I’ve heard thousands of sermons over the years. Several I felt were biblically incorrect. Two, in particular, stand out in my mind; both found in Genesis. I’ll cover one here.
It Was Eve’s Fault
First, I’d like to address the commonly held belief that the “fall” was Eve’s fault. Although I do not claim her innocence, the responsibility for the fall lies in Adam’s hands. In Genesis 2:15 the Lord put Adam in the Garden of Eden (to work I might add). In verse 16 God instructed the man to eat from any tree in the garden. The exception came, “you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil,” was given in verse 17.
As the text continues in verse 18 where God decides that the man needed a helper. So, in verse 19 he parades all the animals by Adam to name them. In verse 20 the account states that “the man” gave names to all the livestock, birds and wild animals. Out of all the living creatures, “no suitable helper was found” for Adam.
In the next few verses, God caused Adam to sleep and he used one of his ribs to create a woman. The Bible says, “He [God] brought her to the man.”
In verse 17 God gave Adam the command not to eat from the tree. The woman was created in verse 22. To say that Eve was not present for the earlier command is a moot point considering she didn’t even exist at that point.
And Then The Fall
Genesis chapter three begins with the account of the serpent’s interaction with Eve. Her first mistake was talking to a snake. We’ve all done it, most times with conviction in our hearts. Like all conversations with snakes, it ended badly.
God told Adam, “when you eat from it you will certainly die.” As the story unfolds it’s obvious that she got her information second hand. Eve’s understanding is that “you must not touch it, or you will die.” God never said they couldn’t touch it.
After the snake planted seeds of doubt, Eve started to entertain options she’d never explored before. Verse 6 says, “When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye,…” Obviously, she had not taken the time to consider the tree before her encounter with the doubter. Later in the same verse, “she took some and ate it.” However, nothing happened; their eyes were not opened, and she did not die.
Then Eve Screwed Up
Next, she gave some to her husband. The text does say he was with her. As her protector and the one who got the command first-hand, he should have intervened. He was there. He overheard the conversation and knew what she was handing him. The final phrase of verse 6 says he ate it. Verse 7 exclaims, “Then the eyes of both of them were opened,…”
When Eve ate some, nothing happened. Her actions did not cause their eyes to be opened. After she ate she handed some fruit to Adam. When Adam ate the fruit their eyes were opened; proving my point.
In conclusion, all the sermons blaming Eve for The Fall are biblically incorrect. In other words, the responsibility was Adam’s and he was the only one who could cause the fall, or avoid it.
We are full-time travelers. My husband installs solar farms all over the country while I take care of us, design, and write. Traveling with us are our dog, Spotty, and Princess our cat. Full-time travel was always my dream. We have a large RV, house on wheels and are planning a camper van for weekend escapes. The Lord has blessed us greatly and as we travel this great country.
Our little traveling family.
Check out my other God Said posts or my website and other blogs:
- Chelsi Graphics, LLC
- Call CG online education for small businesses
- RV Lifestylers travel blog
Blessings and peace!