How could it cause that much harm? It was just a piece of fruit. God told Adam he would die if he ate it, but Satan entered the scene.
Eve had been warned about the fruit, but the serpent questioned if God really said what he had. The serpent told her that they wouldn’t really die as God said but that their eyes would be opened so that they would become like God, knowing the knowledge of 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. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.” ~Genesis 3:6-8 ESV
They knew they had done wrong, and they were ashamed. They hid from God, but God called out to them. When he questioned them, Adam blamed Eve, and Eve blamed the snake.
Even though God extended his grace and covered their shame and nakedness with animal skins, there were consequences for their sin. Their innocence was gone, their relationship with God was damaged and their relationship with each other changed as well. Furthermore, Eve would experience pain in child birth. She would also desire her husband, but Adam would rule over her. God cursed the ground to produce thorns and thistles so that Adam would have to work hard for food. Adam and Eve were also banished from the beautiful garden so that they couldn’t eat of the tree of life. Instead they would experience death and return to the dust from which they came.
Adam and Eve’s sin affected more than just themselves. Because the door to sin had been opened, Adam and Eve’s son Cain would later kill their other son Abel out of jealousy and anger. No one would experience walking with God in the perfect garden; everyone would experience sorrow, hardship, temptation, sin and its consequences.
We all have temptations, but no one can make us sin. We have the choice of whether we will turn away from our temptations or whether we will give into those desires and fall into sin. All it takes is one look, one taste, one drink, one hit, one touch, one try, one time… and everything begins to fall apart.
We don’t always consider all of the consequences before giving in to our sinful desires. Our selfishness doesn’t allow us to think of all the people that our choices could affect—our spouse, our children, our grandchildren, our parents, our friends, our students… We don’t realize the magnitude of hurt or hardship that our actions will inflict upon others. We see, we desire, we partake and we suffer the consequences—guilt, shame, pain, damaged relationships, loss of trust, custody battles, divorce, financial loss, job termination, addiction, depression…brokenness… for us, for those we love, for future generations.
Through Jesus, we can always experience God’s forgiveness, mercy and grace. However, the consequences may remain and may affect other people as well. When you are faced with temptation, consider the consequences not only for yourself but for others. Giving into temptation isn’t worth it. You will feel shame and regret.
“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” ~1 Corinthians 10:13 NIV