Fall of Adam Good?

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER WHILE READING THESE PASSAGES:

• Why did Adam and Eve eat the forbidden fruit?

• Why would God allow the fall to happen?

• Was the fall part of God’s plan or did he want man to stay in the garden forever?

• When Satan was cast out of heaven, why did God place him here on earth with Adam & Eve?

• Would it have been better for man to ignorant of good and evil forever?

• What are the consequences of the fall? Are they all bad or are some good?

• What is the significance of the name of the tree of knowledge of good and evil?

• Could Adam and Eve have children prior to the fall?

VIEWS TO CONSIDER:

• EVANGELICAL VIEW: The fall of man was an active rebellion by Adam and Eve towards God that brought only negative consequences (ex. pain, sin, death, condemnation etc.) to the world. Eve, being deceived by Satan, partook of the forbidden fruit out of a wicked desire to become like God, and Adam, without deception, partook in open rebellion against God.

• LATTER DAY SAINT VIEW: The fall of man was part of God’s plan, being necessary to introduce mankind to the testing grounds of mortality, to procreate and for their obtaining of knowledge and experience that would help them grow and ultimately become more like God. Adam and Eve, at least in part, realized this. Eve partook in order to gain godly knowledge and experience of good and evil. Adam partook in order to keep God’s commandment to remain with Eve his wife and to procreate with her.

CONTENTS:

GENERAL PRINCIPLES RELATED TO THE FALL

• All things are according to God’s sovereign plan & will

• God knew that Adam & Eve would fall

• Solution for the fall was provided before creation

• God created the forbidden tree and placed it in the garden with man

• God named the forbidden tree (with an attractive name)

• God placed Satan & his demons on earth

• God commanded man not to partake of the tree of knowledge of good and evil

• God warned man that partaking would bring death

• God gave Adam the woman as a helper

• God commanded man to cleave to his wife

• Mankind was sinless before the fall

• Mankind did not have a full knowledge of good and evil before the fall

• Mankind was not ashamed of being naked before the fall

• God left man and woman alone in the garden with Satan & the tree

• Satan’s temptation was partly false

• Satan’s temptation was partly true

• The fall was a sin against / transgression of God’s law

• Why did Eve partake?

• Why did Adam partake?

• Purpose of tree of life?

ALL CONSEQUENCES OF THE FALL (GOOD AND BAD)

• Conception multiplied

• Experience

• Fallen state of man

• Glorification of God & Christ

• Joy / Hope of Redemption

• Knowledge of good and evil, obtained

• Man to rule over woman

• Marriage union ends at death

• Obedience learned

• Patience developed

• Physical death / Mortality / Tree of Life protected

• Separation from God

• Sin / Transgression

• Sorrow multiplied

• “Woman” become “Eve” (Mother of All Living)

• Chart: Redeemed mankind will have more than what pre-fall Adam & Eve had

ALL THINGS ARE ACCORDING TO GOD’S SOVEREIGN PLAN & WILL:

• Isa. 46:9 I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure: Calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsel from a far country: yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it

GOD KNEW THAT ADAM & EVE WOULD FALL:

• Job. 23:10 He knoweth the way that I take

• John 21:17 Lord, thou knowest all things

• Acts 15:18 Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world

SOLUTION FOR THE FALL WAS PROVIDED BEFORE CREATION:

• 1 Peter 1:20 Jesus “…was foreordained before the foundation of the world”

• Rev. 13:8 The Lamb slain from the foundation of the world

GOD CREATED THE FORBIDDEN TREE AND PLACED IT IN THE GARDEN:

• Gen. 2:9 And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

GOD NAMED THE FORBIDDEN TREE (WITH AN ATTRACTIVE NAME):

• Gen. 2:17 Of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die

GOD PLACED SATAN & DEMONS ON EARTH:

• Rev. 12:9 Satan… was cast out into the earth, and his angels

GOD COMMANDED MAN NOT TO EAT OF THE TREE OF KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL:

• Gen. 2:16-17 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die

GOD WARNED THAT PARTAKING WOULD BRING DEATH:

• Gen. 2:16-17 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die (Note: This passage says that Adam would day in the same day that he ate of the forbidden fruit. Some have theorized that God extended mortal life from 1 day to a many years, while others quote 2 Peter 3:8: “One day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day“)

GOD GAVE WOMAN TO MAN AS A HELP MEET:

• Gen. 2:18, 3:12 I (God) will give [Adam] an help meet for him… And [Adam] said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat

• Note: The Bible says that the woman was a “help meet” for the man. The Hebrew phrase for “help meet” is “ezer kenegdo“, which means “aid, help, prime root, to protect, to rescue, to save” (ezer) and “corresponding to, counterpart to, equal to matching, fit for” (Kenegdo). It is interesting that the term that God uses for the woman that gave Adam the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil means to “aid, help, prime root, to protect, to rescue, to save”, almost as if to say that God wanted to fall to happen and used Eve to accomplish that.

GOD COMMANDED MAN TO CLEAVE TO HIS WIFE:

• Gen. 2:24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh

MANKIND WERE SINLESS BEFORE THE FALL:

• Gen. 1:27-31 God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them…. And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

MANKIND DID NOT HAVE A FULL KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL: That fact that wearing clothing has always been a part of the Hebrew/Christian faith (and also the fact that heavenly beings are described with wearing clothing) suggests that wearing clothing is goo

• Gen. 2:25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

MANKIND WAS NOT ASHAMED OF BEING NAKED BEFORE THE FALL: Some have suggested that this lack of shame or care regarding clothing and exposed physical bodies may suggest that Adam and Eve did not have physical sexual attraction before the fall, or at least that they did not fully understand the principles of sexuality to some degree.

• Gen. 2:25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

GOD LEFT MAN AND WOMAN ALONE WITH SATAN & THE FORBIDDEN TREE:

• Gen. 3:1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?… she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat… And they heard the voice 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 amongst the trees of the garden.

SATAN’S TEMPTATION WAS PARTLY FALSE:

• Gen. 3:1-5 Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. (Note: In tempting Eve, Satan mixed a lie with a truth. The lie was that Eve would not die if she partook of the fruit. This is a lie, for Eve did partake and she did die).

SATAN’S TEMPTATION WAS PARTLY TRUE:

• Gen. 3:1-5 Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. (Note: Compare to verse 22: “And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil“)

THE FALL WAS A TRANSGRESSION OF / SIN AGAINST GOD’S LAW:

• 1 Tim. 2:14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression

• Rom. 5:14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression.

WHY DID EVE PARTAKE?

• 2 Cor. 11:3 As the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted

• Gen. 3:5-6 God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. 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

• Gen. 3:13 And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat

• Note: What does it mean that Eve was “beguiled“? Hebrew scholar Nehama Aschkenasy points out that the original Hebrew word that was translated as beguiled is a rare verb that has rich and connotative meanings. ‘Beguile’ suggests Eve underwent a deep internal process; she weighed, pondered, and reflected upon the ramifications of partaking of the fruit before she did so. The King James translators, themselves, inheritors of the original sin cultural bias, used the word almost exclusively to mean deceived. They did not capture the original richness of the word” (N. Aschkenasy, Woman, p. 127. Compare B. Campbell, Eve, p. 71)

WHY DID ADAM PARTAKE?

• 1 Tim. 2:14 Adam not deceived, but the woman was in transgression

• Gen. 3:11 – 4:1 Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat… and Adam called his wife’s name Eve; because she was the mother of all living…. And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived

• Note: According to 1 Tim. 2:14, Adam was not deceived in partaking of the fruit. This suggests that he eat purposefully and knowingly. What, then, was his purpose in eating of it? Some had theorized that the fact that Adam was not deceived means either that he didn’t care or that He partook in open rebellion against God. However, when Adam explained to God that his wife gave him the fruit, Adam referred to his wife as “the woman whom thou gavest to be with me“. This comment suggests that Adam likely partook of the fruit purposefully in order keep God’s commandments to be/remain with his wife and to multiply with her. In fact, the revelation that man is to cleave to (to remain with) his even states that he should leave his father and mother in that process (“Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh“, Gen. 2:24), which may suggest that Adam felt that Adam felt that remaining with his wife was justified even if it separate him from his Father (God). This idea may also be supported by the fact that the first thing that Adam did after being cast out of the garden was to know (in the physical sense) his wife and conceive a child with her.

PURPOSE OF THE TREE OF LIFE?

• Gen. 2:16… 3:22-24 Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it… (Adam and Eve fell)… And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever. Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

• Note: It seems clear that partaking of the tree of life was connected with making (or keeping) man immortal. Apparently, if Adam and Eve were to have partaken of it as sinners, they would have lived forever in their sins without any way to be cleansed and forgiven, therefore God protected them from the Tree of Life. This all suggests that God kept man mortal for a time in order to give them time and opportunity to repent of their sins and, through Christ, be forgiven before they are returned to being immortals beings at the final judgment.

ALL CONSEQUENCES OF FALL

CONCEPTION MULTIPLIED:

• Gen. 3:16 Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children. Note: God said that he would multiply the woman’s sorrow “and conception“, not “in conception“. It is clear that the sorrow and conception are connected since the next phrase says, “in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children”, so grouping it all together to conclude that the sorrow of having a child was multiplied is one possible interpretation. However, “and” does naturally suggest that there were two principles that were multiplied, sorrow and conception. Some have assumed that the multiplication of conception refers to an extended length of pregnancy or labor, but the passage specifically says that the woman’s “conception” will be multiplied, not her pregnancy or labor. Conception, even in mortal life, still happens in an instant, so extending the length of conception does not make sense. It is also interesting to note that while God had previously commanded Eve to multiply, it was not until after the fall that God directly states “thou shalt bring forth children“. Therefore, one possible interpretation of the woman’s conception being multiplied is that there was some type of limitation to Eve’s ability to conceive that was removed upon Eve partaking of the forbidden fruit. It is even possible that Eve could not have children until after the fall. This idea is also supported by the fact that it was not until after the fall (yet before conception) that Adam changed the woman’s name from “Woman” to “Eve“, which means, “Mother of All Living“. See the section, “Woman” Became “Eve” (Mother)” section for addition thoughts on this topic.

• Related passage: 1 Tim. 2:13 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety.

EXPERIENCE: The fall brought tribulation which brings experience.

• Rom. 4:3 We glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh… experience

EYES WERE OPENED:

• Gen. 3:5-6 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 the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

FALLEN STATE / SPIRITUAL DEATH OF MAN:

• 2 Tim. 2:24-26 Be gentle unto all men, apt to teach… that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil

• Eph. 2:1-5 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

• Jer. 17:9-16 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings… O Lord, the hope of Israel, all that forsake thee shall be ashamed, and they that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken the Lord, the fountain of living waters…. As for me, I have not hastened from being a pastor to follow thee: neither have I desired the woeful day; thou knowest: that which came out of my lips was right before thee.

• Matt. 9:12 Jesus… said unto them, They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick

• Rom. 3:10-12, As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one. There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips, Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes. Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. (Note: Some have interpreted this passage to mean that every fallen man except for the regenerated Christian) is incapable of seeking God or choosing any good whatsoever. However, it seems clear that this statement is not describing every individual but instead mankind in general, for while it’s true that all men are sinners, not every non-Christian’s “mouth is full of cursing and bitterness“, nor are all of their “feet are swift to shed blood” for there are many very kind and non-violent people of all faiths. This passage is likely simply saying that mankind in general is very wicked and that there are few people (people like the author of Jeremiah) that do follow God and seek Him for forgiveness of their sins.) c

• Rom. 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned

GLORIFACATION OF GOD & CHRIST:

• John 13:31 Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him

• Luke 5:25 Immediately [the healed man] rose up before them, and took up that whereon he lay, and departed to his own house, glorifying God

GROUND CURSED:

• Gen. 3:17-18 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it… cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life, Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field

JOY / HOPE OF REDEMPTION:

• Isa. 12:3 Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation

• Hab. 3:18 Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation

• Ps. 21:1 The king shall joy in thy strength, O Lord; and in thy salvation how greatly shall he rejoice!

• Rom. 4:3 We glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh… hope

• 1 Peter 1:8 Believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable

KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL, OBTAINED:

• Gen. 3:7 The eyes of them both were opened

• Gen. 3:22 God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil

• Note: The name of the forbidden tree implies that the eating of it gave the partaker knowledge not only of evil but of good as well, suggesting that Adam and Eve, though they were sinless and living in God’s presence, could not truly know the good things that they had until they had experienced something of their opposites for themselves. Perhaps man could not truly know and appreciate goodness, health, holiness, the presence of God, joy, immortality etc. without first having experienced some level of sickness, sin, separation from God, sadness, death etc. We see this principle in our mortal lives as well, for a man will not truly appreciate breathing until he has experienced an inability to breath (ex. asthma, drowning etc.), nor can a wealthy man truly know the joy of food if he has never been truly hungry etc.

• Note: God said that mankind came to know good and evil just as He, God, knows those principles. Since mankind did not obtain that godly level of knowledge until after they had experienced evil for themselves, this naturally implies that God may have experienced evil himself somehow at some time in His past.

• Note: Throughout our lives, God encourages man to strive to be like our perfect God and to strive for “godliness” in all things. It seems, then, that obtaining knowledge of good and evil as God has is likely, in some ways, a good thing.

MAN TO RULE OVER WOMAN:

• Gen. 3:1 Unto the woman he said… Thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.

MARRIAGE UNION ENDS AT DEATH? Marriage was originally established while Adam & Eve were immortals (without any indication of it being temporary), suggesting that it was meant to be an eternal union. After all, man and woman were literally made for each other by God. It is not until mankind is in their fallen state that we learn that death ends the marriage union (such as Jesus’ comment below in Matt. 22). Christ, however, overcomes all affects of the fall for believers, and there are various passages that specifically suggest that marriage is forever for God’s people. See the page, “Marriage: Is it eternal?”.

• Matt. 22:24-30 (Wicked men asking) Master, Moses said, If a man die, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. Now there were with us seven brethren: and the first, when he had married a wife, deceased, and, having no issue, left his wife unto his brother: Likewise the second also, and the third, unto the seventh. And last of all the woman died also. Therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven? for they all had her. Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven

• XXX (living spouse no longer bound to spouse that dies)

OBEDIENCE LEARNED: This fallen mortal experience brings a new level of learned obedience to those that experience it, even to the Son.

• Heb. 5:8 Though he were a Son yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered

PATIENCE DEVELOPED: The fall brought tribulation which helps man develop patience.

• Rom. 4:3 We glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh… patience

• James 1:2-3 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience

PHYSICAL DEATH / MORTALITY

• Gen. 3:19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

• Rom. 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned

• Romans 5:14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression

• 1 Cor. 5:15 In Adam all die

• Gen. 2:17 For in the day that thou eatest thereof (of the forbidden fruit) thou shalt surely die

SEPARATION FROM GOD:

• Gen. 3:23-24 The Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

SIN / TRANSGRESSION OF GOD’S LAW:

• Rom. 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God

SORROW MULTIPLIED:

• Gen. 3:16 Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children

“WOMAN” BECAME “EVE” (MOTHER): The woman did not receive the name Mother of All Living (“Eve”) until immediately AFTER the fall, but BEFORE she knew her husband, suggesting that she became able to be a mother upon becoming mortal, suggesting that the fall may have been needed in order to keep the commandment to multiply. This is up for interpretation, but it is interesting.

• Gen. 2:23 And Adam said… she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man

• Gen. 3:6 She did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat

• Gen. 3:9-19 Adam and Eve are told of the consequences of their transgression

• Gen. 3:20 And Adam called his wife’s name Eve; because she was the mother of all living

• Gen. 4:1 And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived

CHART: REDEEMED MANKIND WILL HAVE MORE THAN PRE-FALL ADAM & EVE: All negative consequences of the fall (death, sin etc.) are overcome by Christ, and all positive consequences (experience, knowledge of good and evil etc.) will remain with man. The chart below compares the state of mankind before the fall to the state of redeemed mankind after the final judgment. The comparison suggests that God’s mankind is ultimately better off having experienced mortal life than if they would have remained in the garden forever without knowledge of good and evil, without having experienced pain, sorrow, death, resurrection etc.