Satan tempted Adam and Eve to disobey God, and they did. This unleashed several punishments, the consequences of which are felt still to this day. This devotion questions where mankind would be if they had not sinned.
Nuggets
- Satan convinced Adam and Eve to eat the forbidden fruit.
- Punishment was meted out to all three.
- We still feel the consequences of that original sin.
- If they would not have sinned, Adam and Eve probably would have continued to live in the Garden of Eden with direct contact with God.
- If they hadn’t sinned, Jesus would not have had to die as a sacrifice for our sins.
- We may not have known the depth of Jesus’ love for us if He had not had to die.
Adam and Eve had a cushy job. They were caretakers of the Garden of Eden. “He gave names to all the livestock, all the birds of the sky, and all the wild animals …” (Gen. 2: 20 NLT). We don’t know how long they were able to enjoy this job.
God gave man just one restriction. “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’” (Gen. 2: 16-17 NIV).
Yep, that didn’t end well. But what would have happened if they hadn’t sinned? Let’s process this.
Let's Put It into Context
“The woman saw that the tree was good for food and delightful to look at, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it; she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it” (Gen. 3: 6 CSB)
Satan talked Eve into taking a bite, who then offered the fruit to Adam. Adam didn’t put up a fuss at all but just bit. There was punishment for all three of them — and, by extension, us.
God dealt with Satan first because He knew that was the root of the sin. The serpent was going to be a ground crawler and have a really bland diet of dust (Gen. 3: 14). This is where (most) women got the fear of snakes (Gen. 3: 15). Verse 15 is a prophecy of the coming Messiah.
Eve was dealt with next. She not only sinned, but she also led others to sin. Her consequences were pain in childbearing and strife in her marriage (Gen. 3: 16). Wives would become subject to their husbands.
Even though Adam just went with the flow, he encountered punishment, too. (Yes, he was punished for listening to his wife [Gen. 3: 17]). He was going to have to work hard — do tough, physical labor to eat. But the ultimate punishment was that mankind would now know death (Gen. 3: 19).
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Glossary
Consequences of the Sin
It is easy to take things literally here. I think we need to really look at what this means.
The ground was cursed because Adam listened to Eve (Gen. 3: 17). We can look at it as just weeds and challenging farming conditions.
I think we need to look at this as the Earth as a whole. This is where tornados, hurricanes, famine, drought, flooding, climate change and more came into being. God’s perfect paradise was thrown off kilter because two people got selfish.
We can look at the punishment on mankind as a whole, too. Since Death entered the picture (Gen, 3: 19), we had to have a cause of death. This is where disease reared it’s ugly head. Everything from wars to I-want-the-money-in-your-wallet-or-I’ll-kill-you also showed up. This is where the body started to just wear out (with the help of accidents).
But we aren’t just talking physical Death here. We are talking spiritual death, too. Adam and Eve were forced to leave the Garden and God’s presence.
Family strife started here, but it probably soon escalated outside the family. Yes, Cain kill Abel at the start of Genesis 4, but a lot of times our mindset and personality doesn’t change all that much just because we are talking to non-family. If we feel we are being mistreated in some way by one person who happens to be family, it is easier for us to think more people are mistreating us.
Let’s just sum it up in a really simple sentence. The consequences of Adam and Eve’s sin are still being felt today in a significant way.
If Adam and Eve Hadn’t Sinned
But what if Adam and Eve didn’t bite? What if they would have overcome the temptation? Temptation is a suggestion in our mind that would lead us to sin rather than following God’s Will. It is also that period of time between conception and execution of doing what is sinful.
I bet they would have kept on living in the Garden of Eden. They would have kept on being caretakers of the Earth. It wouldn’t have been the back-breaking job that farming became.
Adam and Eve would have continued to have direct contact with God. “And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day …” (Gen. 3: 8 ESV). Yes, it does make it sound like they were on their own during the day. It doesn’t sound like this visit was a first-time occurrence.
Adam and Eve would have lived in harmony. Marital strife wouldn’t have even been considered. The battle of the sexes wouldn’t have raged. In fact, no conflict would have been par for the course.
It is probably safe to assume that we would have just grown closer and closer to God. Since we wouldn’t have to focus on the bad stuff, we could have focused on strengthening our relationship with Him.
Or Would We Have Lived Happily Ever After?
Hmmmm. Anyone else think that wouldn’t have happened? I don’t.
Yes, maybe Adam and Eve wouldn’t have sinned. Someone else would have.
Why do I say this? Before God even created the universe — and us on it — He designed the Plan of Salvation. Jesus was going to come and be our Savior from the get go.
That mean someone had to disobey God. If it wouldn’t have been Adam and Eve, it would have been someone.
Glossary
Because Adam and Eve Sinned
How do we grow? Is it during the times that are smooth sailing? No, we learn through our trials. We gain assurance of God’s love when we cling to it during the storms of our lives.
When do we seek God? We seek Him when we need to hang onto Him.
Would we have grown this close to God if we would have stayed in the Garden? Yes, we’ve had to put up with a lot of bad — some really bad. Did we benefit in the long run?
If we wouldn’t have sinned, Jesus would not have had to die. Yes, if it would have been us, we would have been saying, “Why couldn’t those crazy kids just do what they were told?”
Jesus willingly came to be the sacrifice to restore our relationship with God. If He wouldn’t have come, would we know the extent of His love for us? Would we know the extent of God’s?
Making the Connections
I think everything happens for a reason. “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven” (Ecc. 3: 1 ESV).
It may not have been Adam and Eve’s reason. It would be hard for us to say it was Jesus’ reason since everything landed on Him.
I would say it is our reason. God allowed the original sin to happen because this is the way we needed it to happen for the most growth.
Read through the “a time to” list in Ecclesiastes 3. One of them is “… a time to break down, and a time to build up” (Ecc. 3: 3 ESV). God knows we need to be broken and put back together the right way.
Look back at Adam. He just went along with what someone else told him was the right thing to do. He still suffered consequences because, even though he was talked into it, he still committed the sin.
I can’t help but equate that to what we’ve been talking about the last couple of days. The worldview says we are just supposed to tolerate others committing sin. We are being dragged into sin because we don’t want to be seen as the only ones not accepting what everyone else thinks.
When we hear “subjected to,” we think of the negative connotation of abuse. God did not intend that. He was going for the other definition — being subjected to someone else’s control or rule. If you look at the Proverbs 31 woman, this wasn’t meant to be a bad thing.
Someone has to be in charge. Too many leaders and no followers is not a good thing.
It is kind of interesting to me that Eve made a conscious decision to sin, and her punishment focused on women. Adam comes off as kind of a wimp here, but all mankind felt his punishment.
How Do We Apply This?
We can be sad that Adam and Eve’s disobedience started all of the bad stuff. We messed up God’s perfect creation.
But we have to get over it. God allowed things to happen exactly how they needed to happen. If this wouldn’t have been the best way, God would have done things differently.
It means we have to work twice as hard to make sure our relationship with God is where it needs to be. We need to strive for the Garden closeness without the Garden stroll.
One day, there will be a new Heaven and earth. We will get to take the Garden strolls again because we will be in His presence. We have to watch and work for that.
Loving Father. You are in control of everything. Things do not happen because You do not allow them to happen. Everything that happens is because You allow it. You allowed Adam and Eve to sin because You gave them free will. You allow us to choose to sin because of our free will. Lord, forgive us when we choose the way of the world over Your way. Help us to do Your Will in all that we do. We look forward to the day we see you face to face. Amen.
What do you think?
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I love to think about that, truth is though, with a free will someone else probably would have. They did and were perfect, thank God for Jesus coming back and overcoming for us.
Rebecca, you bring up a good point. If we don’t do what God is calling us to do, someone else will — and get the blessing that could have been ours! Yes, someone else would have committed the sin if Adam and Eve hadn’t. But things worked out exactly as God knew it would.
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How would our lives be right now if Adam and Eve would have obeyed God? Would our lives be much different?
I know. But we say actions speak louder than words. Their sin allowed God to show us how much He loves us and how far He would go to reconcile us to Him. We can know without a shadow of a doubt He loves us. It is just so sad that we have to be so stubborn and self-centered. Thanks for your comment.
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What Would Have Happened If Adam and Eve Hadn’t Sinned? – Seeking God with Elaine
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Barnum effect?
If adam and eve didn’t sinned I can imagine them living forever not dying or diease
I hope that would be the case. But would we really know how much God loves us? Elaine
I think, the death as the consequence of sin doesn’t mean physical death, it meant spiritual, that even if Adam and Eve wouldn’t sin, physical death would be there, since it is not regarded as death, just a sleepover and transfer method to the original being (Spiritual world/Heaven) suppose mankind living forever and reproducing, could the Earth manage inhabitants? Of course no, there must be generation exchange, but living forever spiritually under the presence of God.
I agree that it means spiritual death, but I also think it means physical death. Disease was not part of Adam and Eve’s life until after they committed the original sin. Therefore, neither was physical death. I disagree that they would have transferred to anywhere else. I believe that they would have stayed in the Garden because they had access to God there. The Earth would manage anything God decreed.
There would be no need for he’ll or heaven or death. Heaven would be earth . It would be hard to fathom still having free will that no one will sin although having God in our lives daily would be eno