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reaching implications. In one of his
letters tó the church at Corinth in
Greece, Paul wrote: "But 1 fear,
Iest somehow, as the serpent
deceived Eve by his craftiness, so
your minds may be corrupted from
the simplicity that is in Christ"
(11
Cor. 11 :3).
Notice that there is no mention
of Adam in terms of the decep–
tion- and for a very good reason.
He was
not
deceived.
In instructing the young evange–
list Timothy, the apostle Paul
reminded him: "For Adam was
formed first, then Eve. And Adam
was
not
deceived, but the woman
being deceived, fell into transgres–
sion" (1 Tim. 2:13-14).
Satan presented Eve with certain
misleading information she hadn't
considered before. The fruit was
pleasant to the eyes. It tasted good.
One's perceptions would be in–
creased. None of this impressed
Adam. He was not deceived. He
simply acted against his better
judgment.
Paradise Lost,
by John Milton,
is one of the most famous classic
poems of the English language.
While we may have major disagree–
ments with sorne of John Milton's
theology, he may not have been far
from the mark when he pictured
Adam as being initially horrified
upon seeing bis wife eat of the for–
bidden fruit.
Adam knew the serious implica–
tions. He knew that God had pro–
nounced the death penalty for this
disobedience. He knew what the
consequences would be and may
well have feared for his wife Eve.
Probably he thought back to the
time when "there was not found a
helper [suitable] for him" (Gen.
2:20)-the time before Eve was
created. These were sorne of the
thoughts that most probably ran
through his mind.
Adam was at the crisis point in
his life. Would he follow his wife–
or would he follow God? The issue
was one of obedience to God or
rebellion and defiance. On the
other hand, Adam also feared hav–
ing to lose his wife.
Adam made the wrong decision.
But he did not make it based on
deception. He knew what he stood
to lose. He went into it with his
eyes open-he was
not
deceived
April 1984
like Eve. In the end his wife per–
suaded him to eat that fruit against
his better judgment. He put her
first-he put her ahead of God.
How ironic that one of the most
important decisions in all of history
was probably made "against my
better j udgment."
Mo re to Learn
Adam's sin was not justan average
sin.
It
was far-reaching in its impli–
cations. True, a11 men have sinned
(Rom. 3:23). But the apostle Paul
recognized an essential difference
about this particular sin- even
though all spiritual sin brings death
(Rom. 6:23).
Adam's sin cut the world off
from divine revelation and the gift
of God's Spirit and set civilization
on the wrong course. That's why
Paul wrote to the Romans: "Nev-
ertheless death reigned from Adam
to Moses,
even over those who had
not sinned according to the like–
ness of the transgression of
Adam ..
."
(Rom. 5:14).
Adam's sin uniquely affected all
human history.
We have available severa! attrac–
tively printed booklets that make
clear this knowledge. You need to
read these booklets if you have not
already done so-they are gratis–
free of charge.
You may request
Never Before
Understood- Why Humanity Can–
not So/ve Its Evils, Why Were You
Born?
and
What Science Can't Dis–
cover About the Human Mind.
Write for each one by title. You
will find the answers to questions
that may have puzzled you for a
lifetime. lt's all made plain as never
before.
o
THE
GOSPEL
TRUTH!?
Hundreds of religious denominations and sects pro–
fess to teaeh the "true gospel." Yet their various
versions of the gospel differ widely. What was the
gospel Jesus preached? ls anyone now preaching
that message? Our free booklet
What ls
the True Gospel?
shows the clear
answers. For your copy just mail the
card or write to our office nearest you.
See inside front
cover
for addresses.
\\h;JI" lhc
TRUE
GOSPEL?
/¡
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