The never-ending experiment… (part 4)
Updated in July to walk with you further.
This journey through the never-ending experiment has brought us to the profound truth of the divine order of creation and purpose for humanity that was perfectly established by God. But then, a barrier was put between humanity and God, separating humanity from God. Sin, which is any wrongdoing that does not express or is contrary to the holy character of God, caused the separation. This separation is known as the fall. Though, humanity remains in God’s image with having a spirit, soul, and body, this is corrupted due to sin. We’ll explore this in the account of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden.
15 “ The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 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” (Genesis 2:15-17).
God gave Adam a clear command. Adam had unrestricted access to eat from all but one tree, with a consequence for disobedience—death. Soon after, Eve was created as a suitable helper to Adam. Scripture tells us that they were naked and not ashamed. Now, while Scripture doesn’t explicitly state that God gave Eve the command directly, it’s evident she was aware of it.
Consider the dialogue that took place in the garden of Eden, initiated by the serpent:
1 “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden?’ 2 And the woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die. 4 But the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not surely die.’ 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’ 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” (Genesis 3:1-6).
So, Adam, fully knowing the command God said to him, willingly disobeyed God by eating the fruit from the forbidden tree that was given to him by Eve. Eve was deceived by the serpent, disguised as Satan, also called the devil, or the evil one who actively works against God’s will. The serpent planted a seed of doubt in Eve’s mind that made her question God’s Word and His goodness. The deception was to make her think that God was withholding something good from them, despite them being made in the image and likeness of God and had everything they needed. What they didn’t know was evil, but they didn’t need to know evil because it’s not God’s nature and since they were created in His image, they inherently knew all that was good. Furthermore, it didn’t help that Eve didn’t identify the tree she was forbidden to eat from correctly, because we learn in Genesis 2:9 that the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil were both in the midst of the garden of Eden, and she added something that God did not say, which was, “…neither shall you touch it.” This further opened the door for the deception and temptation.
Now back in the garden—immediately after eating the fruit from the forbidden tree, a drastic change occurred:
7 “Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. 8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, ‘Where are you?’ 10 And he said, ‘I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.’ 11 He said, ‘Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat’” (Genesis 3:7-11).
In this act of disobedience, when their eyes opened, it shifted them from a previous state of innocence and purity to a newfound awareness of nakedness and shame. The shame wasn’t introduced by God, it was from their own feeling due to the exposure of their nakedness from their disobedience, which led to them being afraid and hiding from God when they heard the sound of Him. Just as God already knew they had disobeyed, He also knew exactly where they were hiding. When God called out to Adam because He had given Adam the responsibility of keeping after the garden and his wife, it wasn’t because He couldn’t locate him, it was to bring him out of hiding so that he could confess his wrongdoing and receive the consequences. Their choice to disobey God separated them from Him. This separation is one part of “you shall surely die.” It’s the spiritual death.
The other part is the physical death; and though it wasn’t immediate, it became a certainty that no one will live forever. Genesis chapter 5 records, “When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image; and he named him Seth.” Through Adam’s descendants to Noah, we see humanity’s progression, marked by their long life on earth, yet we are consistently reminded of the physical death because at the end of each person’s account, Scripture reads, “and he died.” However, there is one particular person in this lineage that stands apart from the rest—Enoch. Enoch had a close relationship with God and because of this close relationship he did not experience death; instead, God took him away. Nevertheless, the spiritual death happened immediately; the physical death came eventually.
So that we understand: Adam and Eve were the first created beings on earth that began the human race. At the beginning of life, there was no sickness. No suffering. No death. God had granted Adam and Eve access to a perfect garden and gave a clear command with expected obedience. He outlined what they could do, what they couldn’t do, and the consequence that would follow if they did otherwise. This choice to obey God or to disobey Him is the earliest and clearest example of free will in Scripture. As the all-knowing God, He was fully aware of their disobedience the moment it happened. Yet, God’s knowledge of their actions doesn’t negate the fact that they made a choice, a choice to be like Him in knowing good and evil, a choice they believed would make them wiser, and with disobedience comes discipline.
God disciplined Adam and Eve and cursed the serpent and the ground. When God cursed the serpent, He spoke a prophecy about the ultimate victory over sin and death (Genesis 3:8-19). This pivotal moment reveals God’s redemptive plan, a plan of salvation that centers around a Savior who will restore humanity back to God declaring them righteous by God’s grace through faith, only if they believe in the one He sent. From the very first book of Genesis, to the very last one of Revelation, Scripture points us to the Savior. Thus, everyone after Adam is born with this sinful nature. Our thoughts, hearts, and spirit are corrupted with wickedness that to be made right with God is beyond the effort or works of any person. We need to be restored and redeemed through belief in the Savior, because continuing to remain in a sinful condition will result in a second death, which is the final separation from God of condemnation.
When Adam said to God that they hid from Him out of being afraid of their nakedness, God responded by saying, “Who told you that you were naked?” This question is very important as you navigate life. So be encouraged to consider this: What guides your decisions? Is it God or Satan (the world)? This never-ending experiment is ultimately about you coming into the awareness of the foundation you stand on.
Morgan