Adam & Eve Devotional

Read This: “Consequently, just as condemnation for all people came through one transgression, so too through the one righteous act came righteousness leading to life for all people. For just as through the disobedience of the one man many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of one man many will be made righteous. (Romans 5:18-19).

Think: Sometimes I wonder how the story would have gone down if I had been the one in the garden instead of Adam and Eve. In my arrogance I like to think that I would have resisted the temptation to eat from the forbidden tree. But the truth is, just like Adam and Eve used their free will to turn against God, I am guilty of rebelling against him too.

I also wonder if Adam and Eve understood the full impact of their consequences. One act of disobedience affected all of creation, the history of the entire world—especially mankind. Sin created a wall between them and God. They had never been separated from God so how could they know or imagine what it would be like if he wasn’t there? What would it be like not to talk to him, walk with him, and experience his majesty every hour of the day not just for them but for everyone? Hard work, painful childbirth, and eventual physical death were part of God’s punishment, but those were nothing compared to the absence of God.

In the same way, we don’t always understand the full weight of our choices either. We can’t see the big picture—the ripple effect of our choices. Often we don’t know if or how it will affect other people. The personal consequences are more obvious. Sin separates us from God as much today as it did back in the garden. And when we don’t allow the Holy Spirit to convict us and shamefully try to hide our sins from God—as if that’s possible—it separates us even further.

The good news is that our relationship with God, broken by sin, can be reconciled through Jesus Christ. Our sinful nature may have been born in the garden of Eden, but it is put to death on the cross. We do not have to be separated from God. The indwelling of his Spirit means that we can once again talk with him, walk with him, and experience his majesty every hour of the day.

Ask: Can you think of a time your sin affected other people?

Pray: As Satan presented himself as a snake in the garden, sin has a way of creeping into our hearts disguised in many forms. Spend some time with the Lord asking him to reveal the not so obvious sins you may be struggling with.