Man’s Condemnation

After Adam and Eve sinned, “Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings.” (Gen. 3:7) The knowledge of evil began immediately and their conscience began to condemn them. They began to hide themselves from God because of their guilt.

“They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. (9) Then the LORD God called to the man, and said to him, ‘Where are you?’ (10) He said, ‘I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.'(11) And He said, ‘Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?’ (12) The man said, ‘The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate.’ (13) Then the LORD God said to the woman, ‘What is this you have done?’ And the woman said, ‘The serpent deceived me, and I ate.'”

When God questioned Adam about his disobedience, he blamed Eve and God and Eve blamed the serpent. While neither Adam or Eve were willing to stand up and take ownership for their actions, God held them all accountable. He condemned the serpent to go on its belly and “dust you will eat All the days of your life.” (Gen. 3:14 NASB)

God condemned woman to great pain in childbirth and subservience to her husband. “I will greatly multiply Your pain in childbirth, In pain you will bring forth children; Yet your desire will be for your husband, And he will rule over you.” (Gen. 3:16 NASB)

God condemned man to a lifetime of sweat and toil in scratching a living out of the ground until he died and returned to the dust. “Cursed is the ground because of you; In toil you will eat of it All the days of your life. (18) Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; And you will eat the plants of the field; (19) By the sweat of your face You will eat bread, Till you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return.” (Gen. 3:17-19 NASB)

God condemned mankind to a lifetime of toil, heartbreak, sorrow, sickness and death for his disobedience. “Dying thou shalt die.” (Gen. 2:17 KJV margin) Our first parents began to grasp the enormity of their condemnation after they were evicted from their garden home, lost fellowship with God and after their oldest son Cain killed his brother Abel. (Gen. 3:22-24; 4:8)

Within the thousand year day of God, Adam and Eve both died from the condemnation. (2 Peter 3:8; Gen. 5:5) Ever since the condemnation, mankind has suffered greatly and died under the condemnation. After the flood, man’s lifespan was greatly shortened so that the average life today is between 70 and 80 years. (Psa. 90:10)

No one has escaped. But with the condemnation, God gave man hope that the condemnation would not be eternal. “And enmity, will I put between thee [serpent], and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed,—He shall crush thy head, but, thou, shalt crush his heel.” (Gen. 3:15 Rotherham) The seed of the woman would be Christ. While the serpent would strike his heel leading to his death at Calvary, Jesus would be raised from the dead by the mighty power of God, free the human family from the clutches of Satan and destroy the adversary. (Heb. 2:14; Rev. 20:10)

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