1. A
sense of guilt as evidenced by making a covering (v. 7).
2. A loss of fellowship
as evidenced by hiding from God (v. 8). This also brought both spiritual and physical
death to the race. Death is always separation; immediately Adam and Eve experienced
spiritual separation, and immediately they began to experience the decaying process
in their bodies which ultimately resulted in physical death (Rom. 5:12).
B.
On the Serpent (Gen. 3:14)
The serpent was condemned to crawl, perhaps
as a sign of degradation and/or perhaps indicating that it was an upright creature
before this penalty was imposed. Even in the Millennium this posture will continue
(Isa. 65:25). Actually the entire animal kingdom was affected by the Fall in order
that man in his fallen condition could still exercise a measure of dominion over
it (Rom. 8:20).
C. On Satan (Gen. 3:15)
1. Satan’s seed
and woman’s seed. Enmity will exist between Satan’s seed (all the lost, John 8:44;
Eph. 2:2) and the woman’s seed (all the family of God).
2. Death to Satan;
bruise for Christ. An individual from the woman’s seed (Jesus Christ) will deal a
death blow to Satan’s head at the cross (Heb. 2:14; 1 John 3:8) while Satan will
cause Christ to suffer (“bruise His heel”). Pre-Christian Jews showed a “veiled acceptance
of messianic idea in Genesis 3:15” (David Baron, Rays of Messiah’s Glory, [Winona
Lake, Ind. : BMH Books, 1979], pp. 44-5).
D. On Eve and Women (Gen.
3:16)
1. Conception. God would multiply women’s sorrow in conception
(not “your sorrow and your conception,” KJV—two things). Childbirth would now be
accompanied by pain.
2. Woman’s desire would be to her husband. Some understand
this to indicate a compensating factor to the sorrow and pain of childbirth; i.e.,
in spite of the pain, she would experience a deep, sexual attraction to her husband
and thus desire to bear children. Others understand it to mean she shall have a desire
to rule her husband contrary to God’s established order. The same word for desire
is used with this sense in 4:7 (see Susan T. Foh, Women and the Word of God [Nutley,
N.J. : Presbyterian & Reformed, 1980], pp. 67-9).
3. Hierarchy of rule.
Women will be ruled by men, a necessary hierarchical arrangement for a sinful world.
The New Testament does not abrogate this arrangement (1 Cor. 11:3; 14:34; Eph. 5:24-25;
Titus 2:3-5; 1 Peter 3:1, 5-6).
E. On Adam and Men (Gen. 3:17-24)
1.
Curse on ground. The ground was cursed because of Adam’s sin so that it would grow
thorns and thistles, increasing his work to make it produce. Before this, Adam’s
labor was enjoyable and satisfying; now it would be difficult and empty.
2.
Death. Adam and mankind would return to the dust of the ground at death.
3.
Expulsion. Adam was driven from the Garden which was both a geographic and spiritual
act symbolizing the break in fellowship.
VI. THE RAMIFICATIONS
In
addition to these specific penalties, two important ramifications of Adam’s and Eve’s
sin must be pointed out.
First, all sin affects others. Eve’s sin affected
Adam, and Adam’s sin affects the entire race. No one sins totally in private without
ramifications in relation to others. All that we do or fail to do affects few or
many in one way or another.
Second, sin, once committed, can never be undone.
Forgiveness can be experienced and fellowship restored, but history cannot be changed
or erased. Adam and Eve, once expelled, could not return to the Garden of Eden. Esau
could not retrieve the birthright he sold (Heb. 12:16-17). Moses could not personally
enter the Promised Land but could only see it from a distance because of his sin
(Num. 20:12, Deut. 3:27). The kingdom was taken from Saul and his descendants because
he did not wait for Samuel to come and offer the sacrifices (1 Sam. 13:13-14). These
are sobering examples of the ramifications of sin.
Yet there is another side
to both ramifications. Sin affects others, but so do grace and goodness. History
cannot be erased, but the future can be different (better) because we learn the lessons
of history. Paul thought John Mark’s conduct on the first missionary journey disqualified
him from going with him on the second trip (Acts 15:38). But Mark must have learned
some lesson from this, for later Paul wanted the ministry of Mark (2 Tim. 4:11).
The Fall affected all human beings, bringing depravity and death, and it will always
be the darkest hour of all human history; yet where sin abounded, grace superabounds,
and the one who does the will of God abides forever (Rom. 5:20; 1 John 2:17).
