ADAM’S MOMENT OF TRUTH

“And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner.”

1 Timothy 2:14, NIV

There she was: his beloved, literally bone of his bone. Juice ran down her chin, and she waved a bitten piece of fruit.

“Look, Adam!” Eve exclaimed. “This talking serpent explained it all to me. We won’t really die. We’ll be godlike! Here—have some!” And she held out the fruit, while Adam stared at her in horror.

The Bible teaches that the serpent (really the devil) deceived Eve—he tricked her. But Paul says Adam “was not the one deceived.” That certainly explains why the whole Bible speaks of “the sin of Adam” that got us into all this mess! Eve’s sin was sin. She chose her own way over God’s. There was no excuse for her to be deceived by the serpent when she had already been warned about the war in heaven.

However, there is a difference between that sort of disobedience and the deliberate choice to disobey even though you know perfectly well it is wrong. “Adam,” says the Bible, “was not . . . deceived.” That’s shocking! Why, then, did he do it?

Have you ever been about to do something wrong, hesitated, recognized the call of your conscience and of the Holy Spirit, and then done it anyway? I have. Why do we do it? Sometimes it’s sheer selfishness: I want what I want when I want it! Sometimes it’s pride: God will understand this once, which really means, I know better than God. Often it’s fear, and it seems that might have been what motivated Adam.

He’d never felt fear before. But his beloved wife had just done what they had been forbidden to do. What would happen to her now? What would God do to her? If Adam really loved her, clearly the right thing to do would be to share her fate. What’s missing from this line of thinking? Trust! We know that Jesus would die for just one sinner. Adam didn’t know that, yet. But he did know God. He walked with Him and talked with Him face to face and heart to heart. Adam knew God loved Eve more than he did. Couldn’t he have trusted that God would come up with a plan? How could he have decided fear was the way to go?

But he did. He grabbed the fruit and ate some. Then he waited to die. Creator, Protector, and Defender, I am Your open-eyed child. Please create in me a solid trust that will do Your will even when the reason is not clear. Please protect me from the devil’s sneak attacks, tricks, and rebellious attitude. Most of all, please defend me against my own selfishness and pride. I admit, I do like having my own way. But I want to love You more!