Chapter 5
The Failed Purpose: When Everything Changed
"Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned."
— Romans 5:12
The Enemy's Strategy
Before Adam could even begin to fully exercise his dominion, before he could eat of the Tree of Life and secure eternal life, the enemy came.
Satan understood something critical: If Adam remains in his position, Satan can never prevail. As long as Adam stays in the garden, stays connected to God, stays in authority, Satan is powerless. He is under Adam's feet. He has no access, no influence, no power.
So Satan needed a strategy. And his strategy was brilliantly simple: Get Adam out of position.
Satan had studied God. He knew how God works. He himself had been cast out of heaven for rebellion. He knew that if Adam rebelled against God, the same thing would happen, Adam would be cast out.
So the serpent came to Eve in the garden with one objective: to cause disobedience that would lead to expulsion.
The Three-Part Attack
Let us trace the enemy's approach:
Part 1: Attack the Relationship with God
Satan's first words were:
"Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden'?"
— Genesis 3:1
What is he doing? He is creating doubt about what God said. He is questioning God's word. He is introducing suspicion about God's character.
Then he escalates:
"You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
— Genesis 3:4-5
Now he is calling God a liar. He is saying God withheld something good from them out of jealousy. He is attacking trust in God.
Part 2: Cause Disobedience
Once doubt was planted, the deed followed:
"So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate."
— Genesis 3:6
Adam and Eve disobeyed God's direct command. They chose to obey the serpent instead of their Creator. In that moment, they transferred their allegiance.
Part 3: Remove from Location
Satan knew what would happen next. And it did:
"Therefore the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life."
— Genesis 3:23-24
Mission accomplished. Adam was out of the garden. Out of position. Out of access. Out of power.
What Was Lost
The consequences of the fall were catastrophic. Let me detail everything that was lost:
1. Direct Fellowship with God
Before the fall:
"And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day."
— Genesis 3:8
After the fall:
"And Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden."
The easy, natural fellowship was broken. Instead of running to God, they ran from Him. Fear replaced friendship. Hiding replaced honesty.
2. Perfect Location
Adam was driven out of the garden. He was sent back to the ground from which he was taken, the cursed ground outside of Eden.
The garden had everything. The land outside had nothing but potential for pain.
3. Access to the Tree of Life
With cherubim and a flaming sword guarding the way, Adam could never return to eat from the Tree of Life.
This meant:
- Sickness became possible, No more automatic healing
- Aging began, The body started to deteriorate
- Death became certain, "You shall surely die" was now reality
4. Easy Provision
God declared:
"Cursed is the ground for your sake; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, and you shall eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread."
— Genesis 3:17-19
No more trees growing automatically with fruit for eating. Now the ground would resist him. Thorns and thistles would compete with crops. Sweat and labor would be required for survival.
5. Dominion Over Creation
Adam lost his authority. The animals that once obeyed him now feared him, or threatened him. The serpent that should have been under his feet had deceived him. Creation was no longer in submission.
6. Access to Wealth
The river that flowed from Eden to Havilah, the source of gold, bdellium, and onyx, was now inaccessible. Adam was cut off from the divine provision system that would have made him wealthy.
7. Relational Harmony
God said to Eve:
"Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you."
— Genesis 3:16
The partnership became a struggle. The harmony became tension. What was designed to be unity became conflict.
Summary: Before and After the Fall
| Aspect | Before the Fall | After the Fall | |--------|-----------------|----------------| | Relationship with God | Direct fellowship | Broken, fearful | | Location | Garden of Eden | Cursed ground | | Tree of Life | Accessible | Guarded, inaccessible | | Provision | Automatic, abundant | Through sweat and toil | | Dominion | Complete authority | Lost, contested | | Wealth access | River to Havilah | Cut off | | Marriage | Partnership | Tension and struggle | | Physical body | Immortal (potential) | Mortal, dying |
The Duration of the Failed Purpose
How long did humanity live in this fallen state?
From Adam's fall until Christ came, approximately 4,000 years.
Four thousand years of:
| • Sickness and death | • Defeat by the enemy |
| • Toil and struggle | • Inability to fulfill original purpose |
| • Separation from God |
During this time, people still served God. Abel offered sacrifices. Enoch walked with God. Noah built the ark. Abraham believed. Moses led. David ruled.
But none of them could restore what was lost. None of them could get back into the garden. None of them could overcome death permanently.
They were serving God from outside Eden, in the midst of thorns and thistles, eating from the sweat of their brows.
The Spiritual Bondage
Here is a truth that will help you understand everything that follows:
When Adam obeyed Satan's voice and disobeyed God's command, something profound happened. Adam came under Satan's authority.
The Bible says:
"Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey?"
— Romans 6:16
By obeying Satan, Adam became Satan's slave. Satan became, in a sense, the new master of whatever Adam controlled. Since Adam had been given dominion over the earth, Satan now had access to that dominion through Adam.
This is why Satan could later say to Jesus:
"All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish."
— Luke 4:6
Satan claimed authority over the kingdoms of the world because that authority had been "delivered" to him, through Adam's fall.
Why God Cast Adam Out
Some people are confused by God's response. Why would a loving God cast His children out of paradise?
The answer is found in Genesis 3:22:
"Then the Lord God said, 'Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever', "
God was not being cruel. He was being merciful.
If Adam had eaten from the Tree of Life after joining himself to Satan, he would have lived forever in bondage to Satan. There would have been no way to redeem him. He would have been eternally trapped in a corrupted state.
By preventing access to the Tree of Life, God ensured that Adam's body would eventually die. And through death, Satan's hold on that body would be broken. Then God could raise Adam in a new body, a body that Satan could never claim, never control, never corrupt.
Death was not the curse. Death was the cure. It was God's way of eventually breaking Satan's hold on humanity so that restoration could occur.
The Hope That Remained
Even in the midst of this catastrophe, God gave hope.
Speaking to the serpent, God declared:
"And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel."
— Genesis 3:15
A Seed was coming. A descendant of the woman would crush the serpent's head. The damage would be undone. The enemy would be defeated.
This was the first gospel, the first announcement of Christ.
The Original Purpose had failed. But it would not fail forever.
Reflection Questions
- How does understanding Satan's strategy help you recognize his tactics in your own life?
- Which loss from the fall affects you most in your daily life?
- How does knowing that death was God's mercy (not His curse) change your perspective?
- What hope does Genesis 3:15 give you about your current struggles?
Prayer
Father, I understand now the magnitude of what was lost. I see why the world is the way it is, why there is suffering, sickness, struggle, and death. But I also see Your mercy even in judgment. You did not abandon us. You preserved a way for redemption. Thank You for the Seed who was promised. Thank You for the hope that remained even when everything else was lost. In Jesus' name, Amen.