The First Sin

I started reading Genesis again today. Sometimes I like to go back to the beginning. It is interesting to see what you notice, when you read at different times of your life. As I read the second chapter, these verses jumped out at me. 

Genesis 2:15-24

New Living Translation (NLT)

¹⁵ The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it. ¹⁶ But the Lord God warned him, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden— ¹⁷ except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.”
¹⁸ Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.” ¹⁹ So the Lord God formed from the ground all the wild animals and all the birds of the sky. He brought them to the man^[a] to see what he would call them, and the man chose a name for each one. ²⁰ He gave names to all the livestock, all the birds of the sky, and all the wild animals. But still there was no helper just right for him.
²¹ So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep. While the man slept, the Lord God took out one of the man’s ribs^[d] and closed up the opening. ²² Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib, and he brought her to the man.
²³ “At last!” the man exclaimed.

“This one is bone from my bone,
    and flesh from my flesh!
She will be called ‘woman,’
    because she was taken from ‘man.’”

²⁴ This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.

Yes, I have known this story since pre-K Sunday School. I always saw it as just the order of creation, but today I saw something else. 

Eve's sin was the first time a woman rebelled against her husband; she wasn't yet created when God told Adam what they could eat and to stay away from that particular tree. Adam was the one to pass that information on to Eve, because he heard from God and knew it was truth. As we know, Eve was beguiled by the serpent, and Adam was beguiled by his wife, but, as I read that, I thought of how often we, as wives, think we know better than our husbands, and even after he has made a decision, we not only disobey, but we work fervently to convince him why we are right. 

Why does scripture tell us repeatedly to submit to the authority of our husbands? Because, since the beginning of time, we have usurped that authority. What a crafty enemy was Satan to put a curse on women to cause us to believe we knew more than God, and more than our husbands, for whom God created us. 

As I speak across the country, I hear women say, "If my husband were more godly, it would be easier for me to submit." 

Really? Could we have a more godly husband than Adam, a man who had never known sin to that point. Let's look at the attributes of Adam for a moment. 

We know from scripture that he was made in the image of God by God's own hand. The only man we know of, to never pass through a mother's womb. We know he did not know sin. He didn't even know about sin, so there was no abuse, no neglect and no adultery in that relationship. He didn't struggle with pornography, overeating, or spending too much time at the office. He walked and talked with God in an extremely personal relationship. Adam was likely the most godly man in the history of the world, besides Jesus, of course. But, he was created, as we all are, with free-will. And, Adam loved his wife. 

What do we know about Eve? She was created from Adam's rib, she was lovely to him, and she also walked and talked with God. Like Adam, she was created with free-will. 
Then comes the third player - Satan. Some believe he took the form of a serpent, I rather believe he possessed the serpent. Either way, his plan was not simply to destroy Eve and lead her to eternal death. His plan was to destroy God's plan for mankind, and  he knew the destruction of the family God created was key to the stronghold he would place on all of us. He may not have known he was defeated, until the resurrection of Christ, many centuries later, but he knew he didn't want these newly created beings to spend eternity with God. He was already kicked out, already filled with rebellion and already the opposite of all that was good. 

God created women with a need to be loved and desired. It is that need that should draw us to our husbands in love and respect for them. When we honor the man God gives us, we are more likely to receive the kind of love we crave. But, we live in a fallen world and that isn't always what happens in our lives. Why? Is it because Eve at a piece of fruit and suddenly knew she was naked? Was it because she took the fruit to Adam, and he ate it too? 

I don't think so. I think the first sin was the rebellion of Eve against her husband; followed by the fact that she forgot her authority; the authority God gave mankind over the other creation in the Garden. A serpent should not have been able to convince her of anything, because she and Adam were given dominion over the animals. Finally, their sin of disobedience to God sealed the deal. God never wanted us to know sin. He wanted us to be protected from the pain and anguish that comes with spiritual death.

So what does that mean for me? For you? Ladies, we cannot take sin from the world. But, we can guard our hearts against the rebellion that tells us to usurp the authority God gave our husbands for our lives. We can honor the one to whom we are supposed to be the help mate (meet). We can stay in constant prayer and study of God's Word so that we can fight temptation from the enemy of our souls, no matter what form he takes or what beguiling thing he decides to possess. We who are in Christ,under the new covenant provided by Jesus, have authority over sin and death. We don't have to be bound by it. Jesus broke the curse that bound us to sin. Let's walk in it. 

Same Lie Different Day - Can we live a holy life?

"And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die." (Genesis 3:4) 

This is the same lie Satan uses today. "Go ahead...surely nothing bad will happen.

In fact, if you just do this, then everyone will be happy. It will all work out just fine."

Did Eve have a choice when she at the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil? She knew what God told her, yet she ate the fruit anyway, on the advice of a serpent. Now, right away I’m thinking, if a snake in a tree starts telling me what I should do, I’m walking away from the tree and getting my head examined. But, In a day before psychologists and therapists, that wasn’t really an option. So, she chose to allow the snake to charm her; allowing evil to enter the perfect world that God created.

Was Eve deceived more by her own will or by satan’s trick. What about Adam?

Have you ever wondered why Adam listened to her? Can you imagine how beautiful she must have been? She was perfect until that point; without blemish and without sin. Adam loved her with the same love that God did. Until they fell, the love they knew was perfect. She had never lied to him, never deceived him. It’s hard to even imagine that kind of perfect love between a husband and wife in our world today.

In retrospect, we might think we could have done better. If given the opportunity to live a holy life, in perfect relationship with the God of the universe, we would like to think we would be smarter, more obedient, and more respectful of God’s laws. After all, there was only one law they had to worry about. Don’t eat from that tree. If only we had been the first humans in that beautiful garden. Surely we would have chosen better.

Somehow I don’t think so. In fact, I may not have even waited for the dreaded snake to start talking. I may have looked at that tree myself, and thought, I wonder if God will really get upset over eating that fruit. Besides, He loves me…he wouldn’t really punish someone He loves.

Actually, we are given the opportunity to live the life that Adam and Eve were first given. We can walk in relationship with God every day, listening to His voice, feeling His presence. We can live a life without willful sin. We can be holy before the God of the universe. In fact, not only can we do this, but we are instructed to do it. The Bible is clear about the power of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Christian. It is not God who tells us, “A Christian will sin no matter what, because we are first human.”

I don’t want you to believe me about this. In fact, I want you to think I am crazy, and be challenged to dig through every scripture to find the one that says we will sin after we are saved. Find the passage that tells us we can’t help it. It is just inevitable.

Truly, we all have sinned. Romans 3:23 is clear when it says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” The book of Romans also tells us, none of us are righteous - no, not even one. But both of these passages are referring to our condition before Christ enters our lives - before we are washed whiter than snow. Once we are redeemed by the power of the Blood of Christ, the game changes. We are indeed new. The old things have passed away, and look…all things, not just some of them…all things are new.

Did you find those scriptures yet?

Try some of these verses that tell us we are no longer slaves to sin.

These passages serve as reminders in my heart that truly it is possible to live a Holy Life when we are in Love with the Lord and living in relationship with Him.

1 Cor. 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. (NKJV)

So, we will be tempted...the temptation is common to man...but God is faithful, so we do not have to sin just because we are tempted. This passage is often taken out of context and used for consolation that God will never let more happen in our life than we can handle...but that is truly talking about the temptation to sin...we will never be given temptation without a way out of the sin. We will be able to bear the temptation...just as Jesus did in the wilderness.

1 Peter 1: 13-16 says, "Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."

Why is everyone so quick to say they cannot live a sinless life? Why are we so quick to deny the power of God in our lives? Why do we deny the Word of God and refuse to allow Christ to reign in us? We cannot be followers of Christ and deny His Word. The Word of God is truth.

But what about the fact that we do make mistakes? What about the Christian who makes a bad choice? No one said that not sinning makes you perfect or infallible. Making a poor decision, or making a mistake is not necessarily sin. We are not capable of having full knowledge of everything as God does. We do not have perfect wisdom; but, we are capable, because of the Spirit of God within us after salvation, to resist temptation and say no to sin.

I read this to a friend at my critique group recently. He asked me if I was a certain denomination, because apparently some of the verbiage I used sounded like theirs. I have actually never been familiar with their doctrinal statements. What I'm writing here is based on the Bible and a couple of conversations with friends. I am still studying and praying about what this looks like for my life. I certainly don't want to sin willfully. Can I examine my heart honestly and say that I don't, or haven't since the day I gave my life to the Lord? I'm afraid I can't. But, if truly allowing the work of the Holy Spirit in my life, means that I will not willfully sin, then I need to be on my face before the Father, giving up anything that would hinder the work of His spirit in my life. 

I would love to hear your thoughts on the topic of holiness.