My friend, Diane, recently found her 12-year-old son, Nathan, in a sour mood.

“What’s wrong, buddy?’ Diane asked.

“I’m just upset with Eve,” he replied. “If it wasn’t for her, there’d be no sin in the world, and no temptations to do wrong things.”

Diane assured Nathan that if Eve hadn’t opened the door to sin, it would’ve been someone else.

“Probably me or you, for example,” she said with a wink.

Innocence Lost

In the Bible, the first woman, Eve, remembered God’s command to her and her husband, Adam. They were to stay away from the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Or. They. Would. Die. But that fruit—I personally think it was a peach—looked too sweet and pretty to resist.

When the stunningly gorgeous serpent slithered down and said, “If you eat that, you won’t really die. Instead, you’ll be like God” (see Genesis 3:4), Eve believed the serpent. No one had ever lied to Eve before. So, without considering her relationship with God, without realizing she was choosing the lie of the serpent over the trustworthiness of God, she grabbed the fruit and took a bite. As she wiped the tangy, luscious juice off her chin, she called to Adam and offered him a bite. And Adam bit.

“As a holy God, the Lord couldn’t allow Adam and Eve to disregard His commands. So, He banished the two from their perfect home, the Garden of Eden.” JEANETTE LEVELLIE

Just like that, Eve and Adam lost their innocence. Their spiritual eyes opened. They saw not only goodness but also evil. Just as God had said, they died. Not a physical death, where they quit breathing on the spot. It was in their hearts that they lost the sweet fellowship with God they’d always enjoyed.

As a holy God, the Lord couldn’t allow Adam and Eve to disregard His commands. He knew that, for them, living without His loving boundaries would lead to further trouble and heartache. So, He banished the two from their perfect home, the Garden of Eden.

A Way Out

God might have kicked Eve and Adam out of His family for disbelieving and disobeying Him. Or at least quit talking to them, as we might do when someone has wronged or hurt us. But that’s not God’s way. Psalm 103:8 tells us, “The Lord is kind and merciful. He is patient and full of love” (Easy-to-Read Version).

God continued to fellowship with and provide for Adam and Eve. He made them clothes from animal skins, gave them jobs to do and even told them about His rescue plan. Since before He created the earth and the first people, God already had a plan in place to fix the problem of sin. That plan was Jesus.

Because Jesus was the only begotten Son of God, He never sinned. That gave Him the right to die in our place, taking upon Himself the curse that began in the Garden of Eden (see Galatians3:13). Jesus’ death on our behalf made it possible for us to have the same kind of fellowship with God that Adam and Eve had at the beginning. A face-to-face companionship—without shame or guilt—with our loving, kind heavenly Father. A relationship that assures us of God’s forgiveness when we disobey. A hope for our future here on earth and the assurance of an eternal home in heaven.

No matter the fault or sin, God is willing to make a way out. He is always ready with His perfect rescue plan: Jesus.

Author of five books and hundreds of published articles, Jeanette Levellie and her husband make their home in Paris, Illinois. Jeanette’s hobbies include spoiling her three grandchildren, pampering her cats and inventing new ways to avoid housework. Find her splashes of hope and humour at www.jeanettelevellie.com.

Illustration: Kevin Carden/stock.Adobe.com