Dr. Joel R. Beeke

How could God punish Adam over such a little thing as eating a piece of fruit? When Adam and his wife took the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, it was a very serious sin (Gen. 2:16–17; 3:1–6). It was not the fruit that made it so bad as what eating the fruit said about what they thought of God and how they treated Him.

First, God had generously given them every other tree in the garden to eat from. It was easy for them not to eat from just one tree when everything else was theirs. To eat it was to say, “God has withheld something good from us.”

Second, God had commanded them not to eat of that one tree. To eat that fruit was to say, “I don’t have to obey God. He’s not my boss! He’s not my Lord!”

Third, God had warned them that eating the fruit would bring death. Adam knew God’s Word. When he disobeyed Him, he said, “God is a liar. I don’t believe Him.”

Fourth, God was Adam’s friend, walking and talking with him in the garden. When Adam ate the fruit, he was saying, “I would rather have a piece of fruit instead of God. I love God’s creation more than God.”

Fifth, God was Adam’s teacher and guide. But Adam took the fruit because he believed it would make him wise. His action shouted, “I will not listen to God’s wisdom. I will have my own wisdom!”

So, you see, eating a little fruit in this case was a serious insult to God. In this one action Adam denied God’s goodness, authority, truthfulness, worth, and wisdom. He utterly rejected God and broke covenant with Him. It was perfectly just and fair for God to punish Adam for this horrible sin.

Isn’t it unfair that I’m a sinner because Adam and Eve sinned? I think I would have done a better job, frankly!

First, we must never presume to judge God. Who are we to tell God that He is unfair? Our tiny minds cannot grasp His wisdom; our corrupt hearts cannot fathom His justice. Though we might sinfully want to question His justice, when we see His glory we will put our hands over our mouths and say with Job, “Therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too wonderful for me, which I knew not” (Job 42:3).

Second, do you really think you could have done better than Adam? Consider the great advantages God gave the first man. He was the image of God, formed “very good” with flawless knowledge, righteousness, and holiness, and dominion over the creatures (Gen. 1:26, 31; Eph. 4:24; Col. 3:10). Adam’s intelligence and moral purity were stunning. What better champion could the human race ask to represent them?

Furthermore, God put Adam in a perfect place, with all his needs and desires met and a fulfilling job to do (Gen. 2). Adam walked and talked with God. And God did not require Adam to do some great, heroic thing, but only commanded him not to eat of one tree’s fruit. Isn’t it arrogant to think that we could have done better?

One day a man complained to his pastor that he would have done better than Adam. The pastor invited him over to his house. Then he said, “I need to leave for a while, so please make yourself at home. You can use and enjoy anything in my home. Just please do not open this small box on the table.” After the minister left, the man walked around the house but kept coming back to the small box on the table. What was in it? He opened it just a bit. A mouse jumped out! When the minister returned home, he opened the box, and then said, “I don’t think you would have done better than Adam.”

Third, if it is unfair for Adam’s sin to be counted against those one with him, then it is also unfair for Christ’s righteousness to be counted to those one with Him. In other words, if we reject the Fall of Adam as the cause of our condemnation, then we have no basis to accept the obedience of Christ as the cause of our salvation.

But Paul accepts both and joins them together: “For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous” (Rom. 5:19). For the sake of the gospel, we must accept the fact that God can justly appoint one man to represent others within His covenants. Otherwise, we lose our hope that Christ can save us just as Adam lost us.

How do you know what is true, biblical religion?

If it is biblical, then the Bible must be the foundation of its teachings and worship. True religion must always ask, “What has God said in His Word?” and not, “What does man think is good and wise?” For God is true, but men are corrupt liars (Ps. 58:3; Rom. 3:4). True religion does not worship God by things people made up, but offers to God what He commands.

The Heidelberg Catechism (Q. 2) does an excellent job telling us the core of biblical religion. It says that in order to “live and die happily” in the comfort of Jesus Christ it is necessary to know three things: “the first, how great my sins and miseries are (1 Cor. 6:10–11; John 9:41; Rom. 3:10, 19); the second, how I may be delivered from all my sins and miseries (John 17:3); the third, how I shall express my gratitude to God for such deliverance (Eph. 5:8–10).” These three things still stand as defining marks of the true religion.

First, true religion deals honestly with the sad condition of man. We must know ourselves as lost and needy sinners (Ps. 51). We must reject the lies that tell us to believe in ourselves and find our pride and joy in human accomplishments (Jer. 9:23; 17:5–6). If you want to find a true church, look for a congregation that will tell you that you are a helldeserving sinner who must be saved from the wrath of God (Rom. 1:18; 2:5; 3:9–20).

Second, true religion teaches us that God saves sinners through Christ alone by a Spirit-worked faith. False religions, whether they call themselves Christian or some other faith, make our salvation and happiness depend ultimately on man’s works. But the good news of the Bible is that the Father sent the Son to redeem sinners, and the Father and the Son send the Spirit to apply that redemption to our lives (Gal. 1:4–5; 3:13–14; 4:4–6).

Biblical Christianity is obsessed with Jesus Christ, and glories in salvation by grace alone (Eph. 2:8–9; Phil. 3:3). Christ alone is our righteousness before God, and we are justified by faith alone, not our goodness (Gal. 2:16).

Third, true religion calls men to live for God in response to God’s mercies in Christ. We must present all that we are and all that we have to God as a living sacrifice (Rom. 12:1). Even though it’s popular to ignore God’s laws, true Christians love the laws of their Lord (Ps. 119:97, 113–114, 163–165). They delight to obey the commandments of their Savior, even as they grieve over the sin that remains in them (John 14:15; Rom. 7:24–25). This is the life of freedom, for the Holy Spirit sets them free from sin and death (Rom. 8:2) to keep the perfect law of liberty (Ezek. 36:27; James 1:25).

Published by The Banner of Sovereign Grace Truth, used with permission.