was offered by Eve.

If Adam were not present throughout the entire dialogue between the serpent and his wife, It's still easy to conceive of how it may have happened. Eve independently could have eaten the fruit and then hastened to tell her husband of her experience. I imagine that Adam would want to know two things. First, he would want to know if she felt any better—that is, did the fruit have any beneficial effect on her. Secondly, he would want to know it if had any detrimental effect. After all, God had said that they would die that very day. Had she found the fruit pleasurable and as yet sensed no harmful effect, Adam would naturally be inclined to follow his wife’s example. What a tragic error!

Sin has consequences apart from its punishments. God had not yet prescribed any punishment for the sins of Adam and Eve, and yet the consequences were inseparably coupled with the crime. The nakedness which Adam and Eve shared without guilt was now a source of shame. Sweet innocence was lost forever. Remember, there was no man in the garden but the two of them, yet they were ashamed to face each other without clothing, ... and they dreaded facing God. When He came to have sweet fellowship with them, they hid themselves in fear.

God had said that they would die in the day that they ate the forbidden fruit. Some have puzzled over this promise of judgment. While the process of physical death began on that fateful day, they did not die physically on that day. Spiritual death is separation from God: "And these will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power (2Thessalonians 1:9).

Isn’t it amazing that the spiritual death of Adam and Eve occurred immediately—that is, there was now a separation from God. And this separation was not imposed by God; it was initiated by men.

I must digress to say that the spiritual death experienced by Adam and his wife is the same today. It is the alienation of man from God which man himself chooses. As a race, it is our preference. Hell is God’s giving men both what they want and what they deserve (Revelation 16:5-6).

God asked "Where are you?" not because He didn't know where Adam was (omniscient, omnipresent, and all that). He wanted Adam to answer His invitation to dialogue and reconciliation. Adam reluctantly admitted his shame and fear, probably hoping that God would not press him on this issue. God probed more deeply, seeking an admission of wrongdoing: "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?" (verse 11).

Thrusting at least a part of the responsibility back upon the Creator, Adam blurted out, "The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate" (verse 12), implying that both Eve and God must share in the responsibility for the fall. His part was mentioned last and with as little detail as possible, thus establishing the pattern of the guilty for all history. We always find mitigating circumstances (Proverbs 16:2).

God then questioned Eve: "What is this you have done?" (verse 13). Her response was essentially little different than her husband’s: "The serpent deceived me, and I ate" (verse 13). That was the truth, of course. The serpent did deceive her (2Timothy 2:14), and she did eat. The guilt of both, while a feeble effort to excuse or at least diminish human responsibility was made, had been clearly established.

In effective discipline, efore punishment can be meted out, the wrongdoing must be proven and acknowledged, otherwise punishment will not have its corrective effect on the guilty. Having established guilt, God provided the penalities. Verse 14 punished the serpent who allowed Satan to use him as an instrument of deception. He was cursed to himiliation, crawling in the dust. Verse 15 addressed the serpent behind the serpent, Satan. There would be personal animosity between Eve and the serpent. If I were Eve, I wouldn't like the serpent very much either. Moreover, we know that this is the start of the battle of the centuries between the people of God and the followers of Satan (John 8:44).

Finally, there is the personal confrontation between the seed of Eve, the Messiah, and Satan: "He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel" (verse 15). In this confrontation Satan will be mortally wounded while the Messiah will receive a painful, but not fatal wound.

How beautifully this prophecy portrayed the coming Savior, Who will reverse the events of the fall (Romans 5:14-17). While the prophecy of verse 15 is somewhat veiled, it becomes more and more evident in the light of subsequent revelation. It comes as little surprise, then, to learn that the Jews, according to the Targum, regarded this passage as Messianic.

It is only fitting that since Satan attacked mankind through the woman that God would bring about man’s salvation and Satan’s destruction through her. This has already been revealed to Satan in verse 15. Every child born to woman must have troubled Satan. On Eve's behalf, though, while salvation would come through the birth of a child, it would not be a painless process. Woman’s sentence comes at the center of her existence with bearing children. Yet in the midst of her labor pains she could know that God’s purpose for her was being realized, and that, perhaps, the Messiah would be born through her.

In addition to labor pains, the woman’s relationship to her husband was prescribed. Adam should have led and Eve should have followed voluntarily; such was not the case in the fall. Therefore, from this time on women were to be ruled by men: "Yet your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you" (verse 16).

Several things must be said concerning this curse. First of all, it is one which is for all women, not just Eve. Just as all women must share in the pains of childbirth, so they must be subject to the authority of their husbands. This does not in any way imply any inferiority on the part of women. Neither does it justify the restriction of voting rights, withholding equal pay, etc. This verse is no proof for male superiority or for some kind of dictatorship in marriage. Men are to lead by love, through personal sacrifice, seeking what is best for their wives (Ephesians 5:25).

Just as Eve’s punishment related to the center of her life, so did Adam's. He had been placed in the garden, now he would have to earn a living from the ground "by the sweat of his brow" (verses 17-19).

You will notice that while the serpent is cursed, it is only the ground which is cursed here, and not Adam or Eve. God cursed Satan because He does not intend to rehabilitate or redeem him. The purpose of God to save men had already been revealed (verse 15).

Not only would Adam have to battle the ground to earn a living, he would eventually return to dust. Spiritual death had already occurred (verses 7-8). Physical death had begun. Apart from the life which God gives, man will simply (though slowly) return to his original state—dust (2:7). Adam’s response to God’s penalties and promise is revealed in verse 20: "Now the man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all the living."

I believe this act evidenced a simple faith on the part of Adam. He accepted his guilt and punishment, but focused upon the promise of God that through the offspring of woman the Savior would come. Eve’s salvation (and ours as well!) would come through her submission to her husband and through the bearing of children. Adam’s naming the woman, Eve, which means ‘living’ or ‘life’ showed that life would come through Eve.

God is not just a God of penalties, but of gracious provision. Thus, He made garments for Adam and Eve from the skins of animals to cover their nakedness. Perhaps that is a veiled prophecy of redemption through the shedding of blood.

God had one last problem to attend. God had promised salvation would come in time through the birth of Messiah, who would destroy Satan. Adam and Eve might be tempted to gain eternal life through the eating of the fruit of the tree of life. They had chosen knowledge over life. Now fallen man might attempt to gain life through the tree of life in the garden. It would seem that had Adam and Eve eaten of the tree of life they would have lived forever (verse 22). This is the reason God sent them out of the garden and barred their return.

"How cruel and severe," some would be tempted to protest. In today’s legal jargon, it would probably be called ‘cruel and unusual punishment.’ Think about it, though! What would have happened had God not driven this couple from the garden and banned their return? I can answer it in one word—hell. Hell is giving men both what they want and what they deserve (Revelation 16:6) forever. Hell is spending eternity in sin, separate from God (2Thessalonians 1:9). God was merciful and gracious in putting Adam and Eve out of the garden. He kept them from eternal punishment. Their salvation would not come in a moment, but in time, not easily, but through pain—but it would come. They must trust Him to accomplish it.

I cannot help but think of Paul’s words when I read this chapter, "Behold then the kindness and severity of God" (Romans 11:22).

There is sin and judgment, yet in this chapter both are interlaced with grace. God sought out the sinners. He sentenced them as well, but with a promise of salvation to come. Keeping them from hell on earth, He provided them with a covering for the time and full redemption in time. What a Savior!

Remember what I said about looking at Genesis from the perspective of Moses' audience. They had already been delivered out of Egypt and been given the Law, but they had not yet entered into the Promised Land.

In many respects Eden was a type of the promised land and Canaan was the antitype. Canaan, like Paradise, was a place of beauty and plenty, a ‘land of milk and honey’ (Deuteronomy 31:20). Israel would experience blessing and prosperity so long as they were obedient to the Word of God (Deuteronomy 28:1-14). If God’s laws were set aside, they would experience hardship, defeat, poverty, and be cast out of the land (28:15-68). In effect, Canaan was an opportunity for Israel to experience, to a limited degree, the blessings of Eden. Here, as in Eden, God’s people were faced with a decision to make: "See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity" (Deuteronomy 30:15). Genesis 3 was far from mere academic history. It was a word of warning. What happened in Eden would again occur in Canaan (Deuteronomy 31:16). They would be tempted to disobey, just as Adam and Eve were. Serious consideration of this chapter and its implications were essential to Israel’s future.

Genesis 3 is vital to Christians today because it alone explains things as they are. Our world is a blend of both beauty and beastliness, loveliness and ugliness. The beauty which remains is evidence of the goodness and greatness of the God Who created all things (Romans 1:18). The ugliness is the evidence of man’s sinfulness (Romans 8:18-25).

The present state of God’s creation was one of the crucial elements in Darwin’s move from orthodoxy to doubt and denial. He did not behold the orderliness of creation and say to himself, "Oh, this must have occurred by chance." Instead, he looked at the cruelty and ugliness and concluded, "How could a loving, all-powerful God be responsible for this?" The answer, of course, is found in this text in Genesis 3: man’s sin has turned God’s creation inside-out.

The only solution is for God to do something to bring about redemption and restoration. This has been accomplished in Jesus Christ. The penalty for man’s sins have been borne by Him. The consequences for Adam’s sins need not destroy us. The choice which confronts us is this: Do we wish to be united with the first Adam or the last? In the first Adam we are constituted sinners and are subject to physical and spiritual death. In the last we become new creatures, with eternal life (physical and spiritual). God has not placed two trees before us, but two men: Adam and Christ. We must decide with whom we will identify. In one of these two our eternal future rests.