by Bryan Ridenour

Created on: November 03, 2009

The book of Genesis is the foundation for all of Scripture. Some think that you can basically do without Genesis 1 through 11 because people don't know how to handle the Creation account, the Global Flood of Noah's Day or the Tower of Babel. What must be remembered is that Genesis is not only a compilation of stories enforcing morality but literal history. Genesis 3 informs us how sin entered the world.

Genesis 3:1 introduces us to the great tempter, Satan. In this encounter with mankind, he either takes the form of a serpent or he indwells a serpent to accomplish his task of deception. Whenever perusing a children's bible, you might see an artist's depiction of this serpent in his encounter with Eve. The serpent is drawn as a snake in a tree. However, when God deals with the serpent after the lie has been swallowed, the serpent is cursed to crawl on his belly the rest of his days. In other words, this serpent had feet! Maybe instead of a snake, the serpent was a lizard or a "fiery flying serpent" that the prophet Isaiah references several hundred years later.

The serpent asks Eve the question that is still being asked today, "Did God really say....? His question references trees whose fruit can be eaten. Today, we ask did God really address the issues of homosexuality, adultery, lying and stealing? Did God really say that those behaviors were sins? And the answer is yes. The Bible is the inerrant and infallible word of God and if the topic is addressed there, then God really did say.

In verses 2 and 3, Eve responds in a manner that leads us to believe that seeds of doubt have been planted. In these two verses she does three things in regards to God's Word:

1. Eve minimizes His blessings- She says we can eat fruit from the trees in the Garden. God said they could eat from all trees in the garden but one.

2. Eve adds to the Word of God- Eve told the serpent that God said they could not eat or touch the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. God said, "You may not eat." He said nothing about touching. In fact, in Genesis 2:15, God instructs Adam to tend the garden. Tending possibly involved touching.

3. Eve changes the Word of God- Eve told the serpent that when they eat from the fruit or touch it they would die. In the Hebrew, the word she uses means that they will die immediately. God told Adam that when they eat of it they would surely die. From the Hebrew, we know that God said, "Dying you will surely die." This means that Adam and Eve will begin the

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