Walking With Christ

Genesis 3:6
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.(ESV)

I want to follow up on the message from yesterday to clarify that the love story we see between Adam and Eve does not change the reasons for the fall. Adam was told that people should not eat of the forbidden fruit. Eve got a second-hand revelation through Adam that the fruit was not to be eaten. Adam added the extra line about not even touching the fruit. This part is the first example of people adding rules where none should be needed, but can be helpful.

It doesn’t matter why either of them ate the fruit. They did eat. They made that choice. They didn’t respect or fear the one rule that God made for them. They loved themselves more than they loved God, which is made obvious in the fact that they did not love God enough to obey the one simple rule. Adam was commanded to watch over Eve, and he failed her by leaving room for doubt that the enemy was able to take advantage of. Adam failed again by eating the fruit even knowing that it would bring death to them both. This was the exact moment where we see the birth of the religion of self where one elevates themselves above God. It’s a misalignment of priorities.

While conjecture is valid for occasionally gaining a richer insight into the scripture we read, it’s vital to know the difference between what we believe to have read and what is actually on the pages. This can be helped by a deeper study of the history and people who were the intended audience of these verses. Looking at scripture through the lens that they would have used to gain understanding so that we today can have that same understanding is almost essential for a full and fruitful journey in the bible.