Fall of Man

Overview

• Testament: Old
• Book: Genesis 3
• Summary: Adam and Eve disobey God by eating the forbidden fruit, bringing sin, shame, and death into the world.

Details

The serpent, described as “more subtil than any beast of the field,” tempted Eve by questioning God’s word and lying — “Ye shall not surely die.” Eve saw that the tree was good for food, pleasant to the eyes, and desirable for wisdom, and ate. She gave to Adam, and he ate.

Immediate consequences:

• Eyes opened — they knew they were naked
• Shame — sewed fig leaves
• Fear of God — hid themselves
• God confronted them — each tried to blame someone else
• Judgment pronounced on serpent, woman, and man
• Expelled from Eden
• God clothed them in animal skins (first sacrifice/atonement)

Despite judgment, God promised a Redeemer: “It shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel” (Genesis 3:15) — the proto-evangelium, first gospel promise.

Key People Involved

• Adam — Ate the fruit, blamed Eve
• Eve — Tempted by serpent, ate first
• The serpent — Identified as Satan (Revelation 12:9, 20:2)

Key Places

• Eden — Where the Fall occurred

Important Verses

• “And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.” — Genesis 3:6
• “And unto the woman he said… I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.” — Genesis 3:16
• “And unto Adam he said… And unto the seed of the woman shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” — Genesis 3:15

Cross-References

• Romans 5:12-21 — Sin entered through one man, grace through one Man
• 1 Corinthians 15:21-22 — “In Adam all die… in Christ all made alive”
• Revelation 12:9 — Serpent identified as devil/Satan
• Genesis 3:15 — First promise of Christ