How Did Adam and Eve Sin by Eating the Fruit?

Adam S. (age 10) asked,

“If the world was perfect in Adam and Eve’s time, then how did they sin by eating the apple if sin didn’t exist yet?”

Thanks for your question, Adam.

You are right that the world was perfect when Adam and Eve were created. When God created everything in Genesis 1 and 2, he called it all “very good.”

God gave Adam and Eve a guideline in Genesis 2:16–17: “And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, ‘You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.’”

In these verses, God tells Adam that he could eat from any tree in the garden except from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The Bible doesn’t tell us what kind of fruit was on that tree—but it does say they weren’t allowed to eat it.

Later, in Genesis 3:6, after the serpent had appeared to Eve, we read, “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.”

Adam and Eve directly disobeyed the command God had given them to not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. When they ate the fruit from that tree, they disobeyed God. Their disobedience was the first human sin.

Because of Adam and Eve’s disobedience, God judged Adam and Eve and all of creation. The once-perfect world is now broken, and we are all born sinners. The punishment for our sin is death (Genesis 2:17).

But because God is merciful and gracious and loves us so much, he sent his son Jesus to die in the place of sinners (John 3:16). When Jesus was raised from the dead, he defeated sin and death and made a way for us to have a right relationship with him. When we ask him to forgive our sins and put our trust in him, we can spend eternity in heaven.

How Do We Know How God Wants Us to Live?

Any action we commit or thought we have that disobeys God is a sin. We can know how God wants us to live by reading his commands in his Word, the Bible. Here are some commands from his Word:

• Love God and others (Matthew 22:37–39)
• Honor your parents (Exodus 20:12)
• Do not steal (Exodus 20:15)
• Forgive others (Matthew 6:14–15)
• Make disciples (Matthew 28:19–20)

Do you have a question about God’s Word or his world that you want us to answer? Is there a topic you want to learn more about? Ask your parents to help you submit your question today. Watch for our answer here on the blog or in Kids Answers magazine. We’d love to hear from you!