The Original Sin

=-=-=-= Maybe the original sin is actually what Satan comitted and humanity's first sin is in a similar fassion but not quite the "original sin". Maybe this section could start off with the true original sin that Satan comitted and go into humanity's first sin. =-=-=-=

The first act of sin that humanity committed has a surprising correlation with our everyday lives today. It's important to understand the heart of the first sin so that we can avoid and reject the same heart and line of thinking for ourselves today. And don't be decieved; this relates to every person on this planet.

So let's break down the fall of mankind...

God's Restriction

When Adam and Eve were created, they were made sinless and innocent, having no conciousness of sin. They walked with God in close and intimate relationship with Him, and God gave them dominion over all the earth (This original created state is explored in more depth under Identity -> God's Original Creation).

The important part to note here is that they were innocent, and had no conciousness of sin. Meaning that they didn't have any understanding of sin or unrighteousness, they were just pure and clean by nature.

God only placed one restriction on them:

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

This restriction was likely the only opportunity that Adam and Eve had to even sin. Since they had no conciousness of sin, they didn't know how to. Except that God specifically gave them this one restriction, opening the door to the possibility of disobeying God. This restriction also does show that they would've known that it was the wrong thing to do, even though not explicitly having a knowledge of good and evil.

Note also the promise that God makes in the occation that they do eat of this tree; the day that they eat it, they will surely die.

The Temptation

The serpent said to the woman,
"You surely will not die! For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened,
and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

The serpent makes two points:

1. You won't die
2. You will be like God

The serpent essentially says that God lied and that He was actually hiding something from them, which places doubt in Eve's mind, making it more likely for her to consider the temptation; which was to eat the fruit to be like God.

At this point the seed was only planted and Eve still had the choice to disregard it or to consider it.

Eve's Deception

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.

After the serpent lured Eve, she noticed 3 things about the tree:

1. It was good for food (In her own eyes)
2. It was pleasant to the eyes (In her own eyes)
3. It was desirable to make her wise (In her own eyes)

She analysed the fruit by considering the temptation of serpent, ultimately decieving herself:

And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression.

However all of this considering and analysing wasn't the motive to eat the fruit. The motive to eat the fruit was the temptation that the serpent planted; to be like God.

Eve finally conviced herself to eat the fruit, taking matters into her own hands to get what she wanted, at the same time rejecting God's instruction and going against God to pursue something that she believed in her own understanding. She fell prey to the warning in this proverb:

The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, But he who heeds counsel is wise.

She didn't seek counsel (from God or her husband), but chose to trust her own understanding, walking by sight instead of walking by faith.

Mankind's Fall

After Eve was decieved, she gave the fruit to her husband Adam, who also ate. From 1 Tim 2:14 we saw that only Eve was decieved and Adam was not, so he must've known what he was doing when he decided to eat. The fact that Adam was seemingly aware and was also the leader in the situation, bearing the responsibility, was probably why he recieved the blame for it all even though Eve ate first. It's not clear but Adam's temptation to eat the fruit was likely the same as Eve's; to be like God, and possibly also to please his wife as a form of apathy more so than to protect her.

The very next verse in Genesis after they ate the fruit says that they clothed themselves:

And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked;
and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

This is because they were no longer innocent. No longer like children. No longer pure. They immediately lost the innocence they had, and this is symbolized by the fact that they were self-concious about being naked.

They were also no longer worthy to remain in the garden and walk with God in the way they have. Their relationship with God was never the same, and they became cursed.

Now God did promise in Genesis 2:17 that if they ate this fruit that they would die, however they didn't physicaly die until hundreds of years later. This is because they died a spiritual death.

Note

You can think of this spiritual death like a tree branch that is cut off from the tree. The branch still appears alive, but the connection to its source of life is severed, and its certain to wither and die.

The Heart of it

As described in Eve's Deception the temptation to eat the fruit was to be like God. However, Adam and Eve were already like God, created in His image, walking with him in the cool of the day, in relationship with Him.

But when it came to this single restriction they chose to follow their will instead of God's will, which was in opposition to each other. Essentially setting themselves up as their own god. And that's the heart of it:

A god unto yourself

It's like saying:

My will be done

Instead of:

Thy will be done

This is rooted in pride and selfishness, which is the opposite of love and the source of all evil. And the thing is, we are no different. Even most Christians are motivated by selfishness without realising it, as Paul says:

For I have no one like-minded, who will sincerely care for your state.
For all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus.

That's just a few years into church history, and Paul has no one except Timothy that isn't selfishly motivated.

Now this is all a result of the work of Satan, trying to reproduce himself in people. Satan wanted to be like the Most High (Isaiah 14:13-14) not in character but in status (which is similar to Adam and Eve following their own will to be like God and thinking they were lacking). This too was totally rooted in pride and selfishness (Ezekiel 28:17, Job 41:34, 1 Timothy 3:6). The same heart and iniquity that was found in Satan, he is trying to establish in every person. So that we conform to his image instead of the One who created us. So that we never come to truly understand the very fundamentals of the Christian faith (outligned later in these docs), and never live a truly transformed life.