Evil Comes to a Perfect World

When God created Adam and Eve, they had everything to make them happy. They enjoyed perfect physical and mental health, living in a beautiful garden home in a flawless world (Genesis 1:28-31). God promised them children and the ability to do creative thinking, and to find satisfaction in the work of their hands (Genesis 1:28; 2:15). They experienced face-to-face fellowship with their Maker (Genesis 3:8). No trace of worry, fear, or sickness marred their blissful days.

We still, on occasion, catch an echo of that original Eden during moments when life seems indescribably precious. But what about the other side of life? How did the world change so drastically into a place of suffering and tragedy? The second and third chapters of Genesis tell the entire story of how sin entered our world. Read them at your leisure. Here is a brief summary of their contents.

Some time after God established a perfect world, the devil came to the Garden of Eden to tempt Adam and Eve into disobeying their Creator. God limited the devil’s sphere of influence to one tree in the garden, the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” And He warned the first human couple to stay clear of this tree and never to eat its fruit, for that would result in death.

But one day Eve wandered over by the forbidden tree. The devil quickly launched into his sales pitch. He claimed God had lied to her and that if she ate the tree’s fruit she wouldn’t die but would become wise like God Himself, knowing good and evil. Until then Adam and Eve had known only good. Tragically Eve, and then Adam, allowed the devil to con them and they sampled the forbidden fruit—thus breaking their bond of trust and obedience with God.