First Great Deception
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a higher state of existence. Eve yielded to temptation; and through
her influence, Adam was led into sin. They accepted the words of
the serpent, that God did not mean what he said; they distrusted their
Creator, and imagined that he was restricting their liberty, and that they
might obtain great wisdom and exaltation by transgressing his law.
But what did Adam, after his sin, find to be the meaning of the
words, “In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die”? Did
he find them to mean, as Satan had led him to believe, that he was to
be ushered into a more exalted state of existence? Then indeed there
was great good to be gained by transgression, and Satan was proved
to be a benefactor of the race. But Adam did not find this to be the
meaning of the divine sentence. God declared that as a penalty for
his sin, man should return to the ground whence he was taken: “Dust
thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” [
Genesis 3:19
.] The words
of Satan, “Your eyes shall be opened,” proved to be true in this sense
only: After Adam and Eve had disobeyed God, their eyes were opened
to discern their folly; they did know evil, and they tasted the bitter fruit
of transgression.
In the midst of Eden grew the tree of life, whose fruit had the power
of perpetuating life. Had Adam remained obedient to God, he would
have continued to enjoy free access to this tree, and would have lived
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forever. But when he sinned, he was cut off from partaking of the tree
of life, and he became subject to death. The divine sentence, “Dust
thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return,” points to the utter extinction
of life.
Immortality, promised to man on condition of obedience, had been
forfeited by transgression. Adam could not transmit to his posterity
that which he did not possess; and there could have been no hope
for the fallen race, had not God, by the sacrifice of his Son, brought
immortality within their reach. While “death passed upon all men,
for that all have sinned,” Christ “hath brought life and immortality
to light through the gospel.” [
Romans 5:12
;
2 Timothy 1:10
.] And
only through Christ can immortality be obtained. Said Jesus, “He that
believeth on the Son hath everlasting life; and he that believeth not the
Son shall not see life.” [
John 3:36
.] Every man may come in possession
of this priceless blessing if he will comply with the conditions. All
“who by patient continuance in well-doing seek for glory and honor
and immortality,” will receive eternal life. [
Romans 2:7
.]