Eve’s Fall
Humans underestimate the power of self. Satan understood its power so when it came to tempting Eve, he knew that the best way to capture her attention was to glorify herself. In Genesis, he doesn’t just beguile her concerning her beauty, but gives her something that feeds the hunger of self-glorification. He tells her “you will be like God.” You will know “good from evil.” You will ascend and be mightier, and wiser.
These are the exact issues that made Satan himself fall. He knew that if it had worked on himself it was bound to work on human beings. Isaiah 14:13-14 says, “For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God… I will be like the most high.” It was the same mode of thinking he instilled in Eve’s heart that had caused him to make the great decision to challenge God’s justice. In this way, Eve also challenged God’s love for her and Adam and boldly decided to trust this talking serpent over the God of creation.
Christ did just the opposite. He emptied Himself of His glory. We can never truly imagine how much Christ condescended to save us. It was such a shock that Satan was thrown into a fury of astonishment because He knew what Christ was before and what He had sacrificed in becoming human. It was so foreign to Satan’s selfish nature that this act of Christ could not be imagined by the prince of darkness.
Eve wasn’t just deceived by a talking serpent, she held on to a promise which she “desired” to hold on to. A promise that she would be greater than God had already made her. That she would “become like the most high.” Instead of humbling her mind and heart to accept what God had already given, she chose to put matters into her own hands and receive this “extra” power that was kept from her.
Eve’s first mistake was disobeying God’s warning to not stray from her husband’s side for there is strength in unity (Genesis 2:24).
Her second mistake was playing with fire in being curious concerning “why” God kept this beautiful fruit from them and coming near unto it (Genesis 2:16,17).
Her third mistake was distrusting God’s love for them (Proverbs 3:5-6).
Her fourth mistake was listening to Satan instead of running away (Proverbs 4:14-15).
Her fifth mistake was letting self take the place of reason (Matthew 4:10).
And lastly, her mistake was in inducing Adam to join her (Romans 14:13b).
The first sin could have been avoided had Eve not allowed her mind to dwell on the desire of self-glorification in Satan’s temptation that they would be like God. Self was the beginning of Satan’s fall and is his driving force in the Great Controversy with Christ.
Adam’s Fall
The Bible tells us that “Adam was not deceived, but the woman” (Timothy 2:14 also Romans 5:12, 14; 1 Corinthians 15:21; 2 Corinthians 11:3). But Eve’s power of persuasion, with his own love for her, urged him to share her fate. Instead of waiting until he should have the opportunity to talk about the whole tragic matter with God, he took his fate into his own hands. Adam’s fall is the more tragic because he did not doubt God, nor was he deceived like Eve; he fully understood that God’s judgement would come true.
It was the willful choice of Adam, in the full knowledge of God’s clear command that made sin and death the unavoidable destiny of humans. Had Adam remained faithful to God in spite of Eve’s disobedience, the Lord would yet have solved the problem for him and avoided the deadly destiny disaster for men.
In His service,
BibleAsk Team
