35 thoughts on “The serpent is to blame for Eve’s sin.”

1. If “teshuqa” means to run back and forth, and if it has an ABSTRACT meaning (as you say), then I don’t see why it would be justified to make the whole “story” out of this word. God gave to Eve painful childbirth. Why, if she was allowed to stay in a perfect Garden? And with whom would she have children, if she was separated from Adam who was banished? And if she decided to join Adam, didn’t she then committ the sin that Jesus warned us about in Luke 14:26-27?
   There are many presuppositions here in your story. Yes, God didn’t curse Eve. But does that prove that she was not culpable? God said that she will have painful childbirth. God didn’ curse Adam EITHER. And he will have a hard time working the soil. So I don’t se why Adam should be culpable but Eve not?
   Gen 3:24 says that God banished the MAN (ha adam). But in Gen 1:27 we have again “ha adam”, but it obviously refers to BOTH of them (“male and female He created them”). You need to understand that the word “adam” usually refers to Adam as an individual person only when it comes WITHOUT the article (ha). But when it comes with the article, it often refers to mankind. In english, we also often say “man” refering to humans in general.
   Eve “named the enemy”. Well, we could say it that way. Or, we could just say that she told the truth. Just like Adam did. The truth was that serpent deceived Eve. The truth was that Eve gave the fruit to Adam. They both told the truth. But they both told only half of the truth. And they both wanted to make it look as if someone else is the main culprit for their sins. God asked Adam “what did YOU do?”. He asked Eve the SAME question. Neither of them gave a full admission of what THEY have done. Eve should have admitted that she was wrong not to obey His word. Adam too. But they wanted to find other culprits. “Naming the enemy” is NOT what God asked Eve to do. He asked her what SHE has done.
   You are right that in the state of being deceived we are deluded. But you forget that often we have the ability and the responsability NOT to allow ourselves to be deceived. Paul said many times to the believers: “do not be deceived”. He said in 2 Thessalonians 2:9-11 that those who believe a lie don’t have the love for the truth! So we ARE guilty if we believe some lies! We have the ability not to let ourselves to be deceived! Or do you believe that Eve couldn’t POSSIBLY resist the temptation? If so, then God is not love, for He allowed such a temptation to occur (see 1 Corinthians 10:13).
   You say correctly that God gives mercy to those who are deceived and ignorant. But I showed in a recent post that God ALSO gives mercy to those who willfuly sin, like David. So there is no valid reason to assume that Adam didn’t receive mercy, but only Eve.
   These are my arguments.

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   1. They are valid points, and I appreciate you thinking through this with me. I’ll let you have the last word! 😁

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2. pkwms66,
   I have had trouble with the interpretation of this story as well. Read the comment I left above. I believe as you that Adam’s SIN was the problem, not that ADAM sinned. His sin was not like most sins. It was outright rebellion against His loving creator by joining the side of the enemy. But Eve named the enemy, and because of that God predicted that Satan would war with woman. But God prophesied that woman would be victorious. Her heir would defeat him. (Gen 3:15). Eve is LIVING, alive! As Adam calls to her after this whole fiasco. I believe she is not perfect, but she is spiritually alive, whereas Adam is kicked out and banished from the life giving tree. Keeping thinking and working through what you believe! I’ve written quite a bit on it. You can check out my tab WOMEN for more articles on the fall under Teshuqa Turnings.Thanks for commenting!

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3. Dejan Pil,

   Good points. I agree with you that Paul used Eve as a lesson to teach against falling for deceit. Being deceived is by no means a good thing. But again, in the words of Malcolm Gladwell “When you are deluded, you don’t know you’re deluded. You can’t be reminded or educated – you’re oblivious.” Her actions were shameful and wrong, but I believe Eve was shown mercy because she acted in ignorance and unbelief.

   If you notice in the “curses” portion of the story, Eve does not receive the words, “Because you have done this…” in God’s spoken consequences. She is nowhere “Cursed are you ”. That language is conspicuously absent when God speaks to her. There is no curse for Eve, no words of culpability. Instead, she is named as the serpent’s enemy. She and her children will be at war with Satan. The WOMAN named the enemy correctly as she has been persecuted for it throughout history, culminating with the death of Jesus. There are certainly terrible consequences for her brought about by the destruction of the order of things due to sin. But when we get to the end of the fall story, what do we find about Eve’s ultimate consequence? Is she asked to leave God’s presence? Gen 3:21-24. No, it is the man who is banished from the tree of life. But, we find Eve outside the garden in chapter 4. She has turned to Adam as God predicted she would (Gen 3:16 – tesuqua). I’ve written a good deal on this, but here is a good sampling: https://kbonikowsky.wordpress.com/2016/09/20/teshuqa-turnings-genesis-316/

   Thank you for the conversation! I don’t mind the long responses, and I hope I’ve help you understand what you believe better, even if I couldn’t sway you to my understanding. 🙂 May God bless you!

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4. I agree that God looks at the heart, the motives. So the question is: what exactly were Eve’s motives and what exactly were Adam’s motives? I think we need to be very careful when we try to answer this. It is easy to misjudge other persons’ motives. We need to carefully investigate the biblical data about their motives.

   Someone’s guilt depends basically on 2 things:
   1) responsability
   2) motives

   Responsability depends largely on ability, including knowledge. Adam knew that they will die if they eat the fruit (Gen 2:17). Eve also knew that (3:3). So they both had this basic KNOWLEDGE of the prohibition and the consequences. Did they both had the ABILITY to obey it? I believe they had. The serpent (satan) didn’t have some hard facts. He only gave them some material for rationalization, right? But he didn’t give them some real proofs that God was wrong. Anyway, God would not be just and loving, if He had allowed so great a temptation which Adam and Eve COULDN’T possibly resist. So they both had the responsability and the ability to resist the temptation.

   So, while I agree with you that Adam had the responsability and the ability to refuse the fruit, to stop Eve and to consult with God first, I can’ understand why shouldn’ the same obligations be applied to Eve? She ALSO had the responsability and the ability to consult with God first and to refuse eating the fruit. Right? 🙂

   Now what about their MOTIVES?

   You only say that Eve believed eating was good, not wrong. But what EXACTLY were her motives for eating? She had this information coming from the serpent – eating is good for her, because she will not die, but will be LIKE GOD and gain wisdom. So her motives were to be like God and to gain wisdom. Indeed, she believed it is good for her to eat, but WHY did she believe that? Because she wanted to be like God and to gain wisdom! Is this a noble motive, or a selfish one?

   Now remember, even if this was a completely noble motive (which I doubt), Eve is still guilty, since she didn’t act responsably – doing what she knew was God’s will and asking God first. She DIDN’T have good intentions, unless she had the intention to ask God first, before making the decision. As I explained before, we are not always innocent when we are deceived. We often do some “self-deceiving” (ego defense mechanisms) and we often rationalize, when our wishes and impulses (in psychology this is called “id”) and believes/ideals (“superego”) come into the conflict with our CONSCIENCE.

   Now what were Adam’s motives? He was probably not deceived, although there is a possibility that he was convinced by Eve that it is good to eat the fruit (Paul doesn’t say that this is excluded – he only says that he was not deceived by the SNAKE).
   But let’s say that he wasn’t deceived in any way. He believed it was wrong to eat the fruit. So WHY did he do it? Did he WANT to die? I don’t think so! Genesis 3:17 says he listened to Eve. Why? If he wasn’t deceived, there is one other possibility – he did it out of his LOVE for Eve. He couldn’t imagine living without her. Jesus warned us about this type of sin. He said in Luke 14:26-27 (and in Matthew 10 and in other places in NT), that we should not love our family members MORE than we love Him. So this was probably Adam’s sin. It is not easy to discard our close relations with people we love, even if we know we should do it for Jesus.

   So Adam sinned in this way. And Eve loved being like God and having wisdom. Her sin is also typical. Paul warned Corinthians (2 Chorinthians ch 11) and Galatians (ch. 3), that they should not let themselves be deceived with some tempting messages, like Eve did. Paul certainly BLAMED them for this kind of sin (it seems to me you didn’t notice this :))!

   So who is more guilty – Adam or Eve? First, I don’t think the Bible wants us to inquire about this, at all! THEY were involved in the childish and sinful “blame-game” in Gen 3, but we should be more mature. When God asked Adam why he did it, he said Eve gave him the fruit. When God asked Eve why she did it, she said the serpent deceived her. They BOTH told the truth (here again I disagree with you!). And NEITHER of them answered God’s question directly and honestly, because they both wanted to make it look like SOMEONE ELSE was the main culprit for their sins. But in reality, they THEMSELVES were the main culprits for their sins. We saw that they both had the ability and the responsability to obey God and not to indulge in satisfying their desires that were not in accord with His will.

   In the last post I gave you some verses that show that being deceived and ignorant doesn’t necessarily mean that someone isn’t gulity. Now you say (correctly) that ignorance and unbelief are reasons for God to show mercy. But are these the ONLY reasons? David sinned WILLFULLY agains Batsheeba and Uriah. He PLANNED the whole thing! But nevertheless he received God’s mercy and he accepted that mercy with repentance and faith, just like Paul did (David had to DIE because of his sins – adultery and menslaughter – but God forgave him, with some consequences). Although Paul was deluded and ignorant while persecuting the Christians, he was nevertheless, as he himself admits, a BLASPHEMER and a violent person (1 Tim 1:13). He received mercy in that Jesus CALLED him to change his ways (but so did David!), but he wouldn’t have received pardon if he hadn’t RECEIVED God’s mercy WITH FAITH (see 1 Timothy 1:16), just as David did.

   These are my arguments that I find logical and biblically sound. I think we should not play the blame-game here. We should not claim that Eve was more guilty, or that Adam was more guilty. They BOTH sinned because of their egocentrism. They could BOTH resist the temptation. They could BOTH admit their faults. We are just like them if we find rationalizations for our desires and actions and if we blame others for our own sins. We can learn from both of them. This is what I think. Sorry for the lenght of my posts. God bless you.

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   1. I am not a bible scholar. Could someone show me where God told Eve not to eat of the fruit? She had knowledge of what God told Adam, but how do we know God forbade Eve to eat from that tree. Adam assumed she couldn’t, but is that true. When Eve ate the fruit, God did not ask what she had done. Eve did not gasp and realize she was naked and try to hide. She ate first and all was quiet and her knowledge was the same. Then Adam ate. And that was when he and Eve were chastised and banished. Adam held the key to paradise…He was the one whom God entrusted…not Adam AND Eve. I have always had trouble with the INTERPRETATION of this story.

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5. I understand your points, thank you for commenting.

   Like you, I agree that Adam was not deceived . Scripture says he was not (1 Tim. 2:14). Adam knew the rule. God told him specifically. (Gen 2:16-17)

   Exploring the options of what Adan could he have done differently when Eve came to him with the fruit gives us a clearer picture of the treachery of Adam. He could have refused, he could have stopped Eve, he could have kicked out the serpent, he could have waited to consult with God. Instead, Adam’s answer reveals his contempt for God “The woman YOU (God) put here with me” is the reason I disobeyed. He distorted the truth and joined the devil in opposing God. Unlike Eve, he protected the serpent. He never mentioned the snake’s part! He points to the woman! Its her fault, and you put her here, so it must be your fault. Adam showed his contempt for God and threw his wife under the bus. He became like his new father, a liar.

   Who does Scripture hold to be responsible for sin? Adam was held responsible for sin because of… HE KNEW WHAT HE WAS DOING! Romans 5:14 says that Adam’s sin is not like all sin. His sin was in breaking God’s command. But it is like some. Israel also dealt treacherously with God. They both were unfaithful and ungrateful for God’s favor. Adam knowingly disobeyed, and because of this he was held responsible. Hosea 6:7 says that Adam willfully broke God’s covenant. He believed eating the fruit was wrong, yet he ate anyway. We must look to the spiritual value of the sin he committed. Adam was not special. Adam’s sin was special.

   Eve was deceived by the serpent into eating. To be deceived means to believe something false. Eve believed eating was good, not wrong. Malcolm Gladwell says this about being deceived: “When you are deluded, you don’t know you’re deluded. You can’t be reminded or educated – you’re oblivious.” (Season 3 Revisionist History Intro.) When God asked her what she had done – what does she say? She tells the truth!

   Eve was thoroughly deceived when she ate the fruit. (1 Tim 2:14)
   She was led astray by the serpent’s cunning. (2 Cor 11:3))
   She said herself, “The serpent deceived me and I ate.” (Gen. 3:6,13)
   God looks at the heart, the motives. (1 Sam 16:7)

   Paul even addresses motive for sin as reason for God to show mercy. “Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. 1 Timothy 1:13” Ignorace and unbelief is a reason for God to show mercy. Like the Apostle Paul, Eve believed she was working for good, for the glory of God. She sinned out of ignorance, and I believe she was shown mercy.

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6. It seem to me that there are two main questions in this discussion:

   1. Was Eve’s sin somehow smaller than Adam’ sin?
   2. Is it the fact that a deceived person is necessarily not guilty for her sin?

   1. Was Eve’s sin somehow smaller than Adam’s sin?

   Eve was probably deceived, and Adam was probably not deceived (1 Tim 2:14).
   But, if Adam was with her, and was not deceived, why was he quiet all the time?
   Did he want her to die? No. He loved her. Maybe he was undecided.

   In any case, the fact is that he took the fruit from the hand of Eve. God said that Adam LISTENED to the VOICE of his wife (Gen 3:17).

   There are only two possibilities why he did it:
   1) he was DECEIVED by Eve,
   2) he was not deceived; he did it out of LOVE for Eve.
   (There might as well be a third possibility – he was undecided, but he did it primarily out of love for Eve – but this could perhaps fit into the second possibility).

   If he was DECEIVED by Eve, then his sin wasn’t greater than her sin – both were deceived (plus, she was not only deceived, but she also deceived him).

   If he did it out of LOVE for her, then was his sin greater than her sin? She didn’t do it out of love for anyone! Only to gain “wisdom” and to “be like God” – and that seems like selfishness to me, the opposite of love!

   So, I think there are no basis for the claim that Adam’s sin is somehow greater or worse than Eve’s sin.

   2. Is it the fact that a deceived person is necessarily not guilty for her sin?

   It seems to me that there is no basis for the claim that someone who was deceived is necessarily not guilty.

   Paul says he was acting without knowledge (1 Tim 1:13). But Eve KNEW that God said she will die if she eats the fruit (Gen 3:3). She HAD the knowledge.

   But let’s suppose she didn’t have the knowledge, for the sake of the argument. It is not enough to say that someone has no knowledge, in order to clear her from her guilt. Look what Paul says about the Jews who confronted the Gospel:

   They are zealous for God, but LACK the correct UNDERSTANDING. They don’t know the righteousness of God and they strive to establish their own righteousness. They haven’t submitted themselves to the righteousness of God. (Rom 10:2-3)

   It is crucial here to understand that we are guilty not only of the sins of comission, but also of the sins of OMISSION. We don’t only have the responsability not to do something WRONG intentionally; we also have the responsability to do something GOOD. If I don’t know which way is God’s way, should I not ask God about it? Should I not read His Word and pray and do all that I can to understand it and do what is right?

   So, Eve was not guilty simply because she believed serpent’s lie; she was guilty because she DIDN’T believe God’s word. And because she didn’t even bother to ASK God about it, before making the decision.

   In 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12 we see that the reason why those who will perish believe a lie, is because they do not love the truth!

   So it is not enough not to love deception; we also need to love the truth – and that means to do what ever we can do, to understand it and to obey it.

   The false prophets are both the deceivers AND the deceived (2 Tim 3:13).
   They are not excused for being deceived. Obviously, it is not that simple.

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7. Adam was deceived as well. He did not have contact with Satan. Eve did. Adam was introduced to sin through Eve. Adam’s sin was failure to obey God’s command. He had a relationship with God. Eve heard God’s command in her statement to Satan. Adam blamed Eve instead of take responsibility for his actions. He didn’t respond “I ate the Apple and my eyes were open. ” instead he attacked God by saying”You gave me this women.” Now
   we are questioning God’s creation. We must take responsibility for our actions instead of allowing others to make decisions for us. We must ask God in prayer “is this good for me “because everything we see isn’t good and everything someone gives us and tell us is not good either. It’s in our fellowship with God will we know him and discern him.
   Eve acknowledge his words but she lacked understanding which can only come through a relationship with God. She took Satan at his word but not God. Her response should have been “I will get back to you after I speak to my father. “We must consult God first in all we do.

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8. I think we need to make clear the serpent and the Satan.
   They all shifted the blame but God never bothered to ask the serpent why it deceived the woman (and maybe it would have said it was the Satan)
   Why cause the serpent if Satan was responsible?
   You can copy your reply To my email; alexderr007@gmail
   Thank you

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9. When Eve ate the fruit nothing happened. She did not react to her nakedness and God did not get angry. It wasn’t until Adam ate the fruit that the nakedness was apparent and God got angry. God directed his anger towards Adam when he asked Adam what he had done. Doesn’t this make you wonder if Adam told Eve she couldn’t eat the fruit because he assumed God’s intent. You would think if not eating the fruit was important to God he would have given Eve the same instructions and he would have asked Eve what she had done immediately after she ate the fruit.

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10. I know I’m coming on pretty late, but I can’t see how one can say that because Eve was deceived she’s somehow innocent. She told Satan what God had said, listened to what a SNAKE had to say, looked at all the personal benefits she would gain from eating the fruit, and chose to disobey. She gained what Satan said she would gain: knowledge of good and evil. God says so Himself. The only way she was deceived is that Satan said she wouldn’t DIE, which she did. She still did what God forbade her from doing. Several commentators have given other good reasons that show that Eve WAS guilty.

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11. Also, I don’t think she was deceived — it was a Catch 22. We are often faced with difficult decisions in which there isn’t a win-win. Sometimes we just have to choose the best of two difficult choices.

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12. Late to this party, but let’s just ask the simple question — what would you even be thinking if Eve hadn’t partaken of the fruit? Be thankful she did.

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13. We had this study/debate at our church this past Sabbath and I add another component to the debate by saying that Adam was there with his wife Eve when she was deceived. I got a lot of flack for this from both men and women. Interestingly, one girl that was there as a new convert got what i was saying as she read the scriptures the others who disagree are followers of Christ for years-this may have something to do with certain beliefs. Here are the areas of debate; what does with here means, with in the sense of being beside spacial or with in the sense of unit eg.” I am with the President” obvious i am not at the President side spacial but in agreement with him on an issue. The other area of debate is the devil referred to Eve in the singular ‘you’ and she answered in the plural ‘we’ demonstrating that she was answering not only for herself, but also for Adam. What we can truly conclude is that people are looking more closely at scripture and is giving rise to pertinent questions that may have gone without question.

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14. […] and the serpent tempted others to sin. For more treasure mining into the account I recommend The Happy Surprise __________________ "the simplicity that is in Christ" 2 Cor […]

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15. Whether you are tricked into disobeying or not, you are still accountable to God for your actions and the consequences of them.

    Paul in Galatians 3 rebuked his readers by saying ‘foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, that you should not obey the truth’. This verse insinuates being led into disobedience via wicked or evil means. Clearly Paul isn’t giving the Galatians a free pass because of being bewitched, in fact he is pretty worked up about it.

    The Galatians were already given the truth by Paul, in fact he testifies that they started ‘in the Spirit’. Yet they are led away by a lie! Interestingly this is the same chapter where Paul states that there is no male and female in Christ, but we are all one.

    I think being deceived/bewitched is simply the method by which temptation comes to women because we are so easily led away by our own emotions, fears and desires. Our thinking often becomes distorted so we think something is true because we want it to be true. Yet our natues are the same as our husbands and brothers.

    Deception is merely the method by which we are led away, but Paul is very clear about sin, as is James:
    “Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. 15 Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death. 16)Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. ….”

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16. [Deceive means to mislead or deliberately hide the truth from somebody. If Eve had the truth, like Adam, would she have then CHOSEN to disobey?]

    So then did God “deliberately hide truth from Eve” since He gave truth to Adam He DIDN’T give to Eve? I think not! God gave Eve the SAME instructions He gave Adam; Eve even gave testimony to that very fact in her words back to Satan.

    In Steven’s case, did his parent instruct him NOT to make the bargain (even if there was no reason why – something God even gave Eve)? God’s command was very clear – Eve knew it; she just THOUGHT God had kept truth from her that Satan was now telling her. In fact, one could argue that the first human sin was unbelief in God’s goodness and His Word of consequences (seems I read that in someone else’s post, too) – lust conceiving the sin.

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17. It’s a handy excuse for all of us to say, “I was tricked” by the Father of Lies (John 8:44) or the Great Deceiver (Rev. 12:9), who is STILL actively deceiving and tricking people, twisting God’s very words to do so. But the truth is that Eve fully KNEW God’s command (Gen. 3:3) and CHOSE to disobey it; she majored on the pleasure and promises of the forbidden fruit rather than the pleasure of obedience and fellowship with God. Yes, Eve’s reasons for disobeying were different than Adam’s, but I think one steps too far when one supposes Eve was believing she would PLEASE God in her actions to disobey Him. The serpent merely gave her a clever excuse to do what she probably had been tempted to do beforehand. After all, temptation is not a sin and perfect people can be tempted (as Jesus was).

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    1. While it is still up to us to resist temptation and fight being led astray (2 Cor 11:3), Eve was thoroughly deceived. Like Paul (1 Tim 1:13), she was a candidate for God’s mercy because of her heart motivation. She did not chose to disobey, she was tricked into disobeying. Deceive means to mislead or deliberately hide the truth from somebody. If Eve had the truth, like Adam, would she have then CHOSEN to disobey? We will never know, because it didn’t happen that way.

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    2. For instance, when Stephen was conned out of $1,000 as a teenager, who was to blame?

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18. The passage says Adam was right there with her. “She took [the fruit and]. . . also gave to her husband, who was with her, and he ate.” Gen 3:6. This is important, because when Jerome translated the scriptures into Latin (the Latin Vulgate) several centuries after Christ, he changed it to make it look like Eve acted on her own and only involved Adam later. But that’s not what the text says.

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    1. Does the Hebrew say the temptation and the eating happened simultaneously? Because, I think the English leaves room to stretch out the time period. Adam was there when she ate – is what the verse said, but couldn’t the devil have been working on her outside of his presence? That’s what my husband wants to think. 🙂

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19. Well, it pleases me that you call Eve’s action a sin at least [in your last post]. One who commits sin is culpable for that sin -death (Ez. 18:20). WHY he/she sinned is a reason for the degree of judgment, but there still HAS to be judgment for sin.

    See Numbers 15:28: And the priest shall make an atonement for the soul that sinneth ignorantly, when he sinneth by ignorance before the LORD, to make an atonement for him; and it shall be forgiven him.

    If only Eve had sinned, she would have died; she herself knew the consequences of her actions (Gen. 3:3). In fact her statement of God’s truth of death for disobedience was in direct contradiction to Satan’s “truth” in Gen. 4:4. Eve simply chose to believe Satan because of the pleasure of the fruit (lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, pride of life all came into play here – I John 2:16) as described in Gen. 3:6.

    I do find one thing interesting: Although Eve ate the fruit, it almost seems that her “eyes weren’t opened” until she had given to her husband, and he ate. (Gen. 3:6-7) Now, either her husband was standing right there by her, saw her eat, then took and ate when she offered it to him, OR indeed the federal headship was in place, and the consequences of sin occurred only when Adam sinned (could have occurred a few hours later, maybe). I guess I lean more toward the scenario that Adam was very near by, but maybe didn’t hear the serpent as he spoke to Eve.

    I do believe, as you, that there was a difference in the gravity of their sins.

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    1. Eve didn’t “simply choose to believe Satan.” She was tricked.

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20. People seem to think that understanding Eve this way implies a spiritual superiority of women. Not so! I remind your readers that they are descended from the REBEL as well as the deceived one. We are all descended from Adam post Fall, as well as Eve- with the exception of Jesus (as you have noted in previous posts in this series). Cheryl has some visuals: Click Here

    Personally, it was very healing for me to realize the undeserved harshness of the way Eve is painted and judged, and to have a new respect for her.

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    1. Charis, thanks for the link to Cheryls Article. Her visuals were amazing and really help to explain the situation better. I agree with you about having a new respect for Eve after understanding what the scripture “really” says.

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21. People seem to think that understanding Eve this way implies a spiritual superiority of women. Not so! I remind your readers that they are descended from the REBEL as well as the deceived one. We are all descended from Adam post Fall, as well as Eve- with the exception of Jesus (as you have noted in previous posts in this series). Cheryl has some visuals of this: Click Here

    Personally, it was very healing for me to realize the undeserved harshness of the way Eve is painted and judged, and to have a new respect for her.

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    1. Its probably the way I set it up that is causing the problems. Maybe a better angle would be: Why didn’t Eve’s sin cause the fall? Is there another reason beside assuming federal headship upon Adam?

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22. “Eve believed eating was for the best because of Satan’s lies.”

    Hmmmm…”for the best”….let’s see what Satan sold Eve, and what she believed. “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

    Whose best? Not God’s. HERS. She rebelled against God, whether she was deceived or not.

    God’s response to all 3 players reveals that they all 3 shared the blame. (with Adam ultimately responsible for passing death and the sin nature to mankind, as is revealed in later revelation)

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    1. “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. ” This is what she believed to be true.

       1 Timothy says she broke the law-transgressed because she was thoroughly deceived. A deceived person believes something to be true that isn’t. She did not rebel. That requires intentionality. She did not purposefully break the law. Adam, who was not deceived, broke the law on purpose.

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       1. I agree, there was a difference in the severity of the sin. Eve was deceived, Adam was willful. But, I’m just saying that the REASON Eve sinned was because she bought the lie that she could be like God – and that God was holding out on her. Those are wicked things to believe!

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    2. “Eve believed eating was for the best because of Satan’s lies.”

       Hmmmm…”for the best”….let’s see what Satan sold Eve, and what she believed. “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

       Whose best? Not God’s. HERS. She rebelled against God, whether she was deceived or not.
       ———————————

       I don’t understand WHY the upset over this. Its plain as day. YES when you are deceived you believe it is the best. Isn’t that part of the definition of deceived?

       Let’s see: 1. (of a person) Cause (someone) to believe something that is not true, typically in order to gain some personal advantage.

       Was it not to the serpent’s personal advantage that she was deceived?

       When deception happens in other circumstances doesn’t it work the same way?

       I personally don’t understand all the upset over this. No one is saying being deceived is good. Why do people act like that part of the definition when it isn’t – and in this case isn’t even hinted at?

       People also claim Eve was cursed, and yet Genesis does not state this. Curses went to the serpent and the ground. Neither Adam nor Eve were cursed. Does that mean they had no consequences? Nope. Doesn’t that mean it was good then? Hardly.

       I don’t understand the assumptions people make when pointing these items out. If you point them out it automatically means, ‘its good’. No one said that. The assumptions meter is the only one that did.

       God did acknowledge the deception, and yet some people don’t wish to. We all pay for what happened. The endless search for WHOM is more to blame, etc – its silly. Its not a contest. We all are in sin, and we are all saved if we accept that gift.

       She said she was ‘deceived’ by the serpent. God acknowledged that was true. Did she whine that she shouldn’t be held accountable due to that statement? Nope. She didn’t. Yet it is taught she was trying to. That’s playing blame where God didn’t even place it.

       Sigh. We need to take off the lenses of what man teaches, and read what it is said without all the assumptions.

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23. [The first reason why I question her culpability is that the nature of her sin is different than Adam’s. The second is that the serpent is to blame for her sin.]

    Wow! You’ve come a long way, baby! To the point that Eve is no longer responsible for her direct disobedience to the truth she knew God had said (3:2-3), and was also not culpable because she, in ignorance, believed Satan’s deceptive twist on truth and acted upon it.

    How does this line up with God’s “ruling” concerning sins of ignorance – as found in Lev. 5:17?

    “And if a soul sin, and commit any of these things which are forbidden to be done by the commandments of the Lord; THOUGH HE WIST IT NOT, yet is he guilty, and shall bear his iniquity.” (emphasis mine)

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    1. She did not directly disobey. God’s response lines up with His mercy.
       I go a longer way, baby! 🙂 Hope you don’t pop when you read what’s coming, lol.

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