What You DID NOT DO Is Critical!

What you DID NOT DO impacts what happens. Consider what Satan, Eve, and Adam DID NOT DO at the time of the original sin in Genesis 3:1-14.

Satan DID NOT

Satan deceived Eve, ensnared and tempted her to form her own opinion and depend on someone other than God. He introduced the opportunity and temptation to sin.

But more importantly, notice what Satan did not do. He did not tell Eve to eat, did not offer the fruit to her, did not pick the fruit for her, did not put the fruit up to her lips, or force her to eat the fruit. All he did was ask one question and make one statement. And she still sinned!

Are your temptations any different? Satan tempted and deceived Eve to question and doubt God’s simple, clear, stated truth. When you question God, you are setting yourself up for deception.

Your questions do not bother God, and He is okay with you asking. However, be cautious if your questions are more like complaints, as they can harden your heart.

Are you questioning God and being deceived?

Eve DID NOT

God did not record any question from Eve about whether eating the fruit could be wrong. She also did not question her understanding or the serpent’s claims. She did not seek counsel from God or Adam before eating, did not check with God to be clear about His command, did not ask Adam or God if the serpent’s claims were correct, did not ask God or Adam about the serpent’s questions, or even check with Adam before eating, “Adam, is this okay?”

Ultimately, Eve depended on Satan and herself, not God or Adam.

Adam DID NOT

Adam did not tell Eve that what she had done was wrong, “Eve, that is what God told us NOT to do. Please stop. We need to ask God what we need to do now.” However, he did not do that, nor did he speak to God about what Eve had done or about what he was about to do.

If he was present during the conversation, he did not enter the conversation, did not correct the misquoted command, did not seek the truth about the claims Satan was making, did not check with God before they did anything, and did not stop Eve from eating.

The condemning implication is that he not only put Eve above God, but that he may have had a conversation with Eve before eating. It may have only been Eve saying something like, “Here, eat this,” or a discussion about what Satan had stated. Whatever happened (be careful about speculating), you can know the clear facts that he followed, obeyed, and depended on Eve, not God.

1 Timothy 2:14 (NKJV)—And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression.

Whose Sin is Worse?

Adam ignored the truth. Unlike Eve, he was not deceived. I believe that Adam's sin is worse than Eve's. What do you think is worse – ignorance of the truth, ignoring the truth, or being deceived because of a lack of understanding?

All are ultimately sin and have consequences, but I speculate that Adam’s sin was worse.

Eve was deceived, trapped, ensnared, duped, and beguiled by the most cunning, sly, crafty, shrewd animal of the creation. She was led down a path of promises that were not true. Adam, on the other hand, was not deceived, trapped, ensnared, duped, or beguiled. When he took the fruit and ate it, it was NOT because of Satan’s deception. It was NOT because Eve made crafty, cunning, beguiling, shrewd, or ensnaring statements. He simply ignored God’s command.