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Beloved kingdom citizens,
Every great fall starts with a small step. Every ruin begins with a quiet decision. The first temptation in the garden teaches you how sin enters, how it grows, and how it destroys. It also shows you how God responds to fallen people. You do not study this story to judge Adam and Eve. You study it to understand yourself.
The Bible says, “Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made” (Genesis 3:1). Temptation did not come with noise. It came with craft. It did not come with force. It came with words. It did not come with a sword. It came with a question.
Satan still works this way today.
He starts with a question
The serpent said to the woman, “Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” (Genesis 3:1).
Notice the method.
• He did not deny God at first.
• He questioned God’s word.
• He made God look restrictive.
• He planted doubt in the heart.
God had already spoken clearly. “Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it” (Genesis 2:16–17).
God gave freedom first. Then He gave one boundary. Satan reversed it. He spoke as if God was holding something back.
This is how temptation still works.
• It questions what God has said.
• It paints obedience as loss.
• It presents disobedience as gain.
The moment you start debating clear instruction, you are already on dangerous ground.
Eve’s reply shows the first crack
The woman answered, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die” (Genesis 3:2–3).
God never said, “Neither shall ye touch it.” She added to the word.
This is important.
• Satan removes from God’s word.
• Man adds to God’s word.
• Both lead to error.
When you no longer hold God’s word exactly as spoken, confusion enters. This is why Scripture warns, “Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar” (Proverbs 30:6).
Small changes in truth lead to big falls.
The open denial
The serpent said, “Ye shall not surely die” (Genesis 3:4).
Here the mask drops.
First he questioned. Now he denies.
This is the heart of temptation.
• God says, “You will die.”
• Satan says, “You will not die.”
Someone is lying. Eve had to choose who to trust.
Every temptation is a choice of voices.
• Will you trust God’s word?
• Or will you trust another voice?
Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4).
Life depends on God’s word. Death follows when you reject it.
The false promise of gain
The serpent continued, “For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:5).
Look at the bait.
• “Your eyes will be opened.”
• “You will be like gods.”
• “You will gain knowledge.”
Temptation always promises promotion.
But it never shows the cost.
James explains it clearly. “Every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed” (James 1:14).
Satan does not need to create new desires. He only needs to misuse the ones already there.
Eve already had eyes. She already had life. She already had fellowship with God. But temptation made her feel she lacked something.
Discontent opens the door to sin.
The fatal decision
“And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat” (Genesis 3:6).
Notice the three doors.
• Good for food. The desire of the flesh.
• Pleasant to the eyes. The desire of the eyes.
• Desired to make one wise. The pride of life.
The apostle John describes the same pattern. “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father” (1 John 2:16).
Temptation has not changed its tools.
• It appeals to appetite.
• It appeals to sight.
• It appeals to pride.
Then the verse adds, “And she gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat” (Genesis 3:6).
Adam was not deceived. He chose to follow.
This teaches a hard truth.
• You can fall by deception.
• You can also fall by silent agreement.
Silence in the face of error is still disobedience.
The immediate result
“And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked” (Genesis 3:7).
Yes, their eyes opened. But not as promised.
• They did not see power.
• They saw shame.
• They did not gain glory.
• They lost innocence.
Sin always overpromises and underdelivers.
They sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves.
This is the first human religion.
• Man trying to cover his own shame.
• Man trying to fix what sin broke.
It never works.
Isaiah says, “All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6).
Human effort cannot solve a spiritual problem.
Hiding from God
“And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves” (Genesis 3:8).
This is another result of sin.
• Before, they walked with God.
• Now, they hide from God.
Sin changes your relationship with God.
• It produces fear.
• It produces distance.
• It produces avoidance.
God asked, “Where art thou?” (Genesis 3:9).
Not because He did not know. But because He wanted Adam to face his condition.
God still asks this question today.
• Where are you in your walk?
• Where are you in your obedience?
• Where are you in your heart?
The blame game
Adam said, “The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat” (Genesis 3:12).
Eve said, “The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat” (Genesis 3:13).
No one said, “I have sinned.”
This is the nature of fallen man.
• We shift blame.
• We defend ourselves.
• We avoid responsibility.
But God does not accept excuses.
Proverbs says, “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy” (Proverbs 28:13).
Restoration starts with honest confession.
The judgment
God spoke judgment to the serpent, to the woman, and to the man.
Sin always has consequences.
• Pain entered human life.
• Toil entered human work.
• Death entered human history.
Romans says, “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin” (Romans 5:12).
The fall was not a story. It was a disaster that affected all humanity.
But even in judgment, God showed mercy.
The first promise of redemption
God said to the serpent, “I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel” (Genesis 3:15).
This is the first promise of victory.
• Evil will not win forever.
• The serpent will be crushed.
• God has a plan of rescue.
From the beginning, God prepared the way of salvation.
Covering by God
“Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them” (Genesis 3:21).
This is powerful.
• God did not accept the fig leaves.
• God provided a better covering.
Blood was shed.
This points to a deep truth.
• Sin requires a price.
• God Himself provides the covering.
You cannot cover yourself. God must cover you.
Lessons for you today
- Temptation often starts with a question.
If you know what God has said, do not debate it. Stand on it. - Small changes in truth lead to big falls.
Hold the word of God exactly as written. - Disobedience always promises gain but brings loss.
No sin leaves you better. - Sin affects more than you.
Adam’s choice affected all. Your choices affect others too. - Hiding from God never solves the problem.
Run to Him, not away from Him. - Excuses block restoration.
Confession opens the door to mercy. - God is both just and merciful.
He judges sin, but He also provides a way of rescue.
How to overcome temptation
The fall shows the problem. The Scriptures also show the solution.
• Know the word of God. Jesus defeated temptation by saying, “It is written” (Matthew 4:4, 7, 10).
• Watch your desires. “Keep thy heart with all diligence” (Proverbs 4:23).
• Do not walk alone. “Two are better than one” (Ecclesiastes 4:9).
• Resist early. “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).
You do not fall suddenly. You fall step by step.
Stop it at the first step.
A call to return
Maybe you see yourself in this story.
• You listened to another voice.
• You crossed a line.
• You tried to cover it.
• You started to hide.
Hear the heart of God. “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow” (Isaiah 1:18).
God still calls fallen people.
Not to destroy them.
But to restore them.
Final words
The first temptation brought the first fall. But God did not abandon man. From the garden, He began a plan to bring man back.
Learn from the fall.
• Do not play with God’s word.
• Do not trust the voice of temptation.
• Do not believe the promise of sin.
Choose obedience.
Choose life.
Choose the way of God.
“As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD” (Joshua 24:15).
May you stand firm.
May you walk in truth.
May you overcome where Adam fell.