At first glance, when looking at Genesis 3, it appears that Eve committed the first sin by eating the forbidden fruit.  She ate it first, and then gave some to her husband.

But if we fast forward to the New Testament, we see a different story.  Romans 5:12 says that sin came into the world through one man.

Not woman, man.

Let’s go back to Genesis and look at it again.

If sin entered the world through one man, then what was his sin?

After they had eaten the fruit, God found Adam and Even and told Adam that the ground was now cursed because he ate the forbidden fruit.  But Eve ate the fruit as well.  And she ate it first.  What else did Adam do wrong? “He listened to the voice of his wife”. (Gen 3:17)

Eating the fruit was the second sin.  The first sin was Adam abdicating his role as a man to lead his wife.

Where was Adam when the serpent was tempting Eve?

He was with her when Eve was tempted (Gen 3:6).  He was with her and yet he did nothing.

He didn’t fight.  He didn’t lead.

He followed.  He listened to the voice of his wife.

A dragon came (Rev 12:9), put his wife in a castle of lies, and he just stood there.

He went passive.

Sin entered the world because the first man didn’t play the man.

Satan took over the world because he was able to get Adam and Eve to function outside of their God given gender roles.

That worked pretty well for him.

Do you think he’s since stopped using that tactic?

Image courtesy of “The U.S. National Archives” | Flickr.com