The Fall

The Fall is the moment mankind broke covenant with Yahweh by disobeying his one prohibition, and it is the hinge on which the rest of Scripture’s storyline turns. Genesis presents it not as a minor lapse but as rebellion against the God who had given Adam and Eve every good thing and asked for trust in return.

How did the serpent tempt Eve?

The serpent’s strategy was to make Yahweh’s word seem doubtful and his motives suspect: “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” (Genesis 3:1), followed by the direct contradiction, “You surely will not die!” (Genesis 3:4). Eve and Adam chose the serpent’s account of reality over Yahweh’s spoken word, and the consequences Yahweh had warned of fell immediately: shame, hiding from God’s presence, and the introduction of death into a world made very good.

Where is the first promise of the gospel?

Even in pronouncing judgment, Yahweh spoke the first promise of rescue, telling the serpent that the offspring of the woman “shall bruise you on the head” (Genesis 3:15). The Fall explains why the rest of the Bible is a story of redemption rather than a story of innocence maintained, and the promise given at the very moment of judgment shows that Yahweh’s mercy was already at work before the curse was finished being spoken. The articles below trace this theme through several key passages.