When God made our first parents, he didn’t give them a long list of commands. In the book of Genesis, we only find a few of them. God commanded Adam and Eve to make lots of baby humans. He told them to take care of his world and rule over its creatures (Gen. 1:28). And there was one more rule, which we can read about in Genesis 2:16-17. “And the Lord God commanded the man, ‘You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil...’”

In a perfect garden filled with perfect trees, Adam and Eve were allowed to taste the fruit of every tree except for one in the middle: the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Out of all the trees in the garden, only this tree’s fruit was forbidden. And along with this command, God also gave Adam a serious warning: “When you eat from it you will certainly die” (Gen. 2:17).

Sadly, our first parents didn’t take God's Words as seriously as they should. One day, they were visited by the devil, an evil angel and the #1 enemy of God. Disguising himself in the form of a serpent, his lying lips tempted Adam and Eve. Genesis 3:4-5 says, “‘You will not certainly die,’ the serpent said to the woman. ‘For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’” God had told Adam that eating the forbidden fruit would bring death. But the serpent had a different opinion: God was a big fat liar who didn’t want the best for Adam and Eve!

At this moment, our first parents faced the most important test in the history of our human family. Would they believe God’s wise words of warning? Or would they place their trust in the pleasing promises of the sneaky serpent? Choosing correctly was a matter of life and death!

Looking back, the right answer is clear. Everyone of us would say, “Come on, Adam and Eve – believe God!” But sadly, our first parents failed their test. Genesis 3:6 shares the sad news: “When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.”

As the answer above explains, our first parents ate the forbidden fruit because they did not believe what God had said. After listening to the serpent’s lies, Adam and Eve doubted God's Words. Instead of trusting their Creator, they trusted in their own eyes. And in the end, they ate the forbidden fruit. It was a dreadful decision that, as we’ll soon learn, doomed us all to death!

Gen. 2:16, 17; 3:6; Gen. 3:1-6; Heb. 11:6.