Why Did Adam and Eve Yield to Sin?
For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.
2 Timothy 4:3
When Adam and Eve were tempted by Satan, he said to them what their itching ears wanted to hear. Our sinful nature is attracted to words we are itching to hear. Some churches today are deviating from the truth of the Word because they want to please their own worldly desires. Do you think if man changes the truth of God’s Word that God will change? Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. (Hebrews 13:8) God is truth and man cannot change God no matter how much he wants to justify his way. We either live by the truth of God’s Word, or we live by Satan’s lies.
How did Satan tempt Adam and Eve to the point that they justified their behavior? He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” (Genesis 3:1) With this statement, Satan gently plants the question in Eve’s mind: “did God really say?” Eve responded: ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’” (Genesis 3:2) Satan argued: You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:4-5) Now the thought, did God really say? is in her mind. Satan tells the truth when he says she will not die. At least, she will not immediately die after she eats of the fruit. Then Satan told her she will be like God, knowing good and evil. These are Satan’s tempting words: “did God really say?” “you will certainly not die,” and “you will be like God.” 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. (Genesis 3:6) The temptation has become sin. The planting of God’s words twisted by Satan, plus the visual desire of the fruit, led to Adam and Eve’s sin.
How could Adam and Eve overcome this temptation? The more they listened to Satan, the more powerful the temptation became. And the emotion of desire became so powerful that they gave into sin. The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’” (Genesis 3:2-3). Upon making this statement they should have walked away from Satan while they were standing on God’s truth. This is the battle we have with sin. But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death. (James 1:14-15)
To overcome sin we need to run to the Lord as soon as we are tempted. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:5). The longer we entertain a sinful thought the stronger the thought becomes. Then the conviction by the Holy Spirit diminishes very quickly in our brains. God designed us to come to Him immediately when tempted and He will guide us to victory in Christ. Remember, it’s your mind. So take control of it through the Spirit, and don’t allow Satan to control it.
Today, be sensitive to the recognition of sinful thoughts and destroy those thoughts by going to our Lord. Have scripture in your mind to fight the temptation and go to the Lord in prayer. If we can control our thoughts, then we can control our words and our actions.
Let’s pray: Lord, help me live in the power of the Holy Spirit and overcome the temptations from Satan. Make me a spiritual warrior who lives in the victory of Christ. In Jesus’ name, Amen.