The First Family (Part 1): Adam and Eve’s Relevance in 2013

*Part 1 of 3: An in-depth look at the first five chapters of the Book of Genesis*

Can you count how many times you hear someone tell you how irrelevant the Bible is? Have you been insulted by others because of this ancient book that doesn’t evolve with society? That’s right – the Bible doesn’t evolve. The Bible is the Word of an unchanging God; a God who was the same in the beginning and is the same today in 2013. God doesn’t change to accept sin, He doesn’t change to make humans feel better about themselves, and God expects the same from us just as He expected from Adam and Eve.

We all know the beginning of creation and Christians cite the Book of Genesis for the story of creation. But do you know the importance and relevance of Adam and Eve today? The first family: Adam, Eve, Cain, Abel, and Seth. Just as dysfunctional as any family in today’s time: deception, lying, lack of accountability, murder, people putting themselves before God – and so on. But let’s take a look at how this dysfunction plays a very important role in society in 2013.

Starting in the second chapter of Genesis, we are introduced to Adam and Eve. Genesis 2:7 “The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” So there was Adam. Just Adam. There he was surrounded by God’s creation – food, animals, the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God commanded Adam to not eat from that tree of knowledge of good and evil and Adam obeyed. Genesis 2:18 “The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”

God found that there was no suitable helper already created and so, God created Eve. “The man and his wife were both naked and they felt no shame.” Genesis 2:25

Now Chapter 3 of Genesis is where things get real interesting – thanks all to temptation of sin. The first lie in all of creation was uttered in Genesis 3:4 “‘You will surely not die,’ the serpent said to the woman.” And because this first lie worked – all of humanity has been listening to the lies of the serpent ever since. We’re so used to believing that we will not die – because each sin is coated in gratification and instant physical reward…you will surely not die. You surely will die. If Satan had a tombstone, it would read “You will surely not die.” Very fitting, don’t you think?

What happened in the story of Adam and Eve is incredibly crucial in today’s world: we can lead others to sin. If we are not mindful of God’s word, if we allow temptation and sin to enter into our lives – not only does it lead us on a path of self-destruction, it will have a ripple effect and lead others on that same path. Think of what happened after Adam and Eve ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; not only did they feel shame and attempt to hide from God, but they didn’t own up to their actions. Adam blamed God for putting Eve there. Eve blamed the serpent. No one bothered to blame themselves. Eve was created to be Adam’s helper; she helped him straight to the path of sin. Therefore, if we do not lead a life that resists temptation and sin, we will fall victim to sinful self-destruction, we will lead others to sinful behaviors and self-destruction. 

Chapter 3 of Genesis is a powerful message, as we read of the first sin attack God’s creation. The first lust is located in Genesis 3:6 “When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate it.” That passage is filled with lust that humans must wrestle with everyday. Adam and Eve never repented, they felt shame, they hid, they blamed.

And all the way back in chapter 3 of Genesis – God makes mention of the new covenant. Yes, Jesus was present in the Old Testament. Jesus was present at the time of the creation. More importantly, Jesus was part of the plan from day one. Genesis 3:15 “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head and you will strike his heel;” that is none other than Christ’s victory over Satan.

Despite the sin that Adam and Eve participated in, despite the lack of repentance – God never abandoned them. This is evident because their story continues. In fact, God continued to care for them; He provided them coverings to hide their nakedness. He didn’t make their lives easy – He did make note that there were consequences for their sin. Isn’t that how sin works? When we sin, we struggle in life. When we sin, we become idolaters and we distance ourselves from God. God never leads us to sin, God never leads us to spiritual death; sin leads us to struggles, sin leads us to death. Just like Adam and Eve – they struggled and could not just eat from the tree of life. They were separated from the Garden of Eden and were not permitted to eat from the tree of life. What is the tree of life? Jesus.

Genesis 2:9 “And the Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground – trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” John 14:6 “Jesus answered, “I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.””
1 John 5:12 “He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.”

Adam and Eve were forbidden and cast out of Eden so they could not just take from the tree of life; they had to serve out the consequence of their sin – yet God did not abandon them. God did not forget about them; regardless of what they did, God was still their father, their creator. God still cared for them.