In the narrative flow of the Bible, we move very quickly towards the introduction of a major problem. Adam and Eve are tempted, they give in, they sin, and they are expelled from the garden. It may seem too severe, but their actions were significantly harmful. In some sense, eating the fruit changed them. “Their eyes were opened.” (3:7) The relationship with their creator was altered. In their rebellion they stopped trusting in God and rejected his right to rule over them. Once we step outside of a relationship in which God is supreme and where we live dependently as his created beings – then everything gets turned upside down. At the same time, we see God’s first act of grace. Adam and Eve do not die immediately, but it appears that an animal is killed in their place. They are clothed with animal skins and expelled from the garden. Their relationship with the created world is now cursed, and they cannot access the fruit of the Tree of Life – death will find them. But God also promises that one day a seed from the woman will crush the head of the tempting serpent. (3:15) In the following chapters, we see what life is like “East of Eden.” It is not a pretty picture. Brother kills brother, and violent boasting becomes the order of the day. It is going to be a mess.
Reflect: How do we face temptations that are similar to that faced by Adam and Eve? In particular, how might we be tempted to pursue knowledge apart from God, or to disbelieve God’s description of what is dangerous and what is good?
Connect: Romans 1-3 describes humanity after the fall, where we all live, “East of Eden.”
Romans 3:9-12 For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”
