How sin, death and destruction entered the world.

One teaching that is important to Christianity is that all people have sinned and fallen short of God's standards.¹

God created Adam (the first man)² and Eve (the first woman). Both husband and wife were naked but they felt no shame.³ God told Adam that he was allowed to eat from any tree except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, because when you eat from it you will die.⁴

Adam and Eve already knew good, because all that God had created was good.⁵

There was a snake, it came to Eve and tricked her into believing that she would not die if she ate the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil. Eve ate the fruit, gave some to Adam and he ate it also. When they ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil Adam and Eve realised they were naked and made themselves clothes from fig leaves.⁶ At this time they died spiritually⁷ and were in need of a saviour to put them back in a right relationship with God. Until this time there is no record of death, disease or destruction in the Bible.

That evening God came strolling in the garden. Adam and Eve heard him coming, and hid themselves. God called out to Adam: “Where are you?” Adam replied that he was hiding. God asked who told him that he was naked and whether he had eaten the forbidden fruit. Adam said the woman God had made had given him the fruit (this is the first recorded instance of passing the buck), Eve blamed the snake and the snake didn't have a leg to stand on.⁸

God cursed the snake and put enmity between it and the woman. He also said that the woman's offspring would crush the snake's head and the snake would wound His heal (this is the first prediction of Jesus' death on the cross). He said to Eve that her trouble in pregnancy and child birth would be increased but that she would still desire her husband and that he would rule over her. To Adam He said that the ground would be cursed and that he would have to work hard for it to produce enough food for him. You were formed from the soil and you will return to the soil. God made clothes from animal skins for Adam and Eve then sent them out of the Garden to prevent them eating the fruit of the tree of life and living forever.⁹

I have referred to several English translations of the Bible in writing this which is made easy by e-sword, a free downloadable program. For further information I recommend reading the Bible.

© Ken Glasgow 2009 last edited 9 May 2021

This page was written using Open Office, open source software from the www.openoffice.org this software is available to download for free.

1Romans 3:23

2Genesis 2:7-8

3Genesis 2:21-25

4Genesis 2:16-17

5Genesis 1:12, 18, 21 31

6Genesis 3:1-7

7Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible & John Wesley's Explanatory Notes

8Genesis 3:8-13

9Genesis-3:14-24