There are quite a few different controversies among our society today. There are the obvious ones like National Debt, and Gun Control, and God in Schools and Gay Marriage, all of which are legitimate and healthy topics to debate on.
However, in my opinion I think we as Believers or as Non-Believers have missed the biggest "controversy" in the History of the World, and it also happens to be the reason we are what we are.
Who is to blame, Adam or Eve?
Most people would say Adam, because he was the man for a reason and he was the one that Christ first seeked out in the Garden after the forbidden fruit was bitten.
Some people say Eve, because she was the one that actually fell into the sin, and into the evil and took the first bite out of the fruit, and that qualifies her to be the reason we are now all in this "mess".
All of that to say, I think Genesis 3, is a real-life example of many modern-day believers today. If the Bible could be accurate with how the world is today, it would arguably be most accurate in Genesis 3, for a couple of reasons.
1. The Persuasion of Sin. In the very first verse of Genesis 3, Satan's first persuasion line is "Did God REALLY say you can't eat from ANY tree in the garden?" That reminds me a lot of peer pressure today. "Is it REALLY a sin to lie, come on man LIEING; there's people out there getting murdered and you're worried about LYING?" That persuasion could be compared to the type of persuasion that Satan gave to Eve in the Garden over 3000 years ago.
2. Realizing the Rhetorical. In verse 11, God asks His first of millions of rhetorical questions. After He confronted Adam (the men not the women, the same reason is still applied today) He asks "who told you that you were naked? Did you eat from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?" I don't know about you, but one of the worst feelings in the world is somebody asking you if you messed up, when they already know you messed up, they just want to hear you say it. Christ reveals Himself here and basically says "so, you want to explain this mess to me? I mean I already know it, but since you're the man why don't you just tell me what happened..." This could be compared to every modern day believer because when we mess up, and God doesn't "smite" us, naturally we push the limit a little more. But the scariest fate is, that if we don't ask for forgiveness, Christ is going to have a list of rhetorical questions for us at the Judgement Throne.
3. Believing the Excuse Believer. In verse 12, Adam points fingers because of his state of panic and declares "the woman You gave to be with me- she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate." This is the very first time an excuse is used on why somebody knowingly failed Jesus Christ. In this very verse, Adam uses emotional appeal to TRY to convince His Father. Adam explains "hey you know that woman, that you gave to me a while back, yeah she's the reason I failed you man, I'm sorry but I wouldn't have done it if it weren't for her."That sounds quite a bit like a lot of us today. Why did you commit that sin, "oh well, my friend did it and nothing happened to him, so I thought it would be cool if I gave it a try." Christ didn't create us with hands of blame, but with hands of wisdom, if we truly believe in Him, we shouldn't throw our accountability partners under so we think we look better to the Eyes of Grace.
4. Christ bringing us back down to "earth". After hearing both sides of the story, and listening to all of the excuses and all of the blames on why Adam and Eve fell short of the glory of God, Christ says the most declaring, legitimate thing He could say to anyone, and He said it in the very first book of the Bible, in verse 19 Christ says "for you are dust, and you will return to dust." I can only imagine the look on Adam's face when the Lord of Lords said that to him. There is also a reason that God said it to Adam, not to Eve, and I believe that reason is because men tend to have slightly bigger ego's than women do. But in a modern day perspective, God looks at Adam and says "you know, thank you for entertaining me with your stories on he said she said, I know what really happen, but listen, when I first saw you, you were DEAD...and guess what, no matter what you accomplish in life, no matter what you think you are, you will return physically DEAD, and that's all I have to say." What an intense realization, we were all dust, and no matter what we're going to end up as dust. It sure is a good thing that God promises Salvation through the Grace of God to our little particles of dust that we will return.
We can blame Adam or Eve for the fall of humanity, but the men of God should take note from Genesis 3, and notice why there was man before there was woman, and why God confronted the man in the Garden, not the woman.
We may blame Adam for sending us down an unending path, but we follow in his footsteps with every prideful thought, hateful action, and every drop of greed. We are Adam. We earn our rightful place in death and make clear our need for grace.
Father, give us that grace that only comes from the great Supplier.
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