The problem of suffering is a topic of discussion that trips up a lot of people, including followers of Christ. This topic is important because it dives into the topic of sin and salvation. Whatever topic you study, it should point to Christ as the solution to all problems. In this case, we need Christ to save us from sin. But what is sin? What caused sin to come into the world? What are the results of having sin in the world and having a sinful nature?
Let's define what sin is:
1. Dictionary: An immoral act considered to be a transgression against divine law.
2. Transgression (παράβασις): Breaking, offense, violation.
3. Transgression (פֶשַׁע): Rebellion act, breach of truth, rebellious.
In Genesis 2:16-17 we see God give one commandment, "And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 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.”
The commandment was given to Adam to uphold and keep, and not Eve. Eve was not formed yet until later on in Genesis 2:21-22 after the animals were created for Adam to name. How long was it for Adam to name the animals and tend to them? We don't know. But we do know that it requires a lot of energy mentally to think about ideas. It drains us mentally and physically.
Genesis 2:21-22 "21 And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. 22 Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man."
We know that sin which is separation from God wasn't in the picture yet because in verse 25 we read "And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed."
Now that we know the back story of man and what he was given, lets move onto where everything fell apart.
After God gave Adam everything he needed and a women to comfort him, another character is introduced to the story. This character can be viewed as a villian of the story and the root cause of the fall of man.
Genesis 3:1-24
The Temptation and Fall of Man
3 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”
2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ”
4 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 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.”
6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.
8 And they heard the sound 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 among the trees of the garden.
9 Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?”
10 So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.”
11 And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?”
12 Then the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.”
13 And the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”
The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
14 So the Lord God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, You are cursed more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, And you shall eat dust All the days of your life.
15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.”
16 To the woman He said: “I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you.”
17 Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’: “Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life.
18 Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field.
19 In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are,
And to dust you shall return.”
20 And Adam called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.
21 Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin, and clothed them.
22 Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”— 23 therefore the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. 24 So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.
The serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field out of all the other beasts he made. But what does that actually mean?
Cunning (עָר֔וּם): crafty, prudent, subtil, sensible, and shrewd.
Vs.3 "Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”
2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ”
4 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 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.”
What happens next was the result of disobedience of God. Before the effects of sin, all was perfect. Adam ate what he wantsed, shared all what was given in the garden to his wife Eve, walked with God and could see God's spirit because there was no corruption of the soul and flesh. How I would put it is that Adam and Eve had glorified bodies which could withstand God's glory and righteousness all together. The idea that they walked with God comes from Genesis 3:8, where, when they ate from the tree, they hid from the presence of God. The opposite would be they didn't have to hid from the presence of God before because they didn't have to. There was no corruption until then.
Vs.6-7 :6 "So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings."
Q: Man wants to claim that they would not have fallen for the serpent and his tricks. Putting yourself in their place, would you have fallen for the serpents lies and twisting of Gods commandment to not eat from the tree?
Eve gave the fruit to Adam, who was with her, while the temptation was taking place. Their eyes were opened and they knew that they were naked, they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves up. Not only did their eyes open, but they also understood the changes that were taking place. They felt nakedness for the first time, fear for the first time, a change in their emotions for the first time, shame for the first time, and ultimately separation from God because of the disobedience.
I would go even further and claim that this not only affected them as mankind, but it also corrupted all of creation. What we know of God is that he gives life, and if all things were good, that would imply that the plants and animals didn't decay or die but gave life and reproduced. The result of this sin corrupted all things.
What we as Christians need to understand is that God is holy, just, righteous, good, powerful, and eternal. To sin against a Holy God who is the creator of all things and the giver of life, we need to understand that to sin against such a being, He has the right to judge as he wishes. We are His creation, and what He deems as judgment, He has the authority to do so. The punishments that were given to Adam and Eve were acceptable. Adam and Eve sinned against an eternal God. We as Christians forget the Authority of God and who he is compared to us.
Q: What is an attribute of God that you have difficulty understanding?
Genesis 3:15-19
"15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.”
16 To the woman He said: “I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you.”
17 Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’: “Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life.
18 Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field.
19 In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are,
And to dust you shall return.”
Vs.15 - The woman represents humanity, and the serpent represents Satan. This is the ongoing spiritual warfare that we experience in our daily lives. The seed of the serpent represents those who follow in the ways of the devil or in their sinful state. The seed of the women would be the opposite, where these are those who follow in the ways of the Lord. This is now the beginning phase of redemption.
Vs.16 - This is the result of sin and disobedience that took place. Pain in childbirth, which can also be understood as why there is suffering in the world now. Not only that, but now, because sin has entered the world, the man has a responsibility to be the head of the family, a protector from evil and sin.
Vs.17 - This shows the brokenness and separation between God and humankind. This also makes it clear that man will have to work harder to survive and provide as the husband. "Cursed is the ground because of you." He must now go through challenges and pain in a life of labor.
Vs.18 - Thorns and Thistles are the obstacles we will face not only in labor and work but with sin and the consequences of sinning.
Vs.19 - This verse makes it clear that we will struggle with all these things until we return to the ground.
