A fair amount of Christians say that Adam and Eve ate the fruit God commanded them not to eat because Satan deceived them into believing it was good for them and would make them like God. Many Christians say that because they didn't know better they were easily decieved.
Here's the sticking point, Adam and Eve had a fair choice to obey or disobey. They had all the evidence they needed of God's goodness and loving care for them. Until that point, they never experienced evil and were well provided for by God. Yet they chose to listen and believe a serpent that they had just met over the word and command of someone they had a close relationship to and provided for their every need for some time. I don't think they were deceived in the way that we know deception. I think they actually knew better and knew what was the right choice and what was the wrong choice. And they chose poorly based on all the evidence they had of God's goodness. And we make similar mistakes and choices all the time as sinners, despite our knowledge of the goodness of God.
It opens up a whole load of questions as a result.
Were they really deceived or were they just given an opportunity to fail?
If they had passed this test would they have failed another?
How much of our poor decision making and disobedience is the result of actual deception by Satan or our own evil hearts?
Were Adam and Eve actually considered perfect and holy before the Fall or just something close to it?
The Bible says Eve was deceived and not Adam.
"And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression."
(1 Timothy 2:14).
This leads me to believe that Eve more than likely never heard directly from God of the command not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If so, then she would have had to rely upon Adam by faith in what Adam said about God (in regards to the command). Adam was also the authority head of the relationship. He was not dictator, but he was supposed to be the head of the home or household. He was supposed to love her as a part of himself, but he was the authority of the home as Adam was in authority to God. This is why I believe she was deceived. She wanted to get out from under two authorities: Both the authority of God, and her husband by calling the shots in eating of the wrong tree (and listening to the serpent, i.e. the enemy).
Deception is not something that was unescapable.
She allowed herself to be deceived based upon what she desired (i.e. the lust of the flesh after the fruit). She still had free will to obey God and not be deceived by the serpent. But she believed the serpent's lie and was deceived by the serpent. Adam was not deceived by the serpent's lie directly, but he was enticed by his love for his wife to eat of it (because he wanted to please her).
Now, what is really a mind bender is: Why did GOD allow for a soul (like Adam) who would disobey when He could have chosen another that could obey?
For God could have chosen a soul through out all of humanity that could have passed the test. If not, then it is suggesting that the test was not honest and there was no way they could have ever obeyed. For they had free will and they could have equally obeyed and done good. But again, why did GOD sovereignly choose the first two souls of mankind to be the kind of souls that would disobey him of their own free will?
I believe that because GOD wanted to show mankind's need for him.
That with "free will" there is the potential for mankind to fail and to fall (generally speaking of all of mankind). God allowed man to fail of his own free will so that He could send the second Adam (which would be the Son of God, second person of the Trinity) to save us. God the Father wanted to show just how much He loved us by sending His Son Jesus Christ to save us from ourselves and our own rule or reign or way of doing things. God wanted that relationship built upon true love and not something that was forced. This can only be if God gets the sin problem out of the way to begin with (Which is what we see in Biblical History up until now). For there will be a time where there will be no more pain, death, disease, sorrow, etc. Only those who truly love GOD of their own free will by abiding by the enabling of GOD living in them and walking with them can they truly love GOD and others. Man on his own was never something that was meant to be a part of God's plan. GOD wanted that relationship and He wanted to show just how much He loves us.