Original Sin(s)

That sinful woman, Eve. If not for her, we'd still be living in the Garden. That is a paraphrased conversation I've heard many times from various folks about Genesis. But what exactly happened there?

You know the story, in Genesis 3 the human race is expelled from the Garden for eating forbidden fruit. What is the first sin? Look at Genesis 3:6.

When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food (gluttony) and pleasing to the eye (lust/idolatry), and also desirable for gaining wisdom (envy/distrust), she took some and ate it (rebellion/disobedience). She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. (enticement)

I am sure there are other interpretations of the sin there, but wow, all those sins mixed up in one act. Shame on Eve!

<Tangent>I think this is why God pays attention when we fast. It makes a special statement to him that we would forego food!</Tangent>

But what was the rule that she broke here? The woman told the serpent in Genesis 3:3 "God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’"

Oh really? That's not what I read in Genesis 2:16-17, when God told Adam "And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” Eve wasn't around yet, she wasn't created until verse 22 of that chapter. So, Adam was told "don't eat" by God, but Eve was told "don't eat, don't touch" by Adam.

<Tangent>A friend of mine (LB) observed that so often we attempt to improve on God's laws, and set the boundary much farther back than God does. In Exodus 23:19, 34:26 and Deuteronomy 14:21 we see "Do not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk" and several thousand years later milk and meat can't be in the same refrigerator in some households.</Tangent>

I am sure Adam was doing his best to make sure they never got anywhere close to breaking God's one rule. But when Eve touched the fruit and didn't die, I posture that it was not a leap for her to bite into the fruit, since the first part of the rule was proven false (because it was). God not like it when we add to or take away from his word, perhaps this is why. <Tangent>Perhaps this was Adam's first sin?</Tangent>

But what I really find interesting is in the latter part of  Genesis 3:6. It says "She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it."

Did you catch that? He was with her the entire time. He listened to the same speech given by the serpent. There is no dialog recorded with him in this situation. There was no "Hey Eve, hold up, have we really thought this through?" Another scripture, James 4:17 talks about knowing the good we ought to do and not doing it. Adam knew what Eve was about to do was wrong, but did not act to interfere.

I conclude that both of them sinned at the same time, neither is more to blame than the other. And I also see  the first evidence for the cliche that "the road to hell is paved with good intentions".