Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made.

He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” vs1-4

First, there are consequences for sin. We are foolish to think that we can get away with it. We cannot. God chastises and punishes. We miss out on privileges. Isa 48:18, “Oh that you had paid attention to my commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea;” The joy we could have had is gone.

These consequences must drive us to the fear of the Lord, so that we abhor sin with all our might [Mark 9:43-48]. If the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, then those that fear sin, leaning on Christ, are exceedingly wise. This fear brings us to Him for grace and makes us war [Eph 6:13]. We fight sin within and abstain from fleshly lusts, because we want the joy and peace of obedience.

Adam failed the test, and we became sinners. We pass the test by faith in Christ. God commands everyone to repent.

Secondly, nakedness, shame, and guilt are the consequences of sin Vs4-7. They drive us to hide ourselves in the fig leaf of the world, as we seek something to cover our guilt before God, and something to make us feel fulfilled.

But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So 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 to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked.

We are empty on the inside and lack peace. Oppression burdens our minds, and we cover ourselves in cars, houses, and religious deeds [Heb 9:14]. A man needs a prettier woman to feel good in the world, and she’s looking for love in all the wrong places. The plague is in our religion, as we clothe ourselves in self-righteousness and wearisome religious deeds. We’d give anything to feel complete, but we cannot attain it: We have no forgiveness and no Holy Spirit power. Living for ourselves is empty. Haggai 1:9, “You looked for much, and behold, it came to little. And when you brought it home, I blew it away. Why? declares the LORD of hosts. Because of my house that lies in ruins, while each of you busies himself with his own house.”

This is the curse - the guilt and shame - and we need a covering provided for us. Look not to yourself to make up for sin. Look to Christ.

Finally, the Lord Jesus suffered so our sins could be put away vs14-15. He paid the ransom as our substitute, and He did it with His own blood.

The LORD God said to the serpent,

“Because you have done this,

cursed are you above all livestock

and above all beasts of the field;

on your belly you shall go,

and dust you shall eat

all the days of your life.

I will put enmity between you and the woman,

and between your offspring and her offspring;

he shall bruise your head,

and you shall bruise his heel.”

Jesus was smitten by Satan, but He was bruised, wounded, and tormented by God, who punished Him on the cursed tree [Isa 53:4]! Men with wicked hands slew Him, but God Almighty exacted justice upon Him, when He paid for our sins. He made atonement. He put away the sins of His elect, the seed of the woman, who is the church, and we are forgiven [Eph 1:7]!

Oh, there’s forgiveness in Jesus Christ, and there is cleansing. He sends the power of the Spirit, so that we can know and see God. The gospel reveals Christ, and Christ shows us the Father [John 1:18]. We see Him reconciled, pleased with us, and giving grace to deal with our sins, so that we bear the consequences and keep our sin down. We are not condemned, so He helps us obey. Rom 6:14, “For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.”