Genesis 3 – Overview
Please read Genesis 3.
As we studied previously, Jesus created the world, but he did not directly rule the world. So who ruled? Let’s read two passages in the Bible, this tells us who made and provided the territory to be ruled.
Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”
Notice three things:
- The expression – In the beginning
- God
- created the heaven and the earth
John 1:1-3, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Very clearly these two texts of scripture are closely linked, because in both of them of you have the expression “in the beginning”. In both, you have “God” – the idea of God. And, you have a reference to creation/creation activity. So, you have the same ideas in both texts. The point is, the Creator in Genesis 1:1 was none other than Jesus Christ. How do we know? In John 1:1,3 we find that the Word is Jesus. We are told in verse 14 that the Word was made flesh. The Creator recorded in the book of Genesis is Jesus Christ. Obviously, it tells us also that Jesus is God. So, we have established that the Son of God (aka: Jesus) created the heavens, earth, and all that is in them. See post titled: “Who Was There at Creation?” for further study.
When we say Jesus was the Creator, we recognize that it was the Son of God who created and eventually came down and was born through Mary, whom we call Jesus. The Creator of us, became the Redeemer for us.
So who ruled?
Our Creator spoke everything into existence EXCEPT man and woman. With His hands he fashion them and then breathed the breath of life into their nostrils. When He created man, he didn’t say, “let there be human beings”. Instead, God proclaimed, “Let us make man in our image, according to Our likeness.” He had something special in mind for this creation.
He place on this earth a man called Adam and a woman named Eve, they were made in the image of God. They were to be “image bearers” of God in this perfect covenant of love and live in harmony with their Creator (See post title: Covenant of Love). God gave them dominion of the earth and were instructed to fill and subdue it. Genesis 1:28, is where we are told that they were given dominion, which means to rule, reign, and govern. Every ruler has to have a territory over which to govern. They were to rule over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth. We can garner two principle ideas here: 1) Adam was placed as king and Eve by his side was queen over this planet, and 2) their territory of dominion or rule was planet earth.
What Was The Garden Like
Adam and Eve were put in an environment beyond our wildest imaginations—a stunning home in a gorgeous garden with animals and other creatures as loyal friends. They reveled in the spectacular scenery, the scented flowers, the birds, and the animals in God’s love and in their love for each other. They neither wanted nor needed anything more, and they tended the garden as they were bidden by their Maker. Adam and Eve surely looked forward to their Master’s visits as they strolled together in the garden and actively communicated with Him. They knew that He loved them and, in return, they loved Him. No doubt, as they experienced their Creator their love grew deeper.
Adam and Eve held open-faced communion with the Lord, a privilege that we don’t have now. However, we do have the privilege of living our lives in constant connection with the same God as did Adam and Eve. Sure, sin has gotten in the way, but, through Jesus, who has connected heaven to earth with bonds that never can be broken, a way has been paved for us to live as closely and intimately with our Creator as is possible now.
Exercising Freewill
God creates his intelligent creature with free will. Without that freedom, Adam and Eve might be able to do “moral” things, in the same way that a house alarm which protects people from crime DOES something “moral”, yet who would call the alarm itself “moral”? In the same way, beings who have no choice but to do the right thing aren’t “moral” either. Only free beings can be moral ones.
This is genuine love for a Creator to give such freedom. A simple option was set before them. Either they choose to abide according to His goodness, or decide to self-govern. On this side of sin, we are well acquainted with governing ourselves and how that has played out…not good. We are not the only creation that decided to self-govern, 1/3 of the heavenly host decided that same fate before us. In order to have free will, there has to be something over which you will exercise this freedom. If that condition does not exist then there would be no free will.
Genesis 2:16-17, is where God laid down a condition for Adam and Eve to continue their rule and for them to continue to enjoy the earth as the territory of their domain. They were free to live in the pure righteousness of God being in perfect harmony with their Creator enjoying all things good – in fact very good OR choose to separate from His governance and self-govern (rule) defining for self what is good and what is evil.
The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil was the object place before them which would provide them with a choice, this freedom to express free will. It’s interesting that the tree was of both “good and evil”. God, obviously, didn’t want to keep Adam and Eve from good. Indeed, the whole world God had created, including them, was good, in fact very good. It was from the knowledge of evil that the Lord wanted to spare them. So, the choice was to either remain as the perfect “image bearer” of God abiding in His perfect love living in the “very good” or separate from him through disobedience and make their own way deciding for themselves what is good and what is evil. Each decision had a consequence, one leads to life the other to death.
It is not hard to understand what God wanted for them. He set them in the most perfect condition. Even in our fallen world, what parent doesn’t want to protect his or her children from the knowledge of evil? Parents, in general, do their best to provide the most perfect condition for their children to embrace the “good, and very good” in life. How much more so, then, did God want to protect Adam and Eve from evil, as well, from the knowledge of the one thing that would cause them to lose their garments of light and to know shame, suffering, and death? It is important to keep in mind that evil doesn’t always manifest itself to the level of a serial killer, but most often is very subtle manifestation. What might these be? This is the question each of us need to answer. The most basic problem for humanity is that we want to self-govern, rather than abide in His governance.
For a period of time Adam and Eve lived in perfect harmony and peace with God. They exercised their freedom of choice and chose to be loyal to God abstaining from the forbidden tree and embraced a pure love relationship with their Creator. God gave them the choice, not to serve Him just because He created them but to serve Him out of love. They were living in Paradise and were enjoying the territory of the domain given to them.
They were robed in innocence and shone with God’s glory. The Bible says that they were covered in honor and splendor which is likened to light (Ps. 104:1-2). We have another account of what happens to be in the presence of God glory. Moses was up on the mount for 40 days and nights. While he was on the mount, Moses asked God if he could see him, and God told Moses that no man can look into the face of God and live. At least, not in our sinful state. But God had Moses stand in a cleft and then passed by, Moses saw the “goodness” of God as he passed by. When Moses’ descended from the mountain the people were afraid because Moses’ face shone. In fact, it was so unsettling to the people that Moses vailed his face. Each time he came before the Lord he would take the vail off, but would put it back on before he went before the people (Ex. 34:29-35). So, this glory that covered Adam and Eve must have been spectacular.
Distorting God’s Word
The Serpent (aka: devil, Satan) reshaped what God said, “Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of EVERY tree of the garden?” Satan distorted what God said which was design to get Eve to debate God’s command. This is how he draws her in to then seduce (beguile) her. He set her up to entertain the possibility that God did not know what was best and to question the truthfulness of God’s word.
Eve responds, “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.” Some say that Eve misquoted God or embellished on what God said in Genesis 2:16-17. See post titled: “Did Eve add to what God said about the tree of knowledge of good and evil?” God spent time with them and every conversation is obviously not recorded. And, if we follow the principle of repeat and enlarge, this would follow what we see throughout the entire Bible. So, we will move on and take her response at face value, Eve is correcting the serpent as to what God said.
The serpent says, “Ye shall NOT surely die: 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.” The serpent has a full-on attack towards God, which is not surprising since we are told that there was war in heaven (war over the minds of the heavenly host). See John 8:44. Satan elevates himself at the level of God and tells Eve she will not “surely die”. In doing this, he makes God out to be the liar. He then suggests that by eating of the fruit, she will be as God. He makes God out to be oppressive, withholding something from them…a higher level of knowledge, wisdom, and experience. Eve is beguiled (seduced) 1 Tim. 2:14, and the rest is history.
The Fall
As we know, a day came when Adam and Eve chose to go their own way. We know all too well, they failed, even one command as simple as abstaining from the fruit of one tree. To call the results tragic would, of course, be the greatest understatement in human history. Tragic hardly coneys the horrible results of our parents’ disobedience.
Eve and Adam acted. When Eve 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; Eve took, ate, and gave to Adam who also ate. Here in lies the problems:
- desired to be as God
- chose not to honor God
- brough death upon all humanity, nothing short of murder
- subjected self to be seduced (beguiled)
- lusted after the ideas that were suggested by the serpent
- stole something that did not belong to them, that tree was forbidden
- coveted the place of God, the wisdom of God
- discontent with what was given, being image bearers, dominion over earth, wanted more
Adam and Eve’s choice caused them to forfeit their reign over the earth. In fact, by their action of following the suggestion of the serpent, they handed their dominion over to him. Unfortunately for the whole of humanity, when they violated the Covenant of Love, they lost His covering robe, that beautiful robe of righteousness – instead they now found themselves naked. As Adam and Eve found out, there are only tragic consequence when we reject God’s Word as the sole authority for our lives and replace it without self-defined rule and authority. We can look down through history and our present situation in the world and see the results of self-rule.
Satan told them their eyes would be opened, and he was right. Now they were seeing the world and reality differently than they ever had before. All through those verses, the theme of their nakedness reoccurs. It’s the controlling motif in the section. Their fall from innocence, their transgression, and their new relationship to God and to each other are all expressed in the theme of their now knowing that they are naked. Notice, the Lord’s question to them: “Who told you that you were naked?” It implies that in their innocence they never realized their nakedness, that it just seemed a natural way to be, and so they didn’t give it any thought. Now, not only did they think about it, they were dominated by the shame that it brought, and tried to conceal it.
Why Wasn’t Their Eyes Opened Until They Both Ate
Adam was responsible for his wife. In fact, the woman was created for the man (1 Corinthians 11:9), and so the created order began with Adam (which Satan through the serpent refused to acknowledge when he approached Eve first). So, Adam would have had to fall for their eyes to be opened. Simply put, Adam was the one responsible, even for his wife’s actions.
Both had dominion, so both Adam and Eve had to fall for the change to occur. This perspective is based on Genesis 1:26–28, where Adam and Eve were given dominion together. In other words, for the entire dominion of man to fall, both had to sin. Satan through deception usurped dominion from Adam and Eve, and they fell from rulers of earth to slaves under Satan.
Think of it conversely. If Adam had eaten first, would the same thing have happened? In the shared-dominion perspective, the answer would be yes. If Adam had eaten first nothing would have appeared to happen, but when Eve would have eaten, then both had sinned and the entire dominion would fall.)
Nakedness
Genesis 2:25 describes the condition of Adam and Eve in the garden, they were naked, but not ashamed. They were naked with respect to human garments, but they were robbed by God. They were covered with the glorious light of God. How do we come to that conclusion? Psalm 104:1-2, tells us they were clothed with “honour and splendor (majesty) and it coverest them with light as with a garment”.
In Psalm 8:3-6, David is speaking of Adam who was crowned with glory and honor by God. God crowned him as the ruler of earth. Imagine Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, in their innocence they are naked but are covered with the garments of light which God provided to them. They decide to disobey God. Once it was decided that it was desirable and pleasing to the eye (coveting) to have a wisdom that would elevate to the level of God – knowing good AND evil, the action followed. Once Eve gave the fruit to Adam and he ate, their eyes were opened and immediately knew they were naked.
What happened to the glorious robe of light? It disappeared. Their solution was to gather fig leaves and sew them together to make themselves a covering. By the work of their own hands, they tried to cover their nakedness. But it did not provide them with what they really needed. How do we know? When they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden, they hid themselves. When God called out for Adam, he said “I heard your voice and was afraid because I am naked so I hid”.
This nakedness is with us today. We cannot cover it ourselves. Like Adam and Eve, who hid behind some bushes, looking at themselves with mouths wide open, attempting to cover themselves before the Lord. Deciding that the fig leaves were the best option – but it didn’t cover the shame. Here we have the first lesson in salvation by works, in humans attempting to solve the problem of sin by their own works and deeds. As apathetic as their attempts were then, they are no more so than ours are today. The only way is through Jesus Christ by putting on His robe of righteousness – then we are covered. Just as God taught this first object lesson, Adam and Eve sacrificed the first lamb, which pointed them to Jesus Christ – our robe of righteousness, our redeemer, our restorer. There are some who say that God provided the animal AND slew the animal, but to be consistent with the sacrifices that followed, the sinner always slayed the animal. In the Garden is where the sacrificial system began. God fashioned for them coats of skins and clothed them, how powerfully this instilled His love for his creation.
Skeptics will say, “Genesis doesn’t say there was a death of an animal, a lamb is never mentioned, and that substitutionary atonement is not inferred.” The Plain Word is going to respond to these notions. Prior to Genesis 3:21, in verse 15, the gospel is described (the prophecy of the Messiah) and in Genesis 4 we are told of Cain and Abel’s offering – one a lamb the other grain. Abel’s was accepted and Cain’s was not. Why? Without the shedding of blood sin cannot be forgiven (Hebrews 9:22) and the sacrifice was pointing forward to the Messiah. Cain’s offering pointed to the works of his own hands, much like Adam and Eve attempting to cover their nakedness with their own hands by using fig leaves. The Bible tells us the Jesus is “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Rev. 13:8). This was representative of what was to come, and was what the sacrificial system in the sanctuary pointed us to. Therefore, the atonement is inclusive, which is at the center of the message of God to fallen humanity. Also, the Hebrew word is Kophar, which means covering, and is translated in the Old Testament as atonement. See post titled: The Serpent, the Woman, and the Seed.
To KNOW Good and Evil
What does the narrative tell us. First, we are told that knowing good and evil is a characteristic of God. This is not to say that God does evil or created evil, but rather knows what happens to created beings that chose to rebel. He was already dealing with evil – Lucifer and 1/3 of the heavenly host. Second, Adam and Eve did not naturally possess this type of knowledge; it was not a deficiency, simply the way the Lord created them – He did not want them to “know” or experience/become evil. Third, this knowledge leads to the dissolution of the creatures, their return to nothingness, to death. Fourth, humans can misappropriate this knowledge; they can attempt to break away from the loving limits imposed by the Creator.
Any interpretation of the phrase “knowledge of good and evil” must be in agreement with the facts provided for us by the context itself. The totality of the story uncovers the meaning or significance of the phrase. It makes clear that to know good and evil is to claim complete and absolute autonomy for our existence; to attempt to eliminate any sense of accountability to anyone else, including God. It is humans deciding by themselves what is good or evil without taking into consideration God’s revealed will.
God is the only totally autonomous being, not accountable to anyone except to His own character. This type of existence is not possible for us. To be a creature is by definition to be accountable to the Creator. Any attempt to exist in total independence from God would ultimately result in extinction. The serpent led Adam and Eve to believe that they could aspire to and experience—come to know—this kind of autonomy and continue to enjoy life apart from God. They could certainly live in rebellion against God, perceiving themselves as unaccountable to Him. But the fact is, everyone is accountable to Him. There is a judgment and upon His return everyone will receive their reward, eternal life or ultimate extinction-the second death.
We must go a step further in attempting to understand what the biblical writer is communicating. The same phrase “good and evil” is used once more in the Old Testament in conjunction with the verb “to know,” and it would be good to see whether that usage supports, modifies, or rejects our interpretation.
In Deuteronomy 1:39 we read, “Moreover your little ones, . . . and your children, who this day have no knowledge of good or evil, shall go in [to the Promised Land]” (RSV). The phrase is used here in a positive way. Children do not know good and evil; they exist in total dependence on their parents; they are not autonomous. Once they grow, they will assume responsibility for their own lives, becoming independent of their parents. Even here the phrase expresses or at least implies the ideas of independence and autonomy.
God granted us freedom, but our existence depends on our relationship with Him. To claim autonomy is tantamount to rejecting the gift of life. The knowledge condemned by God is evil, for evil cannot exist in the presence of a holy God. The two cannot coexist. He revealed all that was “very good” and holy, relying upon our own wisdom is to reject the “very good” and holy. Resourced: Bible Research Institute.
Investigation, Judgement, and Mercy
God came to the garden and asked, “Where are you?” (Genesis 3:8-9). This is the first question and why did God ask Adam, “Where are you?” It was not because God did not know, for he is omnipresence. Through questioning, God gave them an opportunity to own up to their disobedience, but we will also see God graciously seeking the guilty sinner.
God then begins asking a sequence of questions once Adam replied, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked” (Genesis 3:10). See post titled: “Nakedness”. God asked, “Who told you that you were naked?, Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” (Genesis 3:11). There is not a recorded response from Adam to these questions. However, these questions pull out the magnitude of their rebellion, and were to arouse the sense of being lost, leading to confession of wrong doing, and pointing to the accountability man has before God.
At this point there is a transition. Adam replied, ”..the woman you put here with me – she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it” (Genesis 3:12). In a sheepishly way, Adam admits to his action but also points to Eve whom God gave to be with him. This was an indirect way of ultimately blaming God himself. Genesis 3:13, God questions Eve, another sheepish admission as she points the finger at the Serpent that beguiled her.
God asked Adam three questions and Eve one. Does this have any significance? Adam knowingly rebelled, whereas Eve was deceived in to disobedience. Adam, according to Romans 5:12, is held responsible for the fall of mankind.
Genesis 3:14-15, is where God turns to the Serpent. “…Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: And 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.” As we see, God did not ask the Serpent any questions. Satan is bent on war, seeking for himself a kingdom and worship. See the series titled, “Where Did Evil and Chaos Start?” Satan is informed that the Seed will come, the Son of God will come and take on humanity. Although Satan would bruise Christ, Christ would bruise (crush) Satan’s head. Christ was “bruised” on the cross, but rose to victory over death and the grave. This is our hope in His righteousness. Satan, the angels who gave their allegiance to him, and people who refuse the mercy of Christ; will find their end in the lake of fire which ends in their utter destruction – second death (Revelation 20:14-15; Revelation 21:8).
In Genesis 3:16-19, we are told of the consequences of their actions. For Adam it was sorrow and toil; Eve’s was sorrow and family strife; and then the ground is cursed. It is interesting to note, that it was the Serpent and the ground that was cursed…not Adam and Eve. Genesis 2:17 and 3:19b, is where we find the judgment for sin, “…for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” (YLT, “dying thou dost die”) and “…unto the dust shalt thou return”. At this point, Adam and Eve handed dominion over to Satan, who is the author of sin and death (Hebrews 2:14-15). It is vital that God’s investigation and judgment never comes before warning(s). Adam was warned in Genesis 2:17 the outcome of going his own way, separating from God.
We also see in God’s response to the Serpent, that the plan of salvation is revealed. What an expression of God’s sorrow over man’s lost condition; but also, that He seeks after lost man (John 3:16-17, add’l text). We see God graciously seeking the guilty sinners and providing for their redemption and ultimate restoration. God promises victory over the tempter. Even their being expelled from the garden was gracious, in that He protected them from living forever in their fallen condition. This gives us great hope to know that God comes to the lost and fallen personally. The bible also tells us, that he has the power over death and the grave (Hades) in Revelation 1:18.
Chiasm Structure
God’s response to the situation is a chiasm. A chiasm is a literary structure in prophecy, and you can see it in literature as well. It is a pattern of ABCBA, it is a mirror image:
A Adam is approached with three questions.
B Eve is approached with one question.
C Serpent is approached with no questions, and judgment is pronounced.
B Returns to the women and pronounces judgment, not as lengthy as Adam’s.
A Returns to Adam and pronounces judgment, more lengthy than Eve’s.
This occurs throughout the bible, especially in prophecy. Many scholars say that the Pentateuch (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy), meaning the first book mirrors the last book, the second book mirrors the third book, and the middle is the epicenter (main subject matter) so to speak.
The center or middle book is Leviticus. What is going on in Leviticus? The words repeated over and over is lamb, blood, and sacrifice. The lamb refers to Jesus Christ, the Messiah, who will shed his blood and be a sacrifice. It is a Christ centered book.
So what is being communicated here is that the first prophecy in Genesis 3 is laying down the principles to know how to interpret the subsequent prophecies to follow clear through Revelation.
In Genesis 3:15, there are three elements: enmity, seeds, and bruising. Turn to Galatians 3:16, Paul is speaking about Abraham’s seed (not plural), which is a reference to Genesis 3:15, and the we are told that Seed is Christ. The second seed of Genesis 3:15 is Christ, and the point is the first prophecy of the bible is telling us the focal point is Christ, his mission which is redemptive. This does not exclude prophetic events for they are important for us to know, but the spotlight is about a person and that person is Jesus Christ. See posts titled: “Enmity”, What is the serpent’s seed?, and “The Serpent, the Woman and the Seed”.
Now turn to Revelation 1:1. The first verse tells us this book is the “revelation of Jesus Christ”. What does revelation mean in the Koine Greek…unveiling (apokalypsis). Where do we see a veil in the Old Testament? In the sanctuary. What did the veil in the sanctuary do? Separated the Holy from the Most Holy Place. This then directs our attention to the work of Christ beyond the veil in the heavenly sanctuary as our High Priest (Hebrews 4:14-10:22) and Mediator (1 Tim. 2:5). Whereby through Christ, we have access to the Father. Further study: Eph. 1:7, 2:18-20, 3:12; John 10:9, 14:6; Heb. 6:19-20, 10:19-22; Matt. 27:51, Mark 15:38.
Let’s look at the last verse of Revelation 22:20. This verse present Christ. A returning Christ. So, we open Revelation and end Revelation with Christ. Staying true to chiastic structure, what does the middle verse have to say?
Revelation 12:10, “…now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down…” This is the epicenter of Revelation. This must show us the heart of Revelation, in fact the culmination of the entirety of God’s word. AND IT DOES! Praise God…Amen and Amen.
Paul’s Words on the Downfall of Humanity
Notice that the repercussion of Eve’s sin affected her and subsequently all women since that initial sin (Genesis 3:16). But notice Adam’s consequence in Genesis 3:17–19—the ground was cursed (i.e. the whole of the dominion). The apostle Paul revealed the extent of this curse in Romans 8:20–22 as being the whole of creation, which is why we need a new heavens and a new earth.
Both Adam and Eve had dominion, but Adam was ultimately the responsible party. Consider Romans 5:12:
Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned. (Romans 5:12)
Paul is reading from the story in Genesis 3, the Fall of Humanity. How did he conclude that the events described in Genesis 3 were in fact the catastrophic events of our downfall, the entrance of sin into all of humanity? After all, the story appears to be about Adam and Eve eating fruit from a tree. How did Paul interpret this one event as the downfall of our human race into guilt and condemnation? Was he reading something into the story of fruit picking?
Well, it is important to understand that Paul was not reading from an English translation of the Bible, but from his Hebrew Bible, the same Bible Jesus read from. And, therein lies a ray of sunshine to burn away this fog. The clue is to observe the use of the double use of the word “naked.”
Observe the first use of the word “naked”. And they were both NAKED, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed. Genesis 2:25
The word “naked” is explained further by their innocence, their being unashamed. Adam and Eve are unclothed and they are not embarrassed. So far so good. But their innocence is lost and they become ashamed, guilty, as revealed in the next use of the word “naked.” Let’s examine the next episode.
The serpent (Genesis 3:1), successfully persuaded Eve – by deceit- through twisting God’s words convincing her to trust in her own evaluation of what was good and to take and eat the forbidden fruit (Gen 3:6). He was capable of causing Eve to believe what he was saying was true or real. The aftermath of the failure of their faith—they knew that they were naked–is pivotal to understand how Paul came to his conclusion in Romans 5:12.
Observe: And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were NAKED; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. Genesis 3:7.
In our English versions of the Bible, it might be assumed that the word NAKED in 2:25 and in 3:7 are exactly the same: NAKED … NAKED. So, did Adam and Eve simply become aware that they were unclothed? Looks like it. Right? Well, not so fast. Assumptions need to be examined. So, let’s do that.
The first use of the word NAKED means just that—unclothed (2:25). But the second term for nakedness in 3:7 (erom) is different in form and meaning, distinguished by its use in Deuteronomy 28:48. It means more than just “unclothed.” The word carries the idea of being guilty, now exposed and vulnerable to God’s judgment.
Observe: Because you did not serve the LORD your God joyfully and gladly in the time of prosperity, therefore, in hunger and thirst, in NAKEDNESS (erom—same word used in Genesis 3:7) and dire poverty, you will serve the enemies the LORD sends against you. Deut. 28:15
The use of the term erom—nakedness in Genesis 3:7, in the aftermath of their disobedience to God, is the perceptive clue to the meaning of the story. Adam and Eve quickly realize far more than just being unclothed. They both know they are guilty, under God’s judgment. This is precisely why they tried to run away from the sound of God’s voice and hide from Him in the trees (Gen. 3:8). Guilt prompts us to look for hiding places.
This is what Paul read and understood from his Hebrew Bible. Adam and Eve’s nakedness in Genesis 3:7 exposes their guilt before God; it issues in judgment, condemnation, and death. See also Ezekiel 16:39; 23:29.
So, when understood from the Hebrew Bible, Paul’s words in Romans 5:12 are not confusing at all. He read nothing into the Genesis text. Under the Spirit’s inspiration, he faithfully took what he observed in the Hebrew text at face value. Nakedness means guilt, condemnation, and death.
But that is not the last word about nakedness and guilt. This will be the judgment of those who chose not to follow Christ and they will experience the second death, an eternal death via the lake of fire.
Also, we are reminded in Revelation that those who follow Jesus wherever He goes, will – at His coming, receive robes once again. We will be covered in God’s glorious light and restored back to what was lost. Amen, and Amen.
Food for Thought
The word translated “apron” or “tunic” is the exact same word used of the garments mandated to be used by priests—to cover their nakedness–only when they served inside the Tabernacle or Temple, the dwelling places of God. Without wearing these garments, they would incur guilt and die (Exod. 28:42). This means, of course, that Adam and Eve were both depicted as priests, able to enjoy immediate access to God in the Garden. But once they sinned, their nakedness required a covering made by God.
This translates to us today. We are in need of the “robe of righteousness” offered through Jesus Christ. It is the ONLY covering that presents us as acceptable before the Father. Jesus is our High Priest, and as our High Priest, he freely clothes those that want to be wrapped in his righteousness. This is the reason that He came, to live a perfect life and to be the perfect sacrifice on our behalf – which entitles Him to SHELTER us with his righteousness…as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings.
The Gospel Revealed
First, we can see that Adam and Eve’s fig-leaf covering was not adequate. If it were, then there would have been no need to sacrifice an animal from which God made a covering. In the same way, all our efforts to keep the law well enough to be saved are inadequate. If working our way to salvation were adequate, then Christ would not have had to die for us. Just as fig leaves would have been less costly and traumatic than the death of innocent animals, so, too, our works would have been cheaper than the death of Jesus. In both cases, our works, fig leaves, couldn’t suffice; that’s why Jesus had to die for us; that’s why innocent animals needed to be slain. It could be no other way (Gal. 3:21, Rom. 3:21–28).
Second, what’s the main difference between fig leaves and animal skins? What inevitably comes from the latter that doesn’t from the former? Of course, the answer is blood. That alone should tell us how the gospel appears in Genesis 3:21 (see Lev. 17:11; Rev. 12:11; 1 Pet. 1:18, 19; Heb. 9:22).
Third, perhaps the most insightful part of the text is the last part, in which it says that “[He] clothed them” (Gen. 3:21). The Hebrew is clear: it was the Lord who placed the animal skins on Adam and Eve. It was His act, it was what He did for them that covered the shame of their nakedness. The immediate consequences of their sin were revealed in the nakedness motif; now, however, God Himself solves the problem by clothing them Himself, in a covering made from innocent animals who were slain. The text says only that a “skin” covered them; it doesn’t tell us what kind. It might not be hard to make a correct guess, though, would it? (See Gen. 22:8, John 1:36, 3:16). Also refer back to the above section titled: Nakedness.
Thus, right from the start, the Lord revealed the plan of salvation. However horrible Adam and Eve’s sin, it wasn’t greater than God’s grace to save them from it, a point we should never forget ourselves.
Shedding of Blood
The Bible is clear, “Without the shedding of blood is no remission…” (Hebrews 9:22). The gospel must be revealed more clearly to the fallen pair as well as the watching universe. Therefore, an animal was sacrificed, representing the sacrifice of His only begotten Son. And from the animal a covering was provided, another symbol. It was a symbol of the righteousness of Christ. It pointed to another garment from a supernatural source, one that could not be soiled, could not fail to cover adequately and would not grow old or wear out. Here the gospel began.
In providing Adam and Eve with a temporarily adequate covering, God also provided the universe with the first revelation of “the mystery which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God” (Ephesians 3:9). God revealed the reality that it would be necessary for a great sacrifice, to solve the sin problem. The children of men would have another covering with a supernatural source.
Replacing the garments of innocence required the sacrifice of an animal. This was a temporary stop gap measure. The robe of light was not then restored, yet it would be restored when the conflict is finished. In the intervening time, the tunics of skin would stand as an adequate symbol pointing to the Lamb of God. He would not only restore the original garments of innocence, He would also provide the righteousness which would have been theirs, had they remained loyal to God. Supplying the lack of righteousness would also require a great sacrifice. Christ would come to earth and live a perfect life in their place, but the transfer of righteousness from Christ to the human family could not occur without death.
Mankind has not been placed in the same circumstances as Adam and Eve, but we have been given the same standing. Our sins are forgiven through the blood of Calvary’s cross and we are given these hours of probation in which to choose which side we shall take in the great controversy. We may choose to accept and wear the robe of Christ’s righteousness to cover our nakedness. Yet as free moral agents we are also free to reject it. Apart from that robe of perfect righteousness, the covering from the supernatural source, we shall be ashamed at His coming when we shall have no choice but to stand in our inadequate robes of self-righteousness, the nakedness spoken of in Genesis 3.
Satan’s Perversion
Satan has been successful at perverting the most obvious truths of God’s Word and has led millions to believe the opposite of those truths (Matt. 10:16; 2 Cor. 11:3; Rev. 12:9, 20:2). For instance, Genesis is so clear: humans started out at the top of the earthly “food chain.” They were created, immediately, in the “image of God.” This image wasn’t something that evolved over billions of years from natural processes. Evolution teaches the opposite—that humans started out at a lower level (as microbes) and eventually, through a brutal process of violence and death, clawed their way up the food chain. Scripture, in contrast, teaches that humans started out at the top, in the image of God, and through sin began a steady descent.
The “good news” is there is a solution. Amen, and Amen. See post titled: “How Are We Saved?”.
It is interesting to note that God clearly told them what would happen to them upon death – return to the ground, but he says nothing about a separate soul that would go on living apart from the body. . The first physical death was that of the animal which was sacrificed and then God used to cover Adam and Eve’s nakedness. Some will say that the first death was spiritual which happened at the moment they disobeyed God, resulting in separation from Him. The Plain Word does not support this idea simply because a human being is a whole person and does not have disembodied parts. The fact is on that a lamb died (took their place), which pointed to the Lamb to come; otherwise, they would have dropped dead. It is also a fact, that on that dreadful day they began to die. To further divide LIFE and DEATH into subcategories of physical and spiritual creates a dense fog. The words LIFE and DEATH no longer convey consistent or singular meanings. They can be defined in contradictory ways simply by adding the new modifier of ‘physical’ or ‘spiritual’, so that the Bible can be forced to say what the reader wants to believe.
Recommended: “The Fall, the Curse, and Evolution”, by Henry M. Morris, Ph.D. April 1 1998; Institute for Creation Research. https://www.icr.org/article/fall-curse-evolution
Disclaimer: THE PLAIN WORD may quote an outside article(s) or provide references to outside materials, which indicate that we stand behind the content of that particular article or reference; but it is not an endorsement by The Plain Word of the author’s opinion, lifestyle or work published elsewhere.
2 Timothy 2:15, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” AND 1 Thessalonians 5:21, “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.”
The Plain Word comment on ICR’s article above. Mankind was to have dominion (rule) the Earth within the confines of God’s government. When the sons of God presented themselves before God, as recorded twice in the Book of Job (1:6-7, 2:1-2), Adam should have been the one representing our creation (Earth). It is clear that Satan was there representing Earth. The question is ‘why’? The answer is straight forward, because dominion was relinquished to him when Adam and Eve fell for his temptation and sinned. They aligned themselves with Satan, rather than maintaining their allegiance to God.