Was Adam And Eve’s Sin Really About Eating A Piece Of Forbidden Fruit? Behold, there existed a Literal Adam and Eve, Garden of Eden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Genesis 2:15–17 says, The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 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.” Adam, the first man, and Eve, the first woman did literally eat a piece of forbidden fruit and thereby introduce sin and death to humanity. Notice that it was not so much the actual fruit that brought death as it was Adam and Eve’s disobedience to God.
The phrase “forbidden fruit” refers to the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. The Lord God Almighty had given Adam dominion over all the animals as well as access to all the trees in the garden of Eden save one. In other words, Adam and Eve were forbidden by the Lord God to eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:9; 3:2). Notice that the Bible says nothing about what type of fruit it was. Although tradition has identified it as an apple, it’s impossible to know with certainty what kind of fruit it was. From Genesis, every indication is of a literal tree with a literal fruit. However, we are made to understand that the fruit was desirable to the eyes, fragrant, and delicious. But as Adam swallowed the fruit, sin and death would swallow the human race.
Was Adam And Eve’s Sin Really About Eating A Piece Of Forbidden Fruit?
Brethren, was Adam and Eve’s sin really about eating a piece of forbidden fruit? What exactly was Adam and Eve’s sin? Observe that the key element in the passage is not the fruit itself, but the prohibition against eating it. In fact, the Lord God gave Adam and Eve only one prohibition in His instructions. Whether or not there was some spiritual property within the fruit itself is really irrelevant. Truthfully speaking, the sin was in disobeying God’s command. Eating the forbidden fruit was an act of disobedience through which Adam and Eve gained personal knowledge of evil. Adam and Eve already knew good, but now they had the contrasting experience of the evil of disobedience. Likewise, they felt the guilt and shame that came with their disobedience.
Satan’s lie was that knowing good and evil would make them become like gods (Genesis 3:5). In reality, they were already made in the image of God and His favor and blessings were upon their lives. God prohibiting them from eating the forbidden fruit was not a command aimed at hiding any good thing from them. God didn’t create humans to be robots but He gave them free will. Thus, humans can choose to have or not have a personal relationship with Him, to acknowledge and love Him or not, and to obey His instructions or not. There would be no true love between God and humans if people were not free to choose against God. Forbidding the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was not an act of cruelty but an offer made by God for a true relationship based on free will.
More Biblical Facts
Eve believed Satan’s lies and Adam followed her, the couple chose to trust their own independent reasoning and sense perception over God’s Word (Genesis 2:15–17; 3:1–7). So, was Adam and Eve’s sin really about eating a piece of forbidden fruit? Yes, in the sense that the fruit was the object by which they demonstrated their choice against God. In eating the forbidden fruit, Adam and Eve gained experiential knowledge of evil. Their sin immediately resulted in spiritual death and shame. In addition, they were separated from God and all of humanity would be born in sin and equally separated from God (Romans 3:10–12; John 3:16–18; Ephesians 2:1–10). Note that the Fall of Man has affected our entire world.
A Deeper Look Into Adam And Eve’s Sin
Adam and Eve disobeyed God and ate the forbidden fruit. It is obvious that they sinned, and as we know, sins rarely exist in isolation. A deeper look into Adam and Eve’s sin can be made by applying what we know about God’s revealed commands in both the Old and New Testaments of the Holy Bible. Following this approach, Adam and Eve committed many sins. These sins of Adam and Eve are:
1. Adam and Eve disobeyed God
In Genesis 2:17, God said to Adam and Eve, “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.” Did Adam and Eve obey this instruction from the Lord God? Genesis 3:6b says, “She took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.” With this truth at hand, it’s obvious that Adam and Eve disobeyed God.
2. Adam and Eve Broke the First Commandment
The First Commandment from God in Exodus 20:3 reads, “You shall have no other gods before me.” Adam and Eve fell to the temptation of the serpent in Genesis 3:5a when he promised “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God” Notice that Adam and Eve sought to make themselves gods thereby breaking the 1st Commandment.
3. Adam and Eve Dishonored their Creator and Heavenly Father
As Christians, we know that dishonoring God is not something to be taken lightly. The Bible teaches us to honor our earthly fathers. If we are to honor our earthly fathers, what more of our heavenly Father? Exodus 20:12a says, “Honor your father and your mother” Unfortunately, many people are more likely to argue that the fourth (4th) Commandment does not apply here. If you are one of these, Romans 1:21a comes to clarify your doubts as it teaches that one of the root sins against God is not honoring Him: “For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God” With this in mind, it’s our duty to honor God for Who He Is.
4. Adam And Eve were not Thankful
Romans 1:21 says, “For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him.” God as our Creator, expects that we acknowledge Him for Who He Is and as well be thankful for the good things He does for our wellbeing. Notice that instead of being thankful for all the things that God had already given them, Adam and Eve desired more to the extent of disobeying God’s instructions.
5. Adam and Eve Murdered
The fifth (5th) Commandment in Exodus 20:13 says, “You shall not murder.” In modern legal language, it might be more accurate to say that Adam and Eve committed manslaughter, but ultimately their decision led to death for all mankind. Romans 5:12 says, “Sin came into the world through one man, and his sin brought death with it. As a result, death has spread to the whole human race because everyone has sinned.“
6. Adam and Eve Stole
The Seventh (7th) commandment in Exodus 20:15 says, “You shall not steal.” By taking the forbidden fruit and consuming it, Adam and Eve took what was not theirs. The Lord God clearly told them not to take from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. But they went forth to take and consume, a situation regarded as stealing.
7. Adam and Eve Bear False Witness
When the Lord God questioned Adam and Eve for their sin, they tried to lay the blame for their sins on others. This can be regarded as a form of “bearing false witness” that we see in Exodus 20:16: “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.” And this happens to be the 8th commandment. Behold, running away from responsibility and shifting blame is frowned upon by Scripture.
8. Adam and Eve Coveted what was not theirs to have
The tenth (10th) Commandment warns us against covetousness. Exodus 20:17 says, “You shall not covet.” The Fall of Man was brought about by covetousness. Adam and Eve so much desired what was not theirs to have so much that they ended up taking it.
9. Adam and Eve lacked Faith and wanted to Trust in their own Wisdom over the Wisdom of God
Adam and Eve fell to the trick of Satan who came in the form of a serpent because they lacked faith. They did not believe in God enough to take Him for His Words. If they had believed in God enough, they would not have listened to the liars of the Devil. Also, one of the primary reasons why the fruit was desirable for them was because they were promised wisdom that was not theirs. Genesis 3:6a says, “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.”
10. Adam Failed to Protect Eve
Scripture commands men to protect and provide for their families. 1 Timothy 5:8 says, “But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” With this in mind, we are likely to ask ourselves the question, was Adam with Eve when she spoke to the serpent? Could it be that Adam was idly sitting by as some people suggest? Genesis 3:6b says, “She took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.” Notice that throughout Scripture, the responsibility for the sin of mankind is laid on Adam specifically, not Eve. This is observed in Genesis 3 when Adam and Eve were hiding from God. God calls out to Adam first, not Eve. Adam was ultimately responsible but failed.
Moral Lesson
The lesson behind this story for us today is that when God prohibits something, it is for our own good. Disobeying Him, going our own way, or deciding for ourselves what is and is not beneficial to us will always lead to disaster. It is important to understand that our Heavenly Father who created us in His own image knows what is best for us, and when He prohibits something, we should listen to Him. When we choose to obey our own wills instead of God’s perfect and holy will, things never go well for us. Adam and Eve made that sad discovery after eating the forbidden fruit, and mankind has suffered the consequences of their decision ever since. Romans 5:12 says, “When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned.“
Redemption for Humanity
Despite the Fall of Man, the Lord God Almighty in His loving-kindness still brought hope for humanity. Adam and Eve’s eating of the forbidden fruit did not change God’s character or His Heart. In fact, God knew even before creating Adam and Eve that they would sin. Yet, He still chooses to create out of love. God provided His beloved Son, Jesus Christ as a sacrificial lamb through which all people can be saved from sin. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Likewise, Romans 5:19 says, “For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.” Through His Death and Resurrection, Jesus Christ conquered sin that came through the Fall of Man.
Also Read
- If God Knew That Adam And Eve Would Sin, Why Did He Create Them?
- Was Adam With Eve When She Was Speaking With The Serpent?
- What Does The Bible Say About Adam And Eve?
- What Is The Book Of Adam And Eve?
- Why Didn’t God Want Adam And Eve To Know Good From Evil?
- What Does The Bible Say About Evil?
- What Does The Bible Say About Goodness?
- Bible Verses About Righteousness
- Bible Verses About The Messiah
