Then the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it brought a yearning to the eyes and that the tree was desirable for gaining insight. So she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave some to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were unclosed, and they realized that they were naked. So they sewed fig leaves together and made girdle skirts for themselves.
Genesis 3: 6-7, Concordant Old Testament
Have you ever made a dumb decision and then, in that moment, realized that it probably wasn't the smartest thing you'd ever done? Believe me, I've been in that situation more times than I care to count. A fellow gym rat posed the question this week, why does God allow so much suffering in this world? Well, why is it that God allowed His first creation to take of the tree which He had commanded them not to? We must realize that there is nothing that will ever happen that God is not keenly aware of beforehand. He knew me before I was even born {Jeremiah 1:5}. I believe that at the root of this question is our own identity in the Father. We were all created in His likeness {Genesis 1:27}. Being created in His likeness means that we share in certain communicable attributes of the Father. Our innate ability to reason and to make choices of our own are a direct reflection of the nature of God. While we do not share in the Fathers unique qualities of omnipotence and omniscience, we do share in certain qualities of who He is. Nowhere is this exhibited more than in the garden when Adam and Eve are confronted by Satan the accuser. The serpent delivers his best sales pitch to the Lords creation, telling them that if they were to eat of the fruit which God had forbidden them to take that they would then "Become like Elohim, knowing good and evil" {Genesis 3:5}. Did Adam and Eve really know at this point just what good and evil even were? Probably not. But they heard the words of the accuser telling them that they could "Be like God." Of course, they had no idea that, having been created in His likeness, that they were ALREADY like God. What they heard were the words of the accuser, and perhaps they mistook these words as coming from God, the only other voice they had ever known up until that point. And so, the choice was made. For those who don't believe in the consequences for our actions, I present to you Adam and Eve. For immediately after taking of the forbidden fruit they were presented with the realization that they were naked, and they immediately began to make coverings for themselves to hide their nakedness. Satan had been right about one thing, the eyes of Gods creation had become unclosed as a result of their choice.
For even as, through the disobedience of the one man, the many were constituted sinners, thus also, through the obedience of the One, the many shall be constituted just
Paul to the Romans 5: 19, Concordant New Testament
So it is that as a result of being created in the likeness of God, the choice of disobedience was made. Granted, this is not a reflection of God, but of the choices we ourselves make. One other consequence of the choice to take from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is that man has chosen to accept the lie of the deceiver that he has been separated from God due to his own actions. How many of you feel that your own sin has separated you from a relationship with God? I was once in your shoes. I accepted the lie that my own behaviors could affect the free gift of salvation given unto me by the Father through the sacrifice of Christ Jesus {Johns Account 3:16-17}. I did this despite knowing in my heart that God cannot lie. Yet if we accept the lie of the deceiver that our sin separates us from the Father, we believe God to be a liar. We have been created in His likeness, God has always been an intimate part of who it is that we are. So, knowing this, how is it that we could ever be separated from the Father Who created us? Again, mankind has made that choice to accept the lie spoken by the deceiver back in the garden. Not one of the smartest choices we've ever made for sure. The apostle Paul speaks to the choice of disobedience of the one man (Adam and Eve) resulting in man being constituted as a sinner. Adams choice had consequences. However, Paul also speaks to the obedience of the One, Christ Jesus, through which all would be constituted just {Paul to the Romans 5:19}. Mans choice led him into sin. Gods choice gave unto him redemption.
~Scott~
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