In “the beginning,” God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis states that He made everything. By default, that gives Him sovereignty. He made men, birds, fish, and everything that moves. In the Garden of Eden, everything was perfect. Work was easy, and there was no death; it was heaven. But there was one sanction Adam and Eve were required to follow. God’s terms were simple. If they followed the rule, they’d live forever in perfection. If they disobeyed, death would spread like poison and taint the world. Animals would get sick, plagues would ruin the earth, and it would all be Adam’s fault. This essay will explore humanity’s origin story, Adam’s fall, and the rejection of authority committed by all the perpetrators.
Let’s get the first thing straight. God was at the top of the hierarchy. Through Him, everything had life. All of creation was under His authority. But He created a representative for Himself: Adam. God gave him dominion over all the earth. Adam governed all the creatures in the ocean, air, and land.1 Since God made Adam in His image2, in a way, Adam was God’s representative on Earth. So, Adam was above the animals but below God.
As fate — or providence — had it, Adam grew lonesome. He was a diligent worker, but that loneliness gnawed on his heart. It festered inside him. God saw that with compassion.3 He loved Adam, so He caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam. God took one of Adam’s ribs and made a woman. Matthew Henry points out the significance and poetry in that: “The woman was made out of a rib from the side of Adam; not made out of his head to rule over him, nor out of his feet to be trampled upon by him, but out of his side to be equal with him, under his arm to be protected, and near his heart to be beloved.” The woman was Adam’s equal: below God and above the animals.
There was another character in this story. This narrative calls him the serpent, but other passages of the Bible address him as Lucifer, Satan, the Devil, the Evil One, Father of Lies, and the Son of the Morning Star, among others. Like all of creation, God made him. But Lucifer’s heart was exalted. His pride consumed him. The prophet Ezekiel spoke of Lucifer’s fall and development into Satan. The King of Tyre and Satan are the same. Either Satan was the king, or he possessed the king. But one thing is clear: The King of Tyre was a cherub (warrior angel). More specifically, he was the Devil. Ezekiel 28 provides insight into what Lucifer was doing in the Garden of Eden: “Son of man, take up a lamentation for the King of Tyre, and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord [Jehovah] God: “You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering… You were anointed cherub who covers; I established you; You were on the holy mountain of God… You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created until iniquity found you. You became filled with violence within, and you sinned; Therefore I cast you as a profane thing out of the mountain of God; And I destroyed you, O covering cherub… Your heart was lifted because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor; I cast you to the ground, I laid you before kings, that they may gaze at you… Therefore I brought fire from your midst; It devoured you… You became a horror and shall be no more forever.” 4Satan was subject to God’s authority, just like the rest of creation. The prophet Isaiah gives more insight into Satan’s fall: “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest side of the North; I will ascend above the height of the clouds, I will be like the Most High [God].’ Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depth of the pit.” 5Satan’s heart desired to dethrone God. His first recorded action to undermine God’s authority was in the Garden of Eden. He asked the woman if God commanded them not to eat the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Unfortunately, Satan persuaded Eve to break God’s commandment. After that, she gave the fruit to Adam, and he ate it.
Everyone in this story was under God’s authority. Everyone in this story rejected that authority. And all of them — Satan, Adam, and Eve — received consequences. Satan should not have tempted Eve; Eve should not have listened to Satan; Adam should not have eaten Eve’s fruit. All of them were guilty, and they were all punished. Let this be a lesson: When God speaks, listen. When God commands, obey. As Solomon says: “Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.”6
- Genesis 1:26 “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man… let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’” (NKJV)
↩︎ - Genesis 1:26 “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image…’” (NKJV)
↩︎ - Genesis 2:18 “And the Lord God said, ‘It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.’” (NKJV)
↩︎ - Ezekiel 28:12-15 (NKJV) ↩︎
- Isaiah 14:12-15 (NKJV) ↩︎
- Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.” (NKJV) ↩︎
Asher Sisneros 
Cool beans 👍
-President WillH
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