Sin

Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

Genesis 3:1

Sin begins with the temptation to not believe God. All sin is born out of unbelief.

And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.

Genesis 3:2-3

There are several things to note in these two verses. One, Adam has failed to accurately pass on God’s commands to his wife. Two, God’s Law has been added to either by Adam or his wife. Either way, we can see that unbelief grows into a change of God’s Law. This results in a failed discipleship, and the ultimate result of all of this is what happens next.

And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:

Genesis 3:4

The next step in sin is an outright denial of God’s truth. First, God’s truth is doubted (unbelief,) then it is changed, it is then not passed on, and ultimately it is then outright denied.

For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

Genesis 3:5

Sin is always portrayed as God not loving us and desiring our very best. The temptation is always that God is withholding something good from us. Sin is ultimately an unbelief in the good nature of God, or more accurately, sin is a refusal to glorify God by accurately portraying Him to the world.

Sin is also a portrayal of self as god. Sin is playing god and living as if we were the ultimate authority of right and wrong. Sin is living outside of the Lordship of Christ.

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

Sin here appeals to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. Part of sin’s deception is that it is always enticing. Sin rarely takes its insidious form. There is always that appearance of good in sin. This is why we are called to walk by faith, not sight.

In this same passage we see the complete breakdown of God’s ordained order. First, Adam is not discipling his wife, enforcing God’s law, and protecting his wife. He is following her. In short, Adam is refusing to take dominion as he has been commanded. Second, Eve is not submitting herself to her head. She is instead the one leading. She is not helping her husband in his task. She is in fact helping to destroy the work that he has been given to undertake.

Sin here is a colossal failure of faith, dominion, masculinity, femininity, marriage, discipleship, etc.