“When Their Eyes Were Opened”
genesis series • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Church,
1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”
2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,
3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’ ”
4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman.
5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
may be one of the shortest passages with the deepest consequences in the whole Bible. In just two verses, the world changes. In just two verses, innocence is lost, shame enters, hiding begins, and humanity’s fellowship with God is broken. The serpent had promised Eve that if she ate from the tree, her eyes would be opened and she would be like God, knowing good and evil. But what the serpent never told her was what those opened eyes would actually see.
The serpent promised wisdom, but he did not mention shame. He promised freedom, but he did not mention fear. He promised they would become like God, but he did not mention they would end up hiding from God. That is how sin works. Sin tells you what it will give you, but it hides what it will take from you. Sin advertises pleasure, but it conceals bondage. Sin promises identity, but it produces shame. Sin promises open eyes, but it does not tell you that the first thing you may see is your own nakedness, guilt, and separation from God.
Genesis 3:6 says, “When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it.” That phrase is important: “when the woman saw.” The serpent had already been working on the way she heard God. Now the lie begins working on the way she sees the tree. Before this moment, the tree was defined by God’s Word. God had said, “Do not eat from it.” But after the serpent’s words, the tree is now being interpreted by desire. It looks good for food. It looks pleasing to the eye. It looks desirable for gaining wisdom.
That brings us to the first point:
Temptation wins when desire starts interpreting life instead of God’s Word.
The tree did not change. God’s command did not change. God’s heart did not change. But Eve’s perception changed. The forbidden thing began to look good. The thing God warned about began to look desirable. The thing God said would bring death began to look like it could bring life.
That is one of the most dangerous parts of temptation. Temptation does not always begin by making us hate God. Sometimes it begins by making disobedience look reasonable. It makes the forbidden thing look harmless. It makes the boundary look unnecessary. It makes sin look like the thing that will finally satisfy what we feel is missing.
16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.
says, “For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.” That verse helps us see what was happening in Genesis 3:6. The fruit was “good for food.” That touches the desire of the flesh. It was “pleasing to the eye.” That touches the desire of the eyes. It was “desirable for gaining wisdom.” That touches pride, the desire to become something apart from God.
And church, the enemy still works in the same pattern. He appeals to appetite. He appeals to sight. He appeals to pride. He says, “You need this. You deserve this. You are missing out without this. God is holding something back from you. This will make you fulfilled. This will make you free. This will make you wise. This will make you somebody.”
But here is the tragedy: Adam and Eve were already made in the image of God. They already had dignity. They already had purpose. They already had fellowship. They already had identity. The serpent tempted them to grasp apart from God what they already had by grace.
That is one of the greatest identity truths in this passage. Sin promises to give you what only God can give you. Sin says, “I will make you free,” but it enslaves. Sin says, “I will give you identity,” but it leaves you ashamed. Sin says, “I will open your eyes,” but when their eyes were opened, the first thing they saw was their nakedness.
That means temptation is not just about behavior. It is about trust. It is about identity. It is about whether I will believe God is good, whether I will trust God’s Word, and whether I will receive my identity from Him instead of trying to manufacture one apart from Him.
The second point is this:
Eve was deceived, but Adam was responsible.
Genesis 3:6 continues, “She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.” That little phrase, “who was with her,” has created a lot of discussion. At the very least, it shows Adam was not far removed from this event. Eve gives him the fruit, and he eats. But the text does not say that Eve’s eyes were opened first and then she knowingly tried to trap Adam. Genesis 3:7 says, “Then the eyes of both of them were opened.” The full realization of shame comes after both have eaten.
That helps answer an important question. Why did Eve not stop Adam? The text does not indicate that Eve had already experienced the shame of opened eyes before Adam ate. Genesis presents the opening of their eyes after both had entered into the act of disobedience. Sin still looked like life until the act was complete. That is how deception works. It hides the consequences until after obedience has already been broken.
Paul helps us paint the full picture. In 1 Timothy 2:14, Paul says, “And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner.” Paul is not saying Adam was innocent. He is saying Eve was deceived, while Adam’s sin carried a different kind of responsibility. Eve was deceived by the serpent’s lie. Adam sinned with the command having been given directly to him in Genesis 2 before Eve was formed.
14 And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner.
That is why Paul says in Romans 5:12, “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin…” Paul does not ignore Eve, but he places covenant responsibility on Adam. The command had been given to Adam. Adam was present as the responsible head of humanity. And when Adam ate, the fall is spoken of in Scripture as the entrance of sin and death through one man.
So we need to be careful. We do not preach this passage as if Eve is the whole problem. Paul does say Eve was deceived. But Paul also says sin entered the world through Adam. The fall of humanity is not explained by blaming the woman. It is explained by seeing that humanity rebelled against God, and Adam failed in the place of responsibility God had given him.
And that has a strong word for us, especially spiritually. Adam’s failure was not only that he ate. His failure was also that he did not guard what God had entrusted to him. He did not speak truth when the serpent spoke lies. He did not stand on the Word when the command was being twisted. He did not protect the fellowship of obedience. He stood silent while deception was working, and then he participated in the rebellion.
Church, silence can be a form of surrender. When the enemy is speaking lies to your home, lies to your mind, lies to your marriage, lies to your children, lies to your identity, lies to your church, there comes a time when the people of God must speak the Word of God. Adam should have said, “No. God has spoken. We will trust the Lord.” But instead, he ate.
This matters for our everyday lives. Some of us do not fall because we never knew truth. We fall because we stop speaking truth. We stop resisting. We stop guarding the places God entrusted to us. We let the serpent talk too long. We let the lie sit too long. We let desire preach too long. And before long, what God called death starts looking like wisdom.
The third point is this:
Their eyes were opened together because sin did not just break one person’s private world; it broke humanity’s fellowship with God.
Genesis 3:7 says, “Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked.” The Bible does not give us a full explanation for why their eyes were opened after both had eaten. But the text gives us enough to say this: Genesis is showing the fall as a shared human rebellion with devastating corporate consequences.
Adam and Eve were one flesh. They were joined together in covenant union. Before sin, they were naked and unashamed. After sin, both of them see their nakedness and both of them attempt to cover themselves. Sin did not merely create private guilt. Sin disrupted communion with God, communion with one another, and the innocence of humanity itself.
Paul helps us understand the size of what happened here. Romans 5:12 says, “sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned.” Then Romans 5:17 says, “For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man…” That word “reigned” is powerful. Paul is saying that through Adam’s trespass, death did not just appear; death began to reign. Sin became a power. Death became a ruler. Humanity entered into bondage.
12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned—
17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!
So Genesis 3:7 is not just the story of two people realizing they are naked. It is the doorway into Romans 5. It is the moment when sin enters the human story, and death begins its reign. It is the moment when shame starts preaching to the human heart. It is the moment when fig leaves become humanity’s first attempt at self-salvation.
And that leads us to one of the deepest truths in the passage: sin opens eyes, but it also blinds. Their eyes were opened to their shame, but they became blind to God’s goodness. Their eyes were opened to nakedness, but they lost sight of grace. Their eyes were opened to guilt, but they no longer saw God as Father and Friend. They now hide from the One they were created to walk with.
That is what sin still does. It opens your eyes to guilt but blinds you to grace. It opens your eyes to shame but blinds you to identity. It opens your eyes to fear but blinds you to the Father’s heart. It makes you see everything through the lens of condemnation.
That is why the gospel has to do more than tell us, “Try harder.” We need more than behavior modification. We need more than fig leaves. We need more than outward religion. We need a Savior who can undo what Adam did.
That brings us to the fourth point: what Adam broke, Jesus came to restore.
Paul paints the full picture in Romans 5. He says in Romans 5:18–19, “Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.”
18 Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people.
19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
That is the gospel. Adam’s disobedience brought condemnation. Christ’s obedience brings life. Adam’s sin brought shame. Christ’s righteousness brings restoration. Adam ate from the tree and brought death. Jesus died on the tree and brought life. Adam grasped for what was not his to take. Jesus humbled Himself and gave Himself for sinners.
First Corinthians 15:45 says, “The first man Adam became a living being; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit.” Then verse 47 says, “The first man was of the dust of the earth; the second man is of heaven.”
45 So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit.
That is powerful. Adam received life from God, but Jesus gives life from God. Adam was formed from the dust, but Jesus came from heaven. Adam’s act brought death into the world, but Jesus’ obedience brings resurrection life. Adam’s sin opened the door to shame, but Jesus opens the door back to the Father.
This is why Christian identity cannot be rooted in Adam. If my identity is only in Adam, then I am defined by sin, shame, death, hiding, and guilt. But if I am in Christ, I am defined by grace, righteousness, life, holiness, and restoration.
That is why Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” New creation is Genesis language. In Adam, the old creation fell under sin. In Christ, new creation has come. God is not merely patching up what Adam broke. He is making us new in Jesus.
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
From a Wesleyan-Holiness perspective, this is where the gospel becomes so rich. Jesus does not come only to forgive guilt while leaving us ruled by the same old sinful desires. He comes to break the power of sin, cleanse the heart, restore holy love, and make us new. Grace is not God saying, “I will pretend you are not broken.” Grace is God saying, “Through Christ, I will forgive, cleanse, restore, and fill you with My Spirit.”
A Reformed or Calvinist view would often emphasize that Adam’s sin brings total depravity and that Christ’s righteousness is imputed to believers by faith. Wesleyan-Holiness believers agree that sin deeply corrupts humanity and that we are saved only by grace through faith. But we also emphasize that grace not only counts us righteous; grace also renews and sanctifies us. Christ does not merely cover Adam’s damage. Christ restores the heart that sin bent away from God.
The fifth point is this: fig leaves cannot cover what only grace can heal.
Genesis 3:7 says, “So they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.” This is humanity’s first religion without redemption. This is humanity trying to fix shame without surrender. This is humanity saying, “We can cover this ourselves.”
But fig leaves are not enough. Fig leaves may cover the body, but they cannot cleanse the heart. Fig leaves may hide nakedness for a moment, but they cannot remove guilt. Fig leaves may help you appear covered in front of people, but they do not restore fellowship with God.
And we still sew fig leaves today.
We sew fig leaves of excuses. “It was not my fault.” We sew fig leaves of comparison. “At least I am not as bad as them.” We sew fig leaves of religion. “I go to church, so I must be fine.” We sew fig leaves of image. “As long as people think I am okay, I am okay.” We sew fig leaves of denial. “It is not really sin.” We sew fig leaves of blame. “The woman You gave me.” We sew fig leaves of self-improvement. “I will just try harder next time.”
But none of those fig leaves can do what only Jesus can do.
This is why the later part of Genesis 3 is so beautiful. Adam and Eve cover themselves with leaves, but God later covers them with garments of skin. Their covering was man-made. God’s covering was grace-made. Their covering was temporary. God’s covering was costly. Their covering was an attempt to hide. God’s covering was an act of mercy.
And as Christians, we see the gospel moving toward Jesus. One day, the Lamb of God would come to take away the sin of the world. One day, Christ would bear our shame. One day, Jesus would hang naked on a cross so that our shame could be covered. One day, His blood would do what fig leaves could never do.
That means the answer to Genesis 3:7 is not better fig leaves. The answer is Jesus.
The answer to shame is Jesus. The answer to hiding is Jesus. The answer to guilt is Jesus. The answer to Adam is Jesus. The answer to death is Jesus. The answer to the old identity is Jesus.
So the question today is this: are you still trying to cover yourself with fig leaves, or have you let Jesus cover and cleanse you by His grace?
Because the enemy still uses the same lie. He still says, “You can find life apart from God. You can define yourself apart from God. You can satisfy yourself apart from God. You can fix yourself apart from God.” But Genesis 3 shows where that road leads. It leads to shame. It leads to hiding. It leads to fear. It leads to death.
But Romans 5 tells us where Jesus leads. He leads us out of condemnation and into life. He leads us out of Adam and into Christ. He leads us out of shame and into righteousness. He leads us out of hiding and back to the Father.
Church, here is the good news: Adam’s sin was powerful, but Jesus is more powerful. Adam’s disobedience brought death, but Jesus’ obedience brings life. Adam’s fall brought shame, but Jesus’ cross brings freedom. Adam’s act opened the door to sin, but Jesus’ resurrection opened the door to new creation.
Romans 5:20 says, “But where sin increased, grace increased all the more.” That does not mean sin is small. It means grace is greater. It does not mean the fall was not devastating. It means Christ is victorious. It does not mean Adam’s sin did not matter. It means Jesus’ obedience matters more.
20 The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more,
So today, stop letting Adam have the final word over your identity. Stop letting shame have the final word. Stop letting sin have the final word. Stop living like fig leaves are enough. Stop hiding behind what you made and come to what God has provided.
If you are in Adam, sin and death reign. But if you are in Christ, grace reigns.
If you are in Adam, shame names you. But if you are in Christ, Jesus names you.
If you are in Adam, you hide from God. But if you are in Christ, you are brought near to the Father.
If you are in Adam, you are trying to cover yourself. But if you are in Christ, you are covered by grace and cleansed by the blood.
That is why the gospel is not simply, “Be a better person.” The gospel is, “Come out of Adam and come into Christ.”
And the way we come into Christ is through repentance and faith. We stop agreeing with the serpent. We stop agreeing with shame. We stop agreeing with the old identity. We stop trusting fig leaves. We turn from sin, and we trust Jesus.
The serpent said, “Your eyes will be opened.” And he was right in one sense, but he lied about what they would see. Their eyes were opened to shame.
But when Jesus opens your eyes, you see grace. You see mercy. You see the cross. You see the empty tomb. You see the Father running toward the prodigal. You see the Spirit making dead hearts alive. You see that the old has gone and the new has come.
So let this be the altar call of Genesis 3:6–7: stop eating what is killing you. Stop reaching for what God has forbidden. Stop believing that sin can give you what only God can give. Stop covering yourself with leaves that cannot heal you.
Come to Jesus.
The first Adam took and ate, and death entered.
The last Adam took the cross, and life was offered.
The first Adam hid among the trees.
The last Adam hung on a tree.
The first Adam brought shame.
The last Adam bore shame.
The first Adam brought death.
The last Adam conquered death.
And today, through Jesus Christ, you do not have to live under the identity of the fall. You can live in the identity of grace.
Where sin increased, grace increased all the more.
And grace is still greater today.
