Did Adam & Eve Eat An Apple : What Really Happened in the Garden | Rev. Elisha Satvinder

Good morning, everyone. Morning. Thank you, worship team. And I didn’t realize it’s a long weekend today, isn’t it? Then we start singing, “Where’s everybody?” I just landed last night. About 14 of us had gone to Bangalore. All of you who prayed, thank you so much. It was curry in the morning, curry in the evening, curry at supper time. So we are curried out, like I said. Patrina came back last night, she unpacked, and she’s at the airport right now with another group going off to May for another set of training. So please remember her in prayer as well.

This weekend is the Futsal Cup. Futsal Cup is on its 18th year, but we are kind of bringing the curtains down to the whole expression of Futsal Cup. We’re going into the Dignity Cup and the League because it has just grown so much each year. We now see over 150 teams and a couple of thousand people playing. This year, it’s in Bukit Jalil. So, we are grateful to God, isn’t it? Amen, church. Come on, we can all celebrate. We can celebrate that. This year, we will have the Minister of Sports and Youth do the closing as well. But more than that, this is the first time because of its dynamics, we are having a lot of embassies coming in, just different people, and the anticipation is huge. I give the team 40,000, and they just look past me. So we settled for 15,000. So pray, and then hope to see all of you there. Hope to see all of you there. Good to see Darren and Funa. Good to see you all.

This morning, I want to, for the next few weeks, look into Genesis to understand some things better together. As I read and look at other things and hear different people, I think if we miss this, we miss everything. If we don’t understand this, then we believe this dumb thing, that Adam actually bit an apple. He didn’t. But we’re not looking at the fruit; we’re looking at something else today. To begin with, let’s look at Genesis chapter 2. We’re going to read some scriptures together here. Genesis 2:9 says, “The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground, trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden, there were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.”

Verse 15 says, “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and to take care of it.” 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, for when you eat from it, you will certainly die.”

If the tree was of the knowledge of good and evil, why would that warning be there? I mean, it’s good; I understand good, and I understand evil. So, why is it forbidden then? When we look at the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, it represents the core of our faith. When we follow the narrative through with Jesus, we see first the tree that doomed all of us, the first Adam. Then the second Adam comes in Jesus. In the New Testament, it says he hung on the tree, even though it’s a cross, it’s wood. One tree doomed, one tree redeemed, as we look at it.

Whether you want to call it theologically or philosophically, the whole story of the Garden of Eden and this tree really frames our life with God. To understand its implications and role, we look at three simple things today. We will continue to look at them for the next few weeks, but I

also want to remind you that at the end of the month, we’re really in for a treat. I mentioned this the week before: the guy who, if you google Hobby Lobby, is worth 15 billion or so and has done amazing work in philanthropy and investing in the Kingdom. His main lawyer, Bill Hill, is coming. He’ll be speaking, and then after that, there’s a private meeting with a bunch of Christian families who just think of how they want to invest their wealth for the Kingdom. But the whole issue is this: come, invite somebody because you get a perspective of giving with a real understanding of how we invest in the Kingdom.

Let’s come back to the garden now. For the next few weeks, I want to talk about this. One of the three things that I really want to look at, and we’ll see how I weave that through today, is the purpose and the reason for the presence of this tree in the garden. What did God put it in the garden for? Why did He put it there? What is its relevance for us today? How does it work with me today?

Let’s start with this: What was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil? What was this tree? It’s not an apple tree, so remove that image from your head. What was this tree? Number one, it is the symbol of autonomy. What is autonomy? Self-government. The tree symbolizes something amazing: the ability to discern good and evil independently of God. Today, do we not want to discern and make decisions independently of God? If it feels good, do it. It’s based on how I discern what is good and what is evil. And evil can become good. Why? Because I want to be autonomous. I want to be the king of my own life.

So, it starts here. It symbolizes our ability or wanting to discern good and evil independently of God. By eating the fruit, what did Adam and Eve do? By eating the fruit, Adam and Eve sought to gain wisdom and moral knowledge apart from God’s instruction and guidance. Pause and take a look at all that’s happening around us, how the world goes, how everything goes. Are we not independent people? We love to be independent. Young people want to be independent of authority. Think of it: there was only one rule in the garden. One. Don’t you think that was easy? Don’t eat from this tree. That’s all. Have you ever thought of it? That’s all. Just one thing: don’t eat of the tree. Was God setting them up? No.

So, Adam and Eve sought to gain wisdom and moral knowledge apart from God’s instruction and guidance. This is foundational. And if we are honest, we still get trapped here. We still do. Those of us who are older may say, “Oh, the young people are like that.” The fact is this: we are all like this. So, we cannot say it’s generational. That’s not true. It’s men. We want to be independent. We like independence.

The second thing is, it’s the test of obedience. So, the tree tested Adam and Eve’s obedience and trust in God’s command. It gave them a choice to either trust in God’s definition of good and evil or to seek to define it for themselves. We can park at this point and talk quite a bit because every day, I would like to define my life for myself.

Why was the tree in the garden? The first area when we look at it as we build this framework is free will and love. What does that mean? For genuine love and obedience to exist, free will is necessary. It is not just by rules and regulations. The presence of that tree allowed for Adam

and Eve to exercise their free will. God already said, “Look, everything is for you. This one will determine whether you will trust me or you won’t, whether you will define the right and wrong by what you feel or by what I have said.” So, we mustn’t get confused about how sin came in. It’s free will. Adam and Eve had the free will to choose to obey or disobey God. Is that not true for us every day? Do we not go through that tension every day to do what is right, to do what is wrong? But every time, what comes in? My feelings, my opinions. God says, “Look here, Adam and Eve, everything here is for you except this one.” But when Eve looked at it, when we read Genesis again, she saw it was good. And of course, Satan comes in and says, “Did God really say?” What was he after? We will look at it next week.

So, this place of free will. I choose every day. I choose how I want to treat people by the framework of God. I choose how I want to respond at home to my spouse, whether I want to live ethically or whether I go by, “You did this to me; I’m going to do this to you. Why should I?” Whose truth am I living by? Sometimes you say, “I’m just young people. I can’t wait to get out of this house. I can’t wait to get out of this country.” Pause and ask yourself, what’s happening? Because I am choosing. I am defining what is right and what is evil. They chose. This choice is fundamental to a loving relationship with God.

I don’t respond to my father because I’m fearful of him. I respond to him because I genuinely love him. Therefore, I trust his definition of right and wrong.

The second part is moral growth. The tree was a means for Adam and Eve to grow morally and spiritually. They would demonstrate their trust in God’s wisdom and care by choosing obedience. Again, it’s the place of trust. Can I trust God? Will I trust God? We always say, “Trust me.” No, I’m not going to trust you because there’s no consistency in your character. At work, we say that. “Trust the process.” No, it’s a broken process. Are you sure I want to trust that process? Especially when politicians go up and say, “Trust me.” No, thank you. Somehow, I hear a serpent whispering somewhere. “Trust me.” Sorry, that’s a dead giveaway.

The third is the sovereignty of God, the authority of God. The tree actually speaks of God’s sovereignty. It reminds Adam and Eve, or it’s reminding them, that they were created by God under his authority, their creator, and that he alone has the right to determine what is good and evil.

The tree of the knowledge of good and evil, why did God say then in chapter 2, verse 17, “When you eat it, you will surely die”? What does that mean? The phrase “you will surely die” can be interpreted in many ways, and of course, many theologians argue. There are many things written on it, said about it, but you can frame it in three huge categories. Number one is physical death. Adam and Eve didn’t immediately experience physical death, right? They didn’t. Not on

that same day. It came in, and from living very long, today the lifespan is shorter and shorter and shorter. So, physical death came in. The whole process of mortality and physical decay began. It started there. Boom. The starting point. Eventually, physical death. That wasn’t God’s intent.

The second thing is spiritual death. This involves separation from God. We don’t realize this. Innately, we struggle in our relationship with God, but actually what we are struggling with is the choice of what God says is right and wrong versus what I feel is right and wrong. Essentially, that’s where it goes. When we flip it over here and say, “God loves you,” don’t make salvation cheap. That’s wrong for us to do that. Everything is grace. No, sorry, look at it carefully. Spiritual death is separation from God. Adam and Eve experienced immediate spiritual death. Physical death wasn’t immediate; it started. Spiritual death, immediate separation. What was the evidence? Shame. All of a sudden, they opened their eyes and said, “Oh dear, we are naked.” Fig leaves, let’s go and sew them for ourselves. And subsequently, they were banished from the garden.

The third is relational death. The disobedience resulted in a broken relationship with God. It introduced sin and its consequences into the entire world, which you and I and everybody around us suffer. All creation. And it came into our human relationships as well. So, how can we put these three thoughts into one? It is more than just a physical death; it’s the loss of our righteousness. Adam and Eve lost their righteousness, their right standing with God, and what did they lose? The life of God. What is the next thing? Physical decay, spiritual separation from God. Spiritual separation. The entire human race suffers because of the introduction of sin. This death is fundamentally separation from God. What does it involve? Spiritual, physical, eternal, and relational.

Romans 6:23 says this: “For the wages of sin is death.” Maybe this should make a bit more sense, isn’t it? Adam and Eve chose. The wages of sin, the consequence of it, was spiritual, physical, relational death. Our relationships with one another, when we fracture them, when we are disloyal, when we don’t honor, when we don’t have that integrity, what does it do? It fractures that relationship. We struggle with it. Step back, look at the world. Where do we really think race can be reconciled? Everybody is trying to do reconciliation without the cross. There’s no reconciliation because only there can we come back to the truth of redemption, where God brings everyone and says, “Only through the cross you find healing.” Only there do we see ourselves as equal. If not, we are still racist. We are still opinionated. We struggle. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God, choose today. Deuteronomy says, “Life and death, blessing and cursing.” Adam and Eve, everything is for you, and the tree of life is there as well. But this tree is going to draw something and ask you a question: will you trust me on how I define life? “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” In Christ Jesus.

How does it play out for us today? As we think of coming to the table this morning, because this is where it played out. The blood shed on the cross, the body broken. How does it play out? Number one, we have a choice, and our choices have consequences. Just as Adam and Eve had the choice to obey or disobey, you and I, dear friends, you and I too have that choice of moral and spiritual consequences. I often tell young people, but this is for all of us. When I want to do something, I have the power to do it because the opinion is mine, the decision is mine. I’m defining what is right and wrong. But the consequence is out of my hand. It’s out of my hand. I didn’t mean to do it. I didn’t mean to say that. Stop saying that. That’s not true. That’s not true. I didn’t mean to hit them. No, that’s not true. We trace it back, church. Like I’m saying these few weeks, I really want us to understand this because God’s word is true. Amen. Thank you for that underwhelming response. God’s word is true. It sets us free. And don’t use that, “You will know

the truth, and the truth will set you free.” What truth? God’s truth. What truth? The truth that gives me the ability to discern right and wrong, good and evil, that truth that brings freedom. It may not be the most entertaining of it, but it challenges me. So, from young, if children are taught to discern, “Oh, he’s only a child,” please don’t make the mistake of saying that because it’s our responsibility to help them. Young people, teenagers, young adults. And we have, again, in our social media world today, everybody is defining what is right and wrong. It’s a woke generation. It’s a cancel culture. And we so gullibly gobble up that lie. So, we say, in order for the church to reach, we have to really get everything set up so that we make it look like a concert. But are we giving people that place to say, “Church, the choice of good and evil, how are we making it daily in every area of our lives?”

So, we have choices and consequences. Our choices have consequences. We can’t run away from that. So, Adam and Eve had it, and I say to you, we too, daily, and our choices are on a moral framework and have spiritual consequences. Our daily decisions reflect our trust in God’s wisdom and commands. I’m going to say it again, and that’s why it’s here on the slide. Our daily decisions are a reflection of our trust in God’s wisdom and commands. Do I trust Him, or do I sing a song that I do not believe?

In our daily decisions, daily we are confronted. Daily. The second thing we’ll segue on is trust in God. This whole narrative, this story, encourages us to trust God’s definition of good and evil rather than relying on our own understanding. We read it in Proverbs: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength.” We often look at it as a death sentence. “Oh, I have to give.” But the issue is this: it is drawing our heart to God. It is drawing our decisions to the Lord. It is bringing our heart and saying, “God, I trust you. It doesn’t look right right now. It makes no sense, but I trust you.” Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. I have got a huge problem with that word, “understanding,” because I think I’m smarter. In all your ways, submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight. Hey, Adam, Eve, it’s only one tree. It’s the knowledge of good and evil. But the day you eat it, you’ll surely die. Why? Because you will want to live. You see, I can say I’m a believer, but my decisions are independent of God’s truth. It’s independent.

Romans 5 says, “Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people.” Salvation isn’t that, “Wow, I am saved from hell.” No. That means I am saying, “I choose to stop eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and I choose to partake of the tree of life.” That means I stop living independently and I really bring my life under God’s sovereignty, God’s authority. Now, that’s where most of us struggle. These two verses explain Adam’s disobedience brought sin, Christ’s

obedience brought righteousness.

Our moral growth and sanctification, the ongoing process of sanctification, is a big word. It’s my daily engagement with God, His word, in prayer, in releasing my life, submitting my life. Sanctification is every day. Salvation is once and for all. Sanctification is daily. Our relationship with God is daily. The ongoing process of sanctification in a believer’s life is a mirror to the original intent for moral growth in the garden. Please listen to this. Let me explain what my thought is here. When I engage with God daily in His word, in accountability, in all that I’m doing,