The First Sin

The First Sin

You would think that after a hundred thousand years or so of human history, we would have this whole living in a civilization thing pretty well in hand. And in some respects, we do seem to be doing a pretty good job. Thanks to advances in medicine, our life expectancy has never been higher. Because of advances in science, we know more about our world and the universe than ever before. And thanks to the Internet, the whole world has been brought so close together that you can talk to someone on the other side of the planet almost like they live right next door.

People look at advances like that and say we’re living in a golden age of human existence. But if you look a little deeper — even if you just look around — it’s hard to argue that things aren’t just as broken as they’ve ever been. Sure, we’re living longer. But problems like drug use and depression have never been worse. We’re adding more years to our lives, but no meaning. And science can tell us all about our world, but it can’t tell us how we should think about our world. We know a lot about live, but not how to live it well. And the Internet might have brought us all closer, but more as enemies than neighbors.

The world celebrated this past Christmas and New Year’s in the shadow of a war between two peoples that’s been fought in some way for thousands of years. People are growing poorer. There’s more hate, more fighting, more fracturing of nations — including our own — than ever before. Whether it’s the environment or politics, we make more messes than we ever clean up. And all of this teaches us something that’s every biblical but also very hard to accept — times change, but people never do.

It’s almost like no matter how far humanity progresses in the things we can know and do, we’re still doomed to act like children. We can’t help it. It’s almost like there’s something fundamentally wrong with us, isn’t it? Like something deep inside of every single person is broken. It’s even like we’re almost … sort of … cursed.

Modern society will hear something like that and say that’s not the case at all. People aren’t cursed, they’re just ignorant. We can have the perfect society we all want. We just need more education. We need a better and fairer distribution of resources, including money. We need more culture, more refinement. We need to let go of the past and embrace the future. But that’s not true at all. That won’t work. And we know that won’t work because that’s been tried. Do you know what country enjoyed the highest levels of education and culture and progress in the world during the early part of the last century? Germany, right before Hitler took power.

Our faith, the Christian faith, says there really is something like a curse that infects every single one of us. And by the way, that includes us. It’s Christians too. Someone sent me a bit of an article this week about how many pastors are complaining now that their churches don’t like hearing the Sermon on the Mount, because all that stuff about mercy and forgiveness are just liberal talking points. I’m serious. And when those pastors answer that it’s not talking points, they’re literally quoting Jesus, their churches say, “That stuff doesn’t work anymore. It’s weak.” And we wonder who Jesus is talking about when he says that at the last judgment, he’s going to be telling a lot of people who said they knew him that he didn’t know them at all.

We all have an open wound deep in our hearts, and there’s nothing we can do about it at all. Things like education and the rule of law and democracy are good, they’re worth fighting for, but they’re also like Band-Aids to keep that wound from bleeding everywhere instead of medicine to heal that wound once and for all.

Our problem is an ancient one, stretching back to the beginning of the world, and that’s what we’re going to talk about today. Turn with me to the book of Genesis, chapter 3. We’re going to read verses 1-13:

1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made.

He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?”

2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden,

3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ”

4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die.

5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.

7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.

8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.

9 But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”

10 And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.”

11 He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?”

12 The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.”

13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

And this is God’s word.

Here’s the start of all our problems, right here in these few verses near the beginning of the Bible, and all because a snake got in the garden.

When God created the universe and our world, everything was perfect. After every day of creation, God calls everything “good.” And then after his greatest creations, Adam and Eve, God calls everything “very good.” There’s just something about Adam and Eve that made them the cherry on the top of all creation, the thing that turned “good” into “very good,” and that was the fact that they both were created in God’s image. Everything in creation points to God, but man and woman are of God. They were made perfect and sinless, and God gave them a garden to live in that had everything they could possibly need, everything they could possibly desire, to live in peace and ease. God did all of that out of a perfect, unconditional love. All He desired was for Adam and Eve to love Him in return, and to express that love through what we learned about last week — obedience.

But right here at the start of chapter 3, it all goes wrong. And we all know this story. The serpent tempts Eve, Eve gives in to that temptation, and then Adam gives in to that temptation, and finally our perfect world becomes imperfect. Genesis 3 explains how sin came into the world, but have you ever wondered how the snake got into the garden in the first place? Why would God allow that?

Strangely enough, the answer to that is love. God created Adam and Eve out of love, and God wanted Adam and Eve to love Him right back because God wants a relationship, and love is the foundation of any relationship. But true love is sincere, isn’t it? True love is honest and genuine, and the only way love can be honest and genuine is if we have the freedom to choose whether to love or to hate, or to obey or disobey, or to do good or evil. God could have put a fence around the Garden of Eden and never allowed the serpent in. But then there wouldn’t have been any temptation, and there wouldn’t have been any moment when Adam and Eve had to choose to love and obey God or not. Without that freedom to make their own choices, their love wouldn’t be sincere, their obedience wouldn’t be with all their heart, their worship wouldn’t have been whole. The freedom to choose what we believe and how we live our lives is at the very heart of what it means to be human. It’s our most precious freedom, so precious that God saw that freedom worth the risk of letting the serpent in the garden.

And here the serpent comes, right in verse 1. Now, we know who the serpent is, don’t we? This is the devil, and he’s here to do what he always does — to tempt. And he is very, very good at it. The devil can’t make you do anything. That old saying “The devil made me do it” is nowhere in the Bible. But he can and he does convince us that doing the wrong thing is absolutely right. And what’s so striking about what the devil does with Adam and Eve is that he does it in the exact same way with us, because why do something different when you keep getting good results?

So if we study how the devil operates in this passage, we’re going to get a good idea of how the devil operates in our lives too. And right away we see two things. First, we see that our sins can’t be blamed on our family or our environment. How many times have we heard that one? It’s not my fault, it’s how I was raised. Or, It’s not my fault, it’s where I was born.

Those are just excuses. Adam and Eve both sin, they both give into temptation, but their family can’t be blamed for their sin because that family consisted of two sinless people and God. And their environment can’t be blamed for their sin because they were in paradise.

Second, we see that the devil doesn’t come as himself. He’s always disguised as something else, in this case a snake. He always comes unexpectedly — it’s almost like he sneaks up on Eve here, doesn’t he? And the temptation he brings is always in the form of something that God has already given us power to overcome. If you remember, God gave Adam and Eve dominion over “every living thing that moves over the earth.” That includes snakes, doesn’t it?

The serpent is described in verse 1 as “crafty.” In fact, more crafty than any other beast of the field. In the Hebrew, that word “crafty” means “skillful and cunning.” But that word’s also used in the New Testament as a Greek word, and that Greek word describes the devil perfectly — it means “ready to do anything.” The devil can’t create, he can only destroy. He consumes, and he loves to consume people — their minds, their hearts, their souls. And he’s ready to do anything to do it.

God spoke the universe into being. The word of God brought life and order. But now the devil speaks, and his words bring chaos and death. God’s word is truth, the devil’s words are lies. God words are statements of facts, the devil’s words are questions of doubts. That’s why in verse 1, it’s the serpent who asks the first question recorded in the Bible — “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?”

Now, I want you to look back to Genesis 2, verses 16 and 17. Here’s what those verses say:

16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden,

17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

I want you to notice two things here. One is that the devil’s twisting what God says. He says to Eve, “Did God actually say you can’t eat of any tree in the garden?” That’s not what God said back in Chapter 2 verses 16-17. God says they could “surely” eat — that means “freely” eat — of every tree except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. But that’s exactly what the devil does when he tempts you — he questions God’s love for you by twisting what God says and then saying God’s laws are too strict. And notice something else about chapter 2 verse 16. God only says this to Adam. Eve hadn’t been created yet. So the only way that Eve knows this rule about not eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is if Adam has told her.

That’s important, because look at how Eve responds in verses 2 and 3 of chapter 3 — “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden” — which is right, that’s what God said — “but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.”

Eve is basically quoting scripture here, isn’t she? She’s quoting what God said to Adam. And that is without question the very best way to defeat temptation. But here’s the thing — Eve doesn’t get it right. She takes away from God’s word by leaving out the word surely — Eve doesn’t mention that they may freely eat from every other tree. And she adds to God’s word by saying they can’t touch the tree, because God never said that at all. And she changes God’s word by saying “lest you die” instead of “you shall surely die.” Eve is doing exactly what she should here — she’s trying to chase the devil away by quoting God’s words about eating from this tree. But in trying to do that, she lessens the privileges God’s given her, she adds to the rules that God’s given her, and she weakens the penalty of breaking those rules.

So either Eve can’t remember exactly what God said, or Adam told her wrong. Which proves one thing — you better know what this book says, and when you’re talking to other people about this book, you better know what you’re talking about. Because this book is a weapon against the darkness. This book is your sword. If Eve knew exactly what God said, this all would’ve been over. But she doesn’t. And if you don’t know what this book says — or worse, if you think you know what it says but you really don’ — that’s like going up against the devil with a broken sword, or with just the handle and not the blade. Meaning you’re going to get beaten. You’re going to get mangled. Just like Eve.

Because as soon as the devil hears that Eve doesn’t really know what God said, he pounces. Verses 4 and 5 — “But the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like god, knowing good and evil.”

Here’s the devil being crafty. Here’s Satan ready to do anything to destroy. The first thing he does is the most important, and it’s at the heart of every temptation you’ll face — he removes the penalty of death from sin. “If you do this, you won’t die. You won’t suffer. You won’t cause any harm.”

And once the idea that there won’t be any consequences is planted in Eve’s mind, the serpent goes in for the kill — “All these rules God has for you. What do you think is behind those rules, Eve? God’s holding you back. He doesn’t want you to really live, really enjoy life. He knows what’s going to happen if you eat from that tree. You’ll be like Him. He doesn’t want that. He wants to keep you in His control. Don’t you want to make your own rules, Eve? Don’t you want to really be free? Take control of your own life, Eve. Don’t do what He wants. Just once, do what you want.”

Whenever temptation starts getting you thinking that sin can result in anything except death, and that God’s rules are in place not to keep you safe, not to make sure your life is peaceful and happy, but to keep you from really living and really enjoying life, you’re one step away from the pit. Right here in verse 5, Eve is one step away from the pit. And in verse 6, she tumbles right down into it.

“So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.”

We come down hard on Eve for doing this, and in a minute we’re going to see that she’s completely responsible for her own actions — remember, God made Adam and Eve free to choose. But first we have to consider something that we often overlook. Everything the devil has told her is wrong. It’s all a lie. That’s how he operates. But Eve still believes him, and you have to think that at least part of the reason why Eve falls for the serpent’s lie is that she doesn’t know what a lie is. Up to this point in her entire life, she’s only spoken to two people — Adam, who is sinless, and God, Who is Truth itself. Eve’s never been lied to before.

So she falls for it, doesn’t she, right there in verse 6. Eve gives in to temptation. And she does that because of a few different reasons. The first thing that goes wrong is that she’s not holding on to God’s truth — she either wasn’t told or has forgotten exactly what God said. As long as your mind holds on to God’s truth, the devil can’t beat you. But once you start doubting that truth, you give the devil a clear path straight to your heart.

That’s what the serpent does here. He’s already questioned God’s word in verse 1. Then he denied God’s word in verse 4. Then the serpent made Eve doubt God’s goodness in verse 5 by saying that God isn’t trying to protect them, God’s just keeping them from really enjoying life.

And because of all that, Eve looks at this tree in verse 6, and what happens? She gets curious. Eve can turn around and walk away right now, but she doesn’t. Instead she lingers. She looks. She thinks, “Maybe this serpent’s right.”

Matthew has the most detailed account of Jesus being sent into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He faced the three temptations that we all face — the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. Eve faces those exact temptations right in verse 6. She sees that the tree is good for food — the fruit looks like the most delicious food she could possibly enjoy, that’s the lust of the flesh. And it’s a delight to the eyes — it looks so alluring, so beautiful because it’s so forbidden — that’s the lust of the eyes. And Eve sees that “the tree was wise to be desired to make one wise” — that’s the pride of life.

And maybe most important of all, the fruit on that tree is right there. It’s right there for the taking. It’s instant pleasure. What’s not to like about any of that? It’s delicious, it’s beautiful, it promises not only to make Eve better but to make her life better, and she can have it right now. And so Eve did what all of us would probably do, right in the middle of verse 6 — “she took of its fruit and ate.”

The first thing Eve did was doubt God’s word. The second thing she did was linger at that tree and think about how wonderful it would be to eat the fruit. The third thing she did was eat it. That’s how sin goes. The heart rebels first, then the head, and finally the hand.

And what’s the first thing Eve does right after that bite of the fruit? She gives some to Adam. Something deep inside us wants to share sin with others, doesn’t it? The more people are doing it, the better it makes us feel about doing it.

But now we have to ask this question. I know a lot of men who will joke and say — and some aren’t even joking — they’ll say, Women. We wouldn’t be in this mess if it wasn’t for women. But let me ask you this — where’s Adam been all this time?

Look at the end of verse 6 — Eve “also gave some to her husband who was with her.” There’s nothing here that says Eve had to go find Adam and bring him to this tree. And there’s nothing here that says Eve had to explain to Adam what the serpent says. Adam’s been standing there the whole time. That’s what the verse seems to say, doesn’t it? Adam’s been standing there the whole time not saying a word, and that makes him even more guilty than Eve, because Adam had gotten his instructions straight from God.

So they both eat, and then we come to verse 7 — “Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked.”

Where’s the serpent here? He’s gone, isn’t he? His goal’s accomplished. The damage is done. He doesn’t need to hang around anymore because he doesn’t care. And Adam and Eve both realize that everything the serpent promised by tasting that fruit was a lie. They’re not better now, they’re worse. They don’t feel wise. What they feel are the first two consequences we all face every time we sin — guilt, and shame.

The guilt comes with that phrase “the eyes of both were opened.” In the moments leading up to our choice to sin, we’re blinded by our own thinking that we deserve to have this, or do this. It’ll be good. It’ll be fun. But after, there’s this eye-opening, fog-lifting, coming-back-to-reality moment when we realize we’ve just screwed up and there’s no taking it back. That’s when their eyes are opened. And the shame with Adam and Eve comes in the next phrase — “they knew that they were naked.”

That guilt and shame Adam and Eve feel lead straight to the third consequence of sin — separation. Because their eyes are both opened, because of their sin, Adam and Eve aren’t comfortable around each other anymore. They sew fig leaves to cover their body. And notice that in sewing these fig leaves to make clothing, they’re trying to undo their sin through their own power. But it doesn’t work. It never works. They still know they’re naked.

And now they realize they’re not just uncomfortable around each other, they’re also uncomfortable around God, because in verse 8 they hear Him walking in the garden that evening, and they hide. They’re afraid. They know they’ve messed up, and now they’re afraid they’ll face God’s wrath. But look at what God’s doing. God’s seeking them out. Adam and Eve can’t go to God anymore, so God comes to them.

The first question the serpent asks was designed to create doubt. The first question God asks is designed to get Adam and Eve to confess their sin in order to have forgiveness. “Where are you?” He asks in verse 8. And in verse 11, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” But notice that God’s asking these questions just to Adam. In fact, from verse 8 through all the way through verse 12, God doesn’t talk to Eve at all. Why is God singling out Adam here? Why does Paul in the New Testament say that we all sin because of Adam when Eve was actually the first one to sin?

We get a clue from what Paul writes in 1 Timothy 2:13-14. He writes, “For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.”

God created Adam first. Adam was the one who was supposed to be in charge. Adam heard the rule of not to eat from this tree straight from God’s mouth. Eve was tricked, but Paul says Adam chose to sin, and afterwards he doesn’t even take responsibility for it. He actually blames Eve. But Paul says that when Adam took that fruit from his wife, he knew full well what he was doing. He wasn’t misled, he wasn’t misinformed, he simply chose to listen to his wife instead of God. And since Adam was the first created, his sin infected every one of his ancestors — all of us. We’ve inherited that sinful nature from him just like we inherit the color of our eyes, or our hair, or our height from our parents.

According to this story, the origin of sin was a lack of faith. That’s the reason behind every sin. It’s the reason behind all of your sins. So the first question we always need to ask is, Who do I choose to believe? Who do I trust? Who do I love? Because love determines faith. Once Eve starts believing that God might not be pure love, she paved the way for her own sin. But if you believe God loves you, if you really believe it, then nothing in you is going to want to disobey Him. So the way to conquer sin is to build up your faith in God’s love for you.

Adam and Eve can’t undo what they’ve done. Neither can we. But God can. Eve brought sin into the world, but through her a Savior would be born who would take the punishment for our sins. We still face the consequences of that single moment in time when Eve bit into that fruit and gave some to Adam. We still struggle, still stumble, we still have to face that shame and guilt. We still sin, but that sin no longer defines us. What defines us is the Christ who died for us. The Son who says to the Father, that man, that woman, that child, isn’t guilty before you anymore, because they trust in me. They have faith in me because they know how much I love them.

And because we trust that love to fix our guilt and shame instead of any fig leaves we create on our own, one day we’re all going to return to the Eden we lost, and we’ll never lose it again. That last chapter has already been written when Jesus ascended into heaven. Now it’s just a matter of waiting and enduring and hoping and praying and laughing and living together until we get there. And if you’re ready to meet that savior, I invite you up here as we sing our closing hymn.

Let’s pray:

Father time and again we are reminded that no matter how much we want to do good, how much we try to do good, we still live under a curse of sin that will plague all of humanity until Your son’s return. But even though we live under that curse, we are not defined by it. Instead we are defined by a grace and mercy that overcomes our sin, that forgives us and picks us up when we fall, and that encourages us as we move along the paths of life to your eternal home. We praise You for that grace and mercy, Father, and for the love You show us each day. In Jesus’s name, Amen.