Adam and Eve

• Found: Genesis chapters 3 & 4

Genesis 3 and 4 tell us the story of Adam, Eve and their sons' lives. Chapter 3 is about the origin of sin in man's nature and how Adam and Eve were thrown out of the garden of Eden. Chapter 4 tells the story of two of their sons: Cain and Abel.

Adam and Eve (Genesis 3v1-24)

Adam and Eve were living in the garden of Eden and were at peace with God. They had been commanded by God to avoid one thing: the fruit of the tree of knowledge. Satan approaches Eve in the form of a serpent and tempts her to eat from the tree. He tells her that she won't really die as God has said, but will become like a God herself. Eve ate the forbidden fruit and gave some to Adam as well.

When Adam and Eve ate the fruit, they suddenly knew good and evil, right and wrong. They were no longer innocent; Death had entered the garden of Eden. Their bodies would die out and their souls were already made dead by their sin. They realised their nakedness and covered themselves with fig leaves, and they hid from God when they heard Him nearby.

God called out to Adam, and Adam admitted his sin. The Lord put a curse on both Adam and Eve: no longer would life be easy, living in a beautiful garden with no problems; now they would have to work hard and struggle for survival. God gave them animal skins to clothe themselves with, and put them out of the garden of Eden, leaving angels with a flaming sword to guard it.

Cain and Abel (Genesis 4v1-26)

Cain and Abel were Adam and Eve's first two sons. Cain was a crop farmer, while Abel looked after sheep. After a while, Cain brought the results of his labour to the Lord as a sacrifice, and Abel did likewise. God was in favour of Abel's sacrifice (the firstborn of his animals), but rejected Cain's sacrifice. Cain was very angry and killed his brother. When the Lord asked Cain where his brother was, he said "Am I my brother's keeper?" The Lord put a curse on Cain, but also put a mark on him so that no-one would kill him.

God gave Adam and Eve another son to replace Abel, who's name was Seth. Seth was the ancestor of Enoch, Methuselah and Noah.

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