The fact that Adam sinned and thus broke the covenant of works needs no other proof than the sinful condition of all men as well as the Scriptures, which bear witness to this fact everywhere.
The Time of Adam’s Fall
However, the question arises, when did Adam fall? Man, having been created so magnificently, and being in such a blessed covenant with His God, in all probability did not remain long in this holy and blessed state. The duration of this state is not recorded and is thus unknown. That he did not fall immediately on the day of his creation is evident for the following reasons:
First, the seventh day is added to the sixth in the same manner as the previous days are joined together. There is no mention of any interval, or of the fall of either devils or man. The imposed chapter divisions have no bearing on this matter at all, for the chapter divisions did not originate with the holy writers themselves, but were established by others as a memory aid and for instructional purposes.
Secondly, the fall is recorded as having occurred after the seventh day. The first seven days and what occurred on those days, are described in chronological order in Gen 1-2, whereas the fall is recorded subsequent to this in Gen 3.
Thirdly, upon conclusion of the sixth day, everything was still very good. “And God saw every thing that He had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day” (Gen 1:31).
Fourthly, when God saw man’s sinfulness, “it repented the Lord that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him at His heart” (Gen 6:6). However, on the seventh day the Lord rested; that is, He ceased creating new creatures. He observed all His work with delight, rejoicing in His own works, and humanly speaking, was refreshed by this. “For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day He rested, and was refreshed” (Exod 31:17). This proves that man neither fell prior to nor upon the seventh day.
Fifthly, it is also not conceivable that man, who had just opened his eyes upon this world, would immediately have fallen, and thus not have had time to delight himself in God, rejoice in his holy and glorious state, and magnify God concerning all this. He then would neither have had time to be experientially acquainted with his blessed state, nor have been able to reflect upon it after the fall. From this it may be deduced that God allotted him some time to experience that which is good, and that man did not fall until after the seventh day. It is unknown, however, after how many days, weeks, or months it did occur.
Satan’s Role in the Fall
After a large number of angels had sinned and become devils, the devil conspired to cause Adam and Eve to fall in order to prevent them from glorifying God, whom he hated with a dreadful hatred as He had rejected the devils and eternally excluded them from grace.
The devil first attacked Eve when she was alone, probably standing near the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. There he deceived her, and she, having been deceived although not yet conscious of it, also deceived her husband Adam. He was not deceived due to love for his wife, but rather due to her deception, and only then the eyes of both of them were opened (Gen 3:7). The devil was thus the suggestive cause of the fall, and for this reason is called “a murderer from the beginning” and “a liar” (John 8:44).
For this purpose the devil used a serpent, judging it to be a suitable instrument for him. He spoke to Eve through the serpent. He was neither invisible when he spoke, nor did he simulate a speaking voice. He did not communicate personally with the soul of Eve, but spoke through the serpent, of which he had taken possession. One should neither view this matter as being a metaphor, nor as a parable or an illusion. Neither did the devil appear as an apparition in the similitude of a serpent, but this is genuine history—an event which has truly occurred. Both the devil and the serpent were actively involved in this matter. It was a serpent in the true sense of the word, that is, a genuine animal. This is evident:
(1) From the history itself. “Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field … And he said unto the woman …” (Gen 3:1);
(2) Also from verse 14 where the following is stated concerning the serpent, “Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle.” It cannot be contradicted that the serpent was an irrational creature, and thus incapable of making intelligible and intelligent speech. It is therefore certain that a rational creature spoke through the serpent, and that this intelligent creature was evil and sinful. Hence it could not have been anyone else but the devil, who for this reason is frequently called “serpent,” “dragon,” or “that old serpent” in Scripture. “… the dragon, that old serpent, which is the devil, and Satan” (Rev 20:2). It was he who deceived Eve: “… as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty” (2 Cor 11:3). It is his head which was bruised by Christ, “that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil” (Heb 2:14).
Since Moses is very brief in recounting the events of the first world, the method of deceit is not recorded. Therefore all conjecture in this case is but idle speculation, such as whether the devil spoke only once or on several occasions with Eve; whether he dealt with Eve in an entirely different manner; whether he came as a messenger of God, declaring that the time of probation had been concluded, and therefore they were now permitted to eat; whether he came as friend and teacher to counsel and convey to her what benefit could be derived from eating from this tree; or whether he came as an enemy of God, wishing to deprive her of that which would make her happy and equal to Him. These are all conjectures. It is also possible that he produced other pretexts or deceptive rationale. I would rather be silent about these and similar matters than to mislead you with what only appears to be rational. Whatever the wisest and greatest teacher has not been pleased to reveal to us, we should not be desirous to know. This is a safe practice by which one will avoid many temptations.
I am convinced that Eve knew very well that animals, also the serpent, have neither a rational intellect nor are capable of speech. Though she was ignorant of the fall of the angels, she could have deduced that this occurrence was of an extraordinary nature. I am also convinced that Eve was permitted to desire a higher level of knowledge and communion with God, this having been promised to her in the covenant of works. She was also permitted to aspire after increased knowledge concerning the realm of nature, which she could gain in the way of experience, just as the manifold wisdom of God might be known to the angels by the church (Eph 3:10).
I am also convinced that she did not ignorantly eat from this tree, but knew very well that she was neither permitted to eat from it nor touch it. Being desirous to increase in understanding, Eve was seduced to eat from this tree. She was not coerced but did so of her own free will. Eve was not immediately conscious of this deceit, but became aware of this only after she had deceived Adam. Furthermore, Adam was neither the first to be deceived nor was he deceived by the serpent, but as the apostle states in 1 Tim 2:14, by a deceived Eve—and thus subsequent to her. I am convinced that had Adam remained standing, Eve would have borne the punishment alone. Since Adam also sinned, however, the entire human nature, the entire human race, became guilty, as Paul said, “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world …” (Rom 5:12). He does not merely refer to Eve’s sin, but to the sin of the entire human race, which is fully and entirely comprehended in Adam and Eve who were one by virtue of their marriage. Rather, he specifically refers to the sin of Adam who was the first man, the first and only source, both of Eve and the entire human race.
The eating from this tree was not a minor sin, even though the eating of the fruit itself was a small matter. Rather, it was a dreadful crime in which the breaking of the entire law was comprehended. It was a breach of love, obedience, and the covenant, resulting in the perdition of himself and all his descendants. This sin is aggravated by the fact that,
(1) it was committed against God Himself whom they knew in His majesty and His glory, and who in His manifold goodness had united them to Himself;
(2) it was committed by a holy person who had the necessary ability to refrain from doing so, and to resist all temptation;
(3) to refrain from eating from this one tree was but an insignificant and easy requirement, since they had everything in abundance in this beautiful garden;
(4) the felicity or condemnation of himself and his descendants hinged upon it. Therefore, in Rom 5 this eating is correctly denominated, “sin” (Rom 5:12), “transgression” (Rom 5:14), “offence” (Rom 5:15), and “disobedience” (Rom 5:19).