Fall, of Adam and Eve

The first human beings abused their God-given freedom. Their original disobedience and resultant expulsion from the Garden of Eden is usually referred to as “the fall”.

The first sin was the disobedience of Adam and Eve to God's command

Genesis 2:17, Genesis 3:1–7 See also Hosea 6:7; Romans 5:12, Romans 5:14; 2 Corinthians 11:3; 1 Timothy 2:14

but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; for in the day that you eat of it, you will surely die.”

Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field that the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden?’” The woman answered the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden, but about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You must not eat of it or touch it, or you will die.’” “You will not surely die,” the serpent told the woman. “For God knows that in the day you eat of it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” When the woman saw that the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eyes, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom, she took the fruit and ate it. She also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate it. And the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; so they sewed together fig leaves and made coverings for themselves.

Causes of the fall

Disobedience

Genesis 2:16–17, Genesis 3:1–3; Isaiah 43:27; Hosea 6:7

Through satanic deception

Genesis 3:4, Genesis 3:13; 2 Corinthians 11:3; 1 Timothy 2:14

Evil desire

Genesis 3:6

Adam and Eve tried to hide their disobedience

Genesis 3:8–13 See also Job 31:33

Then the man and his wife heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the breeze of the day, and they hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. But the LORD God called out to the man, “Where are you?” “I heard Your voice in the garden,” he replied, “and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.” “Who told you that you were naked?” asked the LORD God. “Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” And the man answered, “The woman whom You gave me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” “The serpent deceived me,” she replied, “and I ate.”

The disobedience of Adam and Eve affected every relationship in life

Relationship with God

Genesis 3:22–23 See also Genesis 4:14; Psalm 90:3–10; Romans 1:20–21

Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil. And now, lest he reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever...” Therefore the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken.

Relationships among human beings

Genesis 3:16 See also Genesis 4:1–8; Romans 1:18–32; Ephesians 2:1–3, Ephesians 2:11–12

To the woman He said: “I will sharply increase your pain in childbirth; in pain you will bring forth children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.”

The relationship between human beings and the creation

Genesis 3:17–19 See also Genesis 3:14–15, Genesis 4:10–12; Romans 8:19

And to Adam He said: “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat, cursed is the ground because of you; through toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it will yield for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your bread, until you return to the ground — because out of it were you taken. For dust you are, and to dust you shall return.”

The consequences of the disobedience of Adam and Eve

It leads to death and punishment

Romans 5:12 See also Romans 1:18; 1 Corinthians 15:21–22; 1 Thessalonians 1:10, 1 Thessalonians 2:14–16

Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, so also death was passed on to all men, because all sinned.

Sin springs from within the human mind, will and emotions

James 1:13–15 See also James 4:6–7; 1 John 2:15–17

When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when by his own evil desires he is lured away and enticed. Then after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.