We don't have to go far in the Bible to see blunders of major people. The first two inhabitants on earth made devastating decisions that affected all people thereafter. What can we learn from them?
Adam and Eve were blessed with an earthly paradise, but at the same time they insisted on exerting independence. God gave them everything needed for joyous living. Yet they wanted more, so they yielded to the serpent's temptation. All they needed to do was to eat the forbidden fruit, Satan told them. And why not? they thought. It would open up a whole new era of existence, making them like God. The disobedience, of course, turned out to be the most momentous in all of history; its consequences were passed on to all human life, including yours and mine.
No justification can be found for exerting our independence over divine declarations, as did those first two people. If as Christians we succumb to disobedience, judgment may not take on the severity of that of Adam and Eve, but we will be hurting ourselves in a host of other ways. God has established avenues to spiritual health and peace. Disregarding them is to our harm.
Satan is constantly on the attack. He has lost the main battle in having tried to keep us from becoming Christians, but he doesn't stop harassing us. We know through the various temptations we undergo that he is bent on making our lives miserable. And unfortunately he sometimes succeeds.
Besides disobedience, Adam and Eve took another bad step — blaming someone else for their misdeed. When confronted, Adam told God it was the woman's fault for giving him the fruit; Eve claimed deception by the serpent, throwing the blame on him (Genesis 3:12-13). The ridiculousness of all this is obvious, yet we sometimes do the same, justifying our negative actions by blaming someone else. We hear people say, "if my spouse were more loving I wouldn't have sought affection elsewhere," or, "if my father had given me an allowance I wouldn't have shoplifted;" or, if the professor had given clearer lectures I wouldn't have had to cheat on the exam. On and on it can go. God wants us to accept responsibility for our foolish conduct, to hear us say, "I'm to blame" (confession), and then, "I won't let it continue to dominate me" (repentance) — two important declarations for our well being. The effects of our irresponsibility harass us well beyond the moment we initially succumbed to it.
Repentance, a change of mind from sin to God, of course encompasses admission of wrongdoing. We all sin, but some of its characteristics have a way of stubbornly clinging on, which makes Paul's words to first century Roman Christians especially noteworthy: "we should no longer be slaves to sin" (Romans 6:6); and, "sin shall not be your master" (Romans 6:14). "Slaves" and "master" — critical words that conjure up negative images of subjection. Who wants to be controlled by wrongdoing, by letting someone or something else be in charge of our behavior? It has repercussions on our self-esteem. No wonder the Bible talks so much about the relevancy of self-control.
So we take a hard look at sins that continue to dominate us. Be in control! Paul shouts. Make your body your slave, not the other way around - you becoming a slave to your body. He said that coming to grips with such resolve brings liberty, a triumph over slavery. Set free (Romans 6:18).
Adam and Eve could have done that, but they gave in to the easier route, and suffered accordingly. It need not be that way for us. God wants us to get control of our lives, for our self-esteem, for joyous Christian living. He helps, by assuring us of forgiveness and then by enabling us with strength for the task.
Adam and Eve, our very first parents, faltered and reaped devastating consequences. We learn from their sins: (1) resist the devil's temptations; and, (2) own up to our own bad decisions rather than cast blame on someone else.
