If I asked you what the original sin was, what would you say? Some would say it is the love of money, but was there sin before the invention of commerce? Yes! So go further back. Some would say that it was sexual pleasure. I will go further into that later, but that isn't it either.
If you pointed to eating of the forbidden fruit, you'd be much closer. However, what happened before that will make you look at the serpent-Eve dialogue differently - possibly in a way that you can avoid the same temptation in your own life!
We all know the story about the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, yet have you ever wondered why God would place a stumbling block for man? And why was there any rules, unless there was a history of sin in the past. If up to that point, all creation was "good", and the creation of man was "very good", then why in this perfection would there be a rule not to sin?
It turns out, the original sin is not found in Genesis, but in Isaiah chapter 14, starting with verse 12. This is the story of the fall of Lucifer. Gap theory suggests that in between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2 this process began. The original language says "THEN the earth was was without form and void", where just one verse before "God created the heavens and the earth". What destruction must've fallen God's first creation!
Now Ezekiel 28 suggests that Lucifer was an adorned worship leader of the Heavens, but the heart of Lucifer was expressed in Isaiah 14: 13,14:
The chapter goes on to describe the destruction that occurs, well before man was created, and quite possibly explains not only the gap theory, but the evolutionist theories about things that had occurred before the 6 days of Creation.
By Genesis 3, all of Creation was flourishing. The animals were named, and after God and Adam had spent many nights walking through the Garden, God realized that it was not good that Adam was alone in this world. So, as God prepared Adam for surgery, He told Adam not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.
I will explain later about why the name of the tree is important, but for now we need to look into the heart of Lucifer, and the temptation of Eve.
The surgery was a success, and Eve was brought out of the rib (probably womb or heart) of Adam. Not much is provided about their relationship until the serpent presented a tempting suggestion to the woman.
Old texts and teachings show that God was attributed masculine and feminine attributes in One, which is why "a man shall leave his 'father and mother' and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh." From the creation of Eve, to the temptation, Adam was not only recovering from surgery, but the relationship with God seemed to be distant.
We have the whole story, so when asked if Eve was told not to eat of every tree, we usually say "Yes". However, God only had relationship with Adam, and in the conversation with Adam before Eve was conceived, the command to keep from the Tree of the Knowledge was given - Eve was not there. So the real answer is "No".
Eve had no desire to eat from the Tree, and depending on the word of her husband, she stood her ground against the serpent. "Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made" so a little miscommunication would not sway his efforts.
This is when the heart of Lucifer gets applied - "I will be like the Most High!" I would argue that Adam was strengthened by the relationship with God. I know it is not politically correct, but it is Biblically correct to say that Eve, the woman, was a weaker vessel. Either wanting to fill the void in her husband or being jealous (an attribute of God), Eve was open to the next line of the serpent's presentation.
"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." Remember, the heart of Lucifer was to be like the Most High. With this tactic, the serpent says that Eve will be like God, bla bla bla. Eve was looking to fill the void in herself, as well as be the God that Adam no longer had!
Take notice, that Adam and Eve had not become "one flesh" yet. Adam is recovering from surgery and God has left him alone with this woman! Adam had no desire to be God, but to be in relationship with God. Yet, standing with the woman who was part of himself, Adam stood in silence.
Previously, Eve saw no good in eating from this tree, but convinced that she could replace God in Adam's life, it became pleasant and desirable, so she ate. Adam, never knowing deception before, ate what he was offered. I bet things would have turned out a lot different if the serpent tried to tempt Adam!
Whether you think this story is comes from old mythology, patriarchal propaganda, or even as real events, the original sin that we all get tempted with is becoming a god of our own universe. Solomon writes in Lamentations 3:40 "Let us test and examine our way, and let us return to the Lord." Unfortunately, when we make God in our own image, exalt our own thrones above the stars of God, or get distracted in the absence of God's presence, we fail to get the answers to those tests right.
We live in a world that favors confidence, ambition, and charisma. We see someone "bravely" jumping into a battle, taking over businesses, and making us excited about knives that slice and dice tomatoes after sawing through a metal tube. We are in awe of these people, we want to follow these people, we want to be these people. Yet at the end of the day, we have not achieved that greatness and we get drunk in our own self-deception, ignorance, and nakedness.
Adam did not want to achieve greatness - in God's presence, he knew he was "very good". He was already lord of his environment, without desire for those things outside his realm. Here's a few questions to see if you want to be like God, and are in danger of the original sin:
In many of these posts, I have crossed out "you" and wrote "we", because I know that I need work too. Even in the writing of these questions, I realized that there are areas I need to work on.
But, as I found out through time with God - through Bible study and prayer, there is an answer to these temptations:
The question I want to leave with you today is, "Are you a son(daughter) of Satan, or a son(daughter) of God?" Do you want to raise yourself up, or do you want to be raised up? Are you thankful and faithful for what you have or do you seek more without the knowledge of the pitfalls for your own glory?