Wesleyan Pentecostal Church
of Washington
The Consequences of Adam’s Sin for All Humanity


1.  Hostility between the serpent and the woman, the seed of the               woman and the seed of the serpent.

And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. (Gen. 3:14, 15)

In God’s judgment against sin, He first judges the serpent, a non-moral creature. The serpent’s curse is physical and demeaning. He is reduced to a life of crawling and eating dust all his days. It is quite obvious, however, from this passage and others that Satan was behind the serpent. Though God directed His statements to the serpent, the judgment of hostility was toward the Devil who used the serpent.
God did not make the world for sin and had no intentions of permitting a peaceful takeover. God and righteousness are not passive; good and evil can not peacefully coexist. Though Satan gained an access point into humanity, he did not find it to be received peacefully. Further, he did not gain an ally when he deceived Eve; instead he gained a hostile enemy. The relationship generated between the serpent and Eve was not one of love and devotion. Eve hated the serpent for what he had done and no doubt warned her children of his wiles. 
God further states there would be enmity between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent. It is not typical to speak of seed in relation to women, as the seed is in the man. However, it makes perfect sense when applied to Christ who was not conceived by the seed of man but by the Holy Spirit. This aspect and the subsequent statement that “it” (referring to the seed as singular) shall bruise thy head provide convincing evidence that the seed of the woman refers to Christ. This is consistent with the following Scriptures:
Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. (Isa. 7:14)
But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law. (Gal. 4:4)
Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. (Isa. 53:10)
The children of the serpent are those who believe Satan’s lie and practice unrighteousness. This is seen in the following passages:
Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. (John 8:44)
He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. (1 John 3:8-10)
With the judgment against sin came a promise of redemption. God took action against sin and sent His Son into the world to destroy the works of the Devil. The seed of the serpent or the children of the Devil exhibited their hostility, rejected, and crucified Him. However this did not represent defeat for the Lord, but victory. (Col. 2:15) Christ overcame every temptation, demonstrated His power over the powers of evil, and then died on the cross that He through death could defeat the one who reigned in death. (Heb. 2:14, 15) In the cross the serpent bruised the heel of Christ and Christ crushed the head of the serpent. (John 12: 31, 32)
The enmity between the seed of the serpent and Christ, the seed of the woman, flows to the saints due to our connection to Christ. The world hates us because it hated Him. We therefore fight the fight of faith and wrestle against principalities, powers, spiritual wickedness and rulers of darkness by putting on the armor of God and being strong in the power of the Lord. (Eph. 6: 10-18)

2.  Suffering for the woman in the process of bearing children.

Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. (Gen 3:16)

In the first half of this verse we learn the judgment of sin. In the second half we learn the consequences that follow sin. First, God says to the woman that He will multiply her sorrows in bearing children. From the beginning point, conception, to the ending point, birth, the woman will have a multiplicity of sorrow, labor and pain. This was a physical judgment affecting Eve’s body and thus was passed on to all her progeny. Every woman afterward has experienced the same judgment.
Secondly, in reference to the second half of Gen. 3:16, God says that Eve’s desire would be to her husband and her husband would have rule or dominion over her. This statement reveals the fruit of sin and how it will manifest itself. To understand this statement one needs to think about what happened the day of the fall, and look at a companion verse given in Genesis 4:7. After the transgression Eve no doubt feels beguiled and betrayed by Adam since he failed to protect her from the wiles of the serpent and then blamed her when he was confronted by God for his sin. Adam failed to be the leader and protector of the home and showed he was unfit to govern. In one day, Eve lost her glory, her home, her innocence, her purity, her peace and received a terrible judgment in her body due to the lie of the serpent and the inept leadership of Adam. One can easily see how Eve would want to reject Adam and his authoritative role altogether.
God states what would happen. Eve’s desire would be to her husband and he would dominate her. The desire spoken of in the first part of the phrase is to be interpreted in light of the dominion spoken of in the second part. As a result of the fall, a trust was broken. Eve would therefore be tempted to reject Adam’s leadership and usurp his role. Adam would be tempted to respond to the usurpation with despotism. The result was that a relationship meant to be trusting and loving became competitive and tyrannical. This is clearer when we look at the companion verse in Genesis 4:7.
If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.
In this verse Cain is struggling with the temptation of hate and anger towards his brother Abel. God says his anger is the result of his sin, not his brother’s righteousness. Sin was like a beast crouching at his door waiting to pounce on him and overcome him. However, Cain could master it if he would crush the desire. The general idea is that sin wanted to dominate Cain and Cain needed to forcibly dominate sin.
How does this relate back to what God says to Eve? If reveals the fruit of the actions of the day and how this will play out in all humanity. Eve will be tempted to dominate her husband, often due to his failures, and as Adam’s authority is rejected he will be tempted to exercise his authority over his wife in a tyrannical fashion. He will treat her as a slave. This is the natural result of sin—not a genetic defect instilled in Adam and Eve but a vantage point for Satan to bring further temptations. When a sin is committed, it does two things. It puts the man in a weak position and Satan in a strong position. Satan uses the results of the first failure to inspire even greater failures. This is why God tells us to give no place to the Devil. (Eph. 4:27) Consequently, the progeny of Adam came into a world of temptation and failure, not faith and victory. The relationship of the first parents was strained not harmonious, making it difficult to provide the loving home that Cain and Abel needed. Satan continues to ply his trade to every child born into the world and each sin committed only gives him a stronger foothold. Only those redeemed by the blood of Christ and taught from His Word learn submission and right governing.

3.  Suffering for the man in the process of providing sustenance for         the family.

And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread,… (Gen. 3:17-19a)

Adam, who was given the job of tilling the garden and providing for his family, found his task harder after the judgment against sin. The earth no longer cooperated and willingly yielded its increase, but produced thorns and thistles (inedible fruit) that worked to choke out the good seed he planted. Every day he went to work he was reminded of his sin. Notice that this was not a direct curse on Adam, but a curse on the land that indirectly affected Adam. Once again we see that this judgment did not create some physical aberration in Adam, but opened another door for Satan.
As a result of the fall work became more difficult and disagreeable. The enemy uses this double-edged sword to create an aversion to work and tempt man to turn to more pleasurable activities. As man struggles against the curse placed on the earth, Satan pours on the lies and temptations. If he can’t get men to be lazy and avoid work altogether, he tempts him to idolize work and the man becomes a slave to his career. The man who can’t afford laziness or is unwilling to bear the hunger that accompanies it, Satan tempts to begrudge his lot in life and the man becomes a slave to drudgery. This man tolerates five days of labor and lives for the weekend when he can spend his time seeking pleasure and entertainment. He constantly looks for an escape hatch to avoid responsibility. No matter how it manifests itself, Satan has used the judgment on Adam as an occasion to draw men further away from God. Only when a man turns to Christ and experiences His redemption does he learn to view work as a service to God. In Christ one is able to avoid the aversions created by Satan and find satisfaction and true reward in work. He finds grace to labor in spite of the curse and the hardships that accompany it.

4.  Physical Death

… till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. (Gen 3:19b)
And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life. (Gen 3:22-24)

I believe we see in the life of Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration what Adam would have received had he grown in the knowledge of God and produced a holy character. He would have arrived at a place of maturity where his will was sealed and God could glorify him. He would have received a spiritual body that could ascend to a higher plane of fellowship with God. However, because of sin he was cursed to die and thus his body would deteriorate rather that improve. This physical corruption was passed on to his offspring and all experienced physical death and corruption. (Rom 5:12) This death is not the cause of sin but the fruit of sin.
Something else came with death. Adam experienced evil before he had a chance to grow in the knowledge of the good. Adam plunged into an experience of death without knowing much about what he was getting into. He also trusted the serpent rather than God and as we have already seen, he gave Satan access into his world. Since Adam was ignorant of much about God, Satan could spread all sorts of lies about death—its cause, its effect, its eternal place, etc. In other words death created a shadow and darkness that produced fear. In the death and darkness, Satan reigned and propagated his lies and deception. The human race lived in this bondage until Jesus came and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. (Matt. 4:15, 16; Rom. 5:17; Heb. 2:14, 15; 2 Tim. 1:10) When Adam’s children were born, they were born outside the Garden. They had no access to the tree of life of which they could eat and sustain their physical lives forever. When God kicked out Adam, He kicked out the whole world with him.
In summary, what we inherit from Adam is a hostile world of temptation, suffering and death—none of which is the cause of our personal sin. Nowhere in the curse do we find God stating sin was inbred in Adam and would be passed on to his children. When we sin we do so by choice not by some inherited tendency from our first father. By this choice we bring upon ourselves God’s moral judgment against the sinner—eternal death and hell. The last Adam, Christ, has come to free us from the curse of sin—its judgment, its power and its effect.
Presently, through His death and resurrection, Christ provides pardon for man’s transgressions and freedom from the enslaving effect that sin has on man’s weakened body. He provides the power of His Spirit to quicken the present sanctified body giving man the strength to do what is right. Even in a weakened body susceptible to disease and corruption, a man can overcome the temptations of the Devil and live his life to the glory of God. In the resurrection, Christ will change the mortal body to an immortal body, completing the final step in redemption. (1 Cor. 15:51-56) Reception of this glorified body brings man to where Christ was on the Mount of Transfiguration and where Adam would have arrived had he not sinned. This final step brings complete victory over the curse—not by removing from the body an inherited disposition to sin, but by lifting man from the dust and bringing him to the glorious place that God intended for him from the beginning.