Introduction
Adam disobeyed God but he was not forever cast away. God continued to show His love unto Him by reconciling him unto Himself. This love of God for man supersedes that for His Angels because when His angels sinned, they were not forgiven (Jud 1: 6). This reckless love of God for man is further discussed in this piece of writing.
The Origin of Sin
The scripture below does not directly account for how the devil fell but it is symbolic of him. In reference to the King of Babylon, it is written:
“How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High” (Isa 14:12-14)
The devil was cast down from heaven because of his pride and rebelliousness. He wanted to be like God and occupy His throne. A throne that is exclusively and unreservedly meant to be occupied by God in Heaven. It was this same pride and the desire to be like God that caused the fall of Adam (Gen 3:3-4) and the king of Tyre (Eze 28:15-18).
The Sin and Adam
Many a time, we hastily accuse Adam over the sin which we could equally have done. Sin was in the world before Adam committed one because Lucifer had already fallen.
Again, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was already present in the garden before the creation of Adam. The name of the tree suggests that evil was already in the world before Adam did evil. It is said:
“And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, 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” (Gen 2:16-17).
This means that before Adam was put in the Garden of Eden, sin was present with him. Also, death was in the world before the fall of Adam because God told them that if they eat of the forbidden tree, they shall surely die (Gen 3:3-4). The truth is that death did not yet have the power to get a hold on them until they sinned.
Thus, “You shall surely die” is an indication that death had already been introduced into the world (Gen 3:17, 2:4) by virtue of the sin of the devil. The `death` here is the separation of man from God, the physical death was also implied.
Moreover, the instruction from God, “though shall not eat” means that they had the inherent desire to lust after it (sin) or to eat from the tree. The tree was standing right before their eyes but they were dead to it until the devil went to them.
Defeated by Lust
Adam and his wife knew of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. They had seen its fruits but were never enticed to eat from it until the devil aroused their lust. One thing the enemy did to make them fall was to entice them with lust. Lust was dormant in Adam but it was activated by the enemy. The devil made the fruit to be good to look at and appeared good for food (Gen 3: 3-6) so they ate it. Adam and his wife could not control their lust. As James write:
“Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death (Jas 1:13-15).
Adam and Eve were drawn away by their own lust and were deceived. Their lust was activated to uncontrollable levels until they sinned, and then death took dominion over them and their descendants.
All human beings are born with innocence but not without lust. It is the environment (i.e. the desire to have all, TV programs, songs we listen to, things we look at, social interactions, and others) that activates and elevates our lust to dangerous or unacceptable heights. Even the biological consequences in our lives are as a result of long term interactions with the physical environment by a member or some members in our family lines.
Adam and his wife were not different from us in their dealings with the command of God. They sinned because they could not control the lust of their eyes and their flesh but God still loved them. He offered a propitiatory sacrifice to cover their shame and to redeem and restore them to their original relationship with Him (Gen 3: 21)
Conclusion
Adam and Eve sinned because they were driven away and enticed by their lust for the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The enemy knew that he could make them fall by arousing their lust and sustaining it to abnormal levels. We must, therefore, endeavor to control our lust before it brings shame on us.
Prayer: Dear Lord, help us to control our lust. In the name of Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen!