What if Adam did not eat the forbidden fruit

[LayHong_Loves_Christ]

If only Eve ate, but Adam refused to eat.
What will be the outcome to human's history?

 

[honey badger]

Adam ate without knowing it before the women gave him to eat ...

 

[com7fy8]

Paul says "sin entered the world" "through one man", in Romans 5:12.

So, in case Eve was the only one who sinned, possibly Adam would have had the power to keep it from going any further.

But Adam did give in. So, I see he was no better than Eve . . . not somehow superior.

Our Apostle Paul says, about Jesus >

"And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence." (Colossians 1:18)

So, I see how all along Jesus has been the One to be the first in doing anything really right. So, if Adam got things right, that would not fit; because Jesus all along was meant to be the first perfect human on this earth.

 

[Clare73]

If only Eve ate, but Adam refused to eat.
What will be the outcome to human's history?

Only God knows. . .

God's plan doesn't go awry.

 

[LayHong_Loves_Christ]

Why didn't God stop the serpent from deceiving humans?

 

[Bob Crowley]

We had a Chinese priest in training a couple of years ago. At an Alpha meeting, he joked that if Adam and Eve had been Chinese, we'd still be living in Paradise.

They'd have eaten the snake instead of the apple.

As for Adam and Eve, I think that they both would have known what the forbidden fruit looked like, assuming we can take the whole story at face value.

Sin got into the world somehow. That's obvious - we're the most intelligent species on the planet, and the only one that slaughters its own kind by the million.

 

[Bible Highlighter]

Adam ate without knowing it before the women gave him to eat ...

I don't think it was no accident. It would imply that the woman deceived Adam. Adam did not say to God that he did not know what fruit he was eating of. This would imply Adam was innocent in the matter because he would be eating the wrong tree without knowing. It would place the blame all on the woman at being at fault. I believe Adam knowingly ate of the wrong tree because he did not want to be separated from his wife. His love for her took more importance than loving God in this instance. In other words, you believe the Fall happened as a result of an accident. I don't believe that. I believe Adam knew full well what he was doing.

 

[Bible Highlighter]

If only Eve ate, but Adam refused to eat.
What will be the outcome to human's history?

We can only speculate, but it is God who truly knows. I am not sure there are things we are supposed to know in this life. I think this may be one of them.

 

[Knasbas]

Sorry for the long post. I know the question was a just funny 'what if?' But I saw a chanse to nerd out and took it...

Can I throw in a different interpitation of the story I've been tkinking alot about latly.

What if the act of eating of the fruit is not the great sin but that they hid from God?

Let me explain:
They get tempted and eat the fruit of knowledge of good and evil, their eyes open (a sign of some sort of revelation) and then they immediately get clothed.

The theaory to why humans are the only creature that wear clothes is 'cuz we are upright and therefore expose our weak points, our frontside to danger.

What if they didn't gain death by eating the fruit but gained knowledge of their own mortality?
And when they heard God coming they hid from him, as if they were afraid that he would hurt them. It is also curius that God asks after who told them they are naked before actknowledging the fruit and that both Adam and Eve is blaming someone else for there sin.

It is also important to remember that Kain and Abel is part of the same story and that the part in Eden is building up to the death of Abel.
In that part you see Kain become jealous and resentfull leading him to Kill Abel.

If you know your own mortallity and that you yourself can be hurt; you also know how to hurt others.
And it's chilling how God doesn't punich Kain by killing or hurting him, but by living; making life itself the punichment.

The story also ends after generation of revenge with and the birth of Seth: "At that time people began to call on the name of the Lord."

It semes to me that the story tries to define Evil as something within us, all of us, and also say why we worship the lord. Also as a warning that the Evil within is not far from surfacing and you better not let it.

And to anwser the question: if Adam didn't eat the fruit nothing would have changed or men would be more of a bunch of droling idiots then what we allredy are...

 

[EmethAlethia]

If only Eve ate, but Adam refused to eat.
What will be the outcome to human's history?

Understand first that God only gave the command to Adam (Singular) and while He did give commands to both (Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth, for one) this one had nothing at all to do with Eve.

Gen 2:16 The LORD God commanded the man, saying, "From any tree of the garden you(Singular) may eat freely; 17 but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you(Singular) shall not eat, for in the day that you(Singular) eat from it you(Singular) will surely die." 18 Then the LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him."

This one was ONLY for Adam. Here is some more confirmation...

Gen 3:11 And He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you(Singular) eaten from the tree of which I commanded you(Singular) not to eat?"

Gen 3:17 Then to Adam He said, "Because you(Singular) have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you(Singular), saying, 'you(Singular) shall not eat from it'; Cursed is the ground because of you; In toil you will eat of it All the days of your life.

Now here's the clincher ... what happened when Eve ate? Nothing at all. Nothing ate all happened till Adam ate. Why? The command was not for Eve at all. just Adam. Through one man sin entered into the world, remember? Thus through one man, Jesus, choice could be reestablished for all men based on choosing the fruit hanging on another tree, the cross.

Gen 3:6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings.

Nothing happened to Eve be cause the command was not for her and wasn't given to her and no, she was not commanded to obey Adam. Eve had no sin here at all. The command is given to be subject to her own husband in this verse:

Gen 3:16 To the woman He said, "I will greatly multiply Your pain in childbirth, In pain you will bring forth children; Yet your desire will be for your husband, And he will rule over you."

This is a two edged curse. To get the exact meaning look for the exact same wording in Hebrew. It is 0nly 15 verses after this one.

Gen 4:7 "If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it."

So pick the singular meaning that fits in both places... Sin wanted to have control but Cain was supposed to master/control/rule over it. In case you were having difficulties finding where in the Old Testament this verses reference was, it is in Gen. 3:16.

1Co 14:34 The women are to keep silent in the churches; for they are not permitted to speak, but are to subject themselves, just as the Law also says. 35 If they desire to learn anything, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is improper for a woman to speak in church.

And it also explains this one:

1Ti 2:11 A woman must quietly receive instruction with entire submissiveness. 12 But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet.

So, to answer your question, what would have happened if Eve ate and Adam didn't? Nothing at all. We have no idea how much time passed after Eve ate and she gave it to Adam. Interestingly, the one who deceived Eve first, was her own husband. Also, the first part of what the serpent said was not a lie.


Gen 3:2 The woman said to the serpent, "From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; 3 but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.'" 4 The serpent said to the woman, "You surely will not die!

Here's the lie part of it... Gen 3:5 "For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

She wouldn't have noticed a thing if she hadn't gotten Adam to eat. Nothing happened till Adam ate.

Notice that what Eve says is not exactly what God said to Adam. Adam embellished it a bit, "nor touch it" had nothing at all to do with what God commanded Adam at all. Which is why their eyes weren't opened at all when he touched it, only when he ate.

So, why did Eve get consequences if she didn't sin? Why was Eve created in the first place?

Gen 2:18 Then the LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him."

In the Septuagint, the word for "helper" is "paraclete" one who comes alongside to help. It is specifically used of the Holy Spirit's role in coming alongside us and helping us. Here's a related passage....

1Co 11:7 For a man ought not to have his head covered, since he is the image and glory of God;
but the woman is the glory of man.

Man was created to make God look ... well good. Woman was created to make the man look ... good.

So when did Eve fail in the role for which she was created, i.e. helping Adam, making him look "good" before God? When she ate? No. When she gave it to Adam to eat. She was created to Help Adam. How did she help him? She helped him out ... Out of the garden, out of the will of God, out of favor with God ...

When were her eyes opened? When she failed in the role for which she was created. When were Adam's eyes opened? When he failed in the role for which he was created ... to be the glory of God.

Was God concerned with Eve's eating of the tree? Not at all.

Gen 3:11 And He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you(singular) eaten from the tree of which I commanded you(singular) not to eat?" 12 The man said, "The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate." 13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?

From the context, what is God referring to? Eve eating? No. Not even a part of the discussion. Not that Eve is not feeling guilty. She still believes that the command not to eat was for her as well, ergo her response ... "And the woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."

Adam received consequences for two reasons.

Gen 3:17 Then to Adam He said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat from it'; Cursed is the ground because of you; In toil you will eat of it All the days of your life.

There are times when a man must ignore the advice of his wife and do what is right even if she hates him for it.

Anyway, I hope that clears a few things up. If Eve ate and Adam didn't we'd all still be in the garden. The command was only given to the first man, Adam.

 

[Soyeong]

If only Eve ate, but Adam refused to eat.
What will be the outcome to human's history?

It may be the case that any possible world that God could have created beings with free will that we would freely choose to disobey His command not to eat of the tree.