Adam and Eve did not see beyond the beautiful fruit to the sin and death that would come to the whole world because of their actions; they only saw that “the fruit of the tree was…pleasing to the eye” (Genesis 3:6 NIV).
But their deception would be short-lived; in partaking of that forbidden fruit, in sinning against God, this is what happened:
Genesis 3:7-13 ESV Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. (8) And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. (9) But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” (10) And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” (11) He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” (12) The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” (13) Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
Question 3. What bad things happened because of Adam and Eve’s sin?
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The following were the consequences of Adam and Eve’s disobedience:
Adam and Eve recognized they were naked; that is, they were without a covering. They suddenly felt open and exposed to the wrath of a holy God. They tried to cover themselves by their efforts of making fig leaves, but their attempts were futile.
Adam and Eve were filled with fear. For the first time, they hid from God. God had said, “the day you eat of it you will certainly die” (Genesis 2:17). Sin and disobedience cause fear of punishment.
Adam and Eve became self-centered. This is the first recorded time that Adam used the word “I” and he used it four times in one sentence. “I, I, I, I.” Sin makes us self-absorbed and self-centered.
Adam and Eve blame-shifted. When confronted with what they had done, Adam blamed Eve, and Eve blamed the serpent. Sin blinds us to our sin and causes us to blame others, to point the finger at other people in offering up an explanation for what we’ve done.
During my time of sexual impurity, each one of the above characteristics was starkly evident in my life. I became fear-based and self-centered. I blamed my sin on my wife, my poor upbringing, and pretty much anything I could think of to show that it wasn’t my fault.
Question 4. Of the four effects of sin listed which one(s) can you see has been in your own life? Please share.
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Samuel writes, "I've experienced each of these when sin dominated my life. I felt naked and exposed to God's wrath, I was filled with fear, even to the point I was sometimes afraid to leave the house fearing that God will strike me down and punish me. I was completely self centered, rather than looking to the cross, I always looked to myself and how bad I was. And I would blame others for my actions and ways. Whether it was blaming them for my anger or other sins, I was upset or led to believe "she" was the issue."
Olumide writes, "All of them but mostly the first 3. I always knew I was responsible for my own sin. I couldn't blame anyone as I chose to do the things that would bring me pleasure even though I knew that they were wrong and sinful. However, the lack of blame-shifting increased the fear of judgment and punishment and the knowledge that I was completely without excuse and therefore exposed to God's Holy Judgement and wrath. I became even more self-centered and self-absorbed. Everything was about me and how I felt."