Good evening, my brothers and sisters in Christ.
Genesis 3:12 (NKJV)
Then the man said, "The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate."
The narrative of the Genesis 3 account is all about how humanity fell and how sin entered the world. How did sin enter the world if all God had made was good (Genesis 1, The Creation)? God gave humanity the ultimate gift of free will to decide if we should accept or reject His gift of salvation found in Christ. The striking details of Genesis 3 are how Adam and Eve tried to hide from God and made excuses for their choices. Eve blames the serpent (Satan) but deceives Adam, and Adam eats the fruit and then tells God in (Genesis 3:12), "The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate." Back in (Genesis 2:16-17, Adam was commanded not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge. The command from God shows us how free will was active in the Garden of Eden. Pay close attention to what Adam said in v. 12. He blamed Eve and pointed the finger at God, denying his responsibility for his choice. Adam wasn't forced to eat. He chose to eat, just like Eve decided to eat and deceive Adam. God ignored their excuses and proceeded with the judgment they would soon face together for disobedience in the Garden of Eden. We learn a few lessons from Adam and Eve: that humanity is good by nature but evil by choice, and that is what free will is: the temptation between right and wrong. We also learn that we must take responsibility for our actions because it leads to spiritual maturity, and that is what repentance is all about: taking responsibility for our sinful behaviors.
Let's compare this with what it says in 2 Corinthians 5:10 (NKJV): "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. Paul here in 2 Corinthians is turning to the judgment, "we must all appear." this means everyone one day will have to give an account for all they have done, whether it be good or bad, so the righteous and unrighteous will be judged together, and this is why we should all strive for spiritual maturity.
"Strive always to acknowledge and take responsibility for your sins. It will free you to receive God's forgiveness and to press on to spiritual maturity."
(Experiencing God Day by Day, devotional., Henry & Richard Blackaby)
In Christ, love Jared W. Campbell
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