The first bumper sticker I read said “Eve was Framed!” I take this to be a reference to the Book of Genesis and the story about the crafty serpent (the Devil) convincing Eve to eat the forbidden fruit. This is often called the “original sin.” On this topic I would like to point to a few words that usually go unnoticed.
Genesis 3:1-6 New International Version (NIV)
The Fall of Man
1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?"
2 The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.' "
4 "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. 5 "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
Please note the words in verse 6 “who was with her.” Adam was right there while the serpent was tempting Eve and surely had an opportunity to jump in and say “No Eve! God said not to!” You can make an argument that the orginal sin was equally Adam’s for he was passive. His was a sin of omission before he too ate the forbidden fruit (sin of commission). At this critical point in the history of mankind, he did not provide spiritual leadership when he could have.
So... while Eve was not “Framed” she may have gotten too much credit for the fall of mankind. Adam played (or shall I say didn’t play) his part too.
Back to the bumper stickers...
As I passed the car I mentioned at the beginning, my eye veered a little to the left and found another bumper sticker with the words “Born OK the First Time” which I take to mock all Christian believers who professes to have been “Born Again.” This one really hit the pit of my stomach. I found myself wondering what happened in this woman’s life to make her so hostile to Christianity. Was she betrayed by a mother or father who outwardly claimed to be a Christian? I don’t know but it made me think about how everyone is watching us. We have to be ever vigilent and keep up our guard against any temptation which might cause us to fall short – and in so doing assist the crafty serpent of the Garden of Eden in keeping another from coming to a saving knowledge of Jesus. I fear I have fallen short too often myself. I thank God for the grace extended to me in spite of my weaknesses.
God, I pray for this woman I don’t even know. I don’t know what has happened in her life to cause such disbelief but I pray that You will put someone in her path that can be a shining example of Your love and grace. Stir her heart to want to know more about You and Your plan for salvation. Bring others into her life to “plant seeds” and still more to “water the seeds” when they sprout. Help us all to be alert to the prompting of the Holy Spirit to be involved in some small way in the lives of anyone around us who may be seeking You. Amen.
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