The Fall of Man
Genesis 3
It was another beautiful day in the garden and Eve was enjoying the splendid creations of God. As the serpent approached Eve in the garden she expressed no concern. However, on this day the serpent did not come alone. He had become a dreadful and deadly instrument in the hands of Satan, a wise and subtle enemy of God. Satan knew he could not dethrone God. Motivated by pride, Satan defied God and determined to destroy the crown of God’s creation, man. It is through the serpent that the first recorded temptation to turn mankind against God is introduced, as recorded in the third chapter of the Book of Genesis. Satan continues to work through other people and other things in his attempt to destroy us.
The first temptation focused on creating doubt within the minds of Adam and Eve concerning God’s Word. God had instructed Adam he could eat the fruit of every tree in the garden, except of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The Lord informed Adam of the severe consequence of disobedience—death. Very subtly, the dialogue between Eve and the serpent turned into the misrepresentation of what God had said. Eve began to doubt what God had said and to doubt the consequence of disobedience. Very quickly, Satan, through the serpent, moved Eve from doubt to lust. Lustful looks toward the forbidden fruit began. According to James 1:14-16 unchecked lust turns into sin which ends in death!
Satan’s temptation of man is the same today as always. The devil infiltrates our minds in an attempt to create doubt and then utilizes the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life. “And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food,
and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat”,
Genesis 3:6.
The result of Adam and Eve’s sin of disobedience was devastating. Immediately, they both experienced spiritual death. John Phillips in his book Exploring Genesis, offers this good insight: “Before the Fall, Adam and Eve were probably clothed with light, because God covers Himself with light as with a garment (Psalm 104:2) and because the Lord Jesus, in His transfiguration, was similarly arrayed (Mark 9:2-3). The moment they sinned, Adam and Eve saw the light go out.” Adam and Eve’s intimacy with God was destroyed.
As the father and mother of the human race, Adam and Eve plunged all of mankind into sin, Romans 5:12. Their relationship with God was severed. Adam, Eve, and the serpent incurred the curse of their sinful disobedience toward God. Sin caused shame, separation from God, fear, the beginning of the blame game, the loss of their home, spiritual death, and the introduction of physical death. However, sin also caused God’s grace to abound!
God’s love motivated Him to provide the way of redemption for all of mankind. God Himself proclaimed the first gospel message when He made Adam and Eve coats of skin. God had declared the price of sin to be death and without the shedding of blood there would be no forgiveness, Leviticus 17:11; Romans 5:8-10. The way back to God was through the blood! God prophesied of the coming of the Messiah through the seed of the woman. The Messiah, Jesus Christ, would come to destroy the work of Satan and fulfill the requirements for the redemption of mankind. The only way to the Father is through Jesus Christ; His shed blood, His death, His burial, and His resurrection.
Thank You Father, for Your Amazing and undeserved Grace! Help every recipient live as children of the light, Ephesians 5:8.
Learning to serve,
Robert Finley
