Troublesome Topic: EATING THE FRUIT WAS NOT THE FIRST SIN

This act was the completion of a series of downward steps that culminated in a sinful act; it was the first full process that started with mental sin and was brought to fruition as an act of outward sin.

We can be sure that before she ever took hold of the fruit, Eve was questioning God, doubting God. She was wondering how exhilarating the immediate pay-off of sin would be. She was listening to the wrong voice, and believing the accusations made by Satan against God. Taking a bite of the fruit was not the beginning, it was the end of one turn of the sin-cycle. Sin always starts inside us. The outward act never stands alone. Consider James 1:14-15; here it is in the NET versions, “But each one is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desires. Then when desire conceives, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is full grown, it gives birth to death.”  In fact, for a believer in Jesus, sin usually starts with something almost imperceptible, something that weakens our spiritual resolve or puts a small amount of distance between us and God. Then other steps in that wayward direction are taken which are also imperceptible. Finally some recognizable temptations come, but they are couched in such a pleasing manner as to look good, not bad. Then our mind begins to work on this, asking questions, considering every angle, trying to figure out how we can do what we want to do while realizing that we shouldn’t do it. Eventually a decision is made. If all the steps up to that decision have been small steps in the wrong direction, the decision will predictably be to go ahead and sin. The only way to prevent that act of sin is to arrest the process before it gets to the point of culmination, turn the ship around and start heading in the right direction. Then a clear decision can be made to reject the temptation.

Is it wrong to call the action of Adam and Eve the first sin?

It is not altogether wrong, we just need to know what is really being said. It is okay as long as we realize that this was the culmination of a process, not the first tiny step away from God.

Why is this important?

It is valuable for us to think about how sin happens in our lives. It is never a simple process such as, “she saw the fruit; she ate the fruit.” It is always an involved process, and it usually starts in a subtle way.

Consider the example of someone who explodes in anger. It would appear that such an act stands alone, but it does not. There is preparation in the mind and heart ahead of time toward anger. This may come from a cooling off of our relationship with God. Or the person may have been dwelling on things that bother him, or people that get under his skin. If you only think negative thoughts about someone, the results will be predictable. Focusing on those things will prime the pump, and when the moment of pressure comes, out comes the flow of anger. It seems sudden and unpredictable, but it has been brewing and simmering for considerable time. If we tell ourselves that I have a right to be angry, we will use that self-declared right when the wrong moment comes.

Remember that nothing in life happens in a vacuum.