“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” (dying thou shalt die; margin KJV). – Genesis 2:16-17
When God created the first man and woman (Adam and Eve), He placed them in a pleasant environment where there was neither sickness, nor suffering, nor death. God created them both morally perfect with the freedom to obey Him and be blessed, or to disobey Him and suffer the evil consequences of the their sin. All would go well if they obeyed Him; otherwise they would face the consequences of their disobedience. Adam and his wife were to be tested to see if they would obey their Creator.
“Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden. But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die.” – Genesis 3:1-4
The Bible does not tell us why God allowed temptation to enter His creation, but it does tell us that He solemnly warned Adam of the consequences of disobedience. The Bible speaks of evil spirits, and it also speaks of a particularly evil spirit called Satan, or the devil. The Bible says that Satan is a deceiver (John 8:44) and it is believed by many Bible scholars that the serpent was used by Satan to tempt Adam and Eve to sin against God.
God in like manner solemnly warns us of the dangers of sin in the Bible. God has endowed each of us with the freedom to choose His will or the ways of sin. Reader, God has left it up to you to choose your own destiny. He will not force you to obey Him — that is, repent of your sins and believe in His Son Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of them, but He does warn you in the Bible of what will happen to you if you die in your sins (Revelation 20:11-15).
“And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. . . . And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.” – Genesis 3:6-8
Adam and Eve disobeyed God in eating the fruit of the forbidden tree and they both committed sin. If we do those things that we know are wrong, then we too commit sin. Adam and his wife died spiritually as soon as they had sinned and they “fell from their state of purity, became morally corrupt in their natures and transmitted their moral defilement to all their posterity.” – Clarke. Physical death would, in time, follow. The Bible speaks of the deceitfulness of sin (Hebrews 3:13b), and it also says in Numbers 32:23, “Be sure your sin will find you out.” Adam and his wife could not hide from God, nor could they evade the consequences of their sin.
We all have inherited the moral corruption that Adam and Eve received as one of the consequences of their sin. The Bible plainly declares that all people have sinned (Romans 3:23). Some of the consequences of sin are guilt, fear, shame, suffering and finally death; and for those who die in their sins, eternal punishment. Reader, you cannot evade the consequences of sin, both now and in eternity. Repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and your sins will be forgiven!
Some of this blog was adapted from How To Prepare For Judgment Day.
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