“And the Woman Saw the Fruit” – The Consequences of Sin on Knowledge

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Rebellion against God’s command, given for our good, had an impact in the area of knowing. The attempt to enter into the experiential knowledge of evil in spite of the decree of God removed the possibility of certainty in knowledge. Adam and Eve knew the good, because it was all around them. Though they talked to evil embodied in the form of the snake they did not appear to have recognised it as such. In tasting the fruit they internalised the essence of evil, which is independence from God. They then “knew” evil from the inside. In doing this they lost their innocence, the protective covering that enabled them to be in the presence of the glory of God. It is telling that the last observation on the human condition before the Fall is that they were naked and not ashamed. Their nakedness speaks of vulnerability without fear or shame, or the fear of violation. The openness and innocence in this text sets the scene for the sadness that follows. This is in contrast to the covering skins required later. We have by our willful separation lost the immediate knowledge of God’s glory, as if innocence was the shield that enabled us to live in the presence of the God whose perfections make Him a consuming fire to all that is evil. Sin and Culture. We recognize that to some extent the conscience is conditioned by cultural priorities. Thus while one sin has a higher priority in one culture it may be of lower concern in another. Ultimately all cultures are part of the Fall and must be evaluated through the lens of the Bible. This requires careful evaluation of Biblical texts to critique cultural emphasis and also a willingness to critique our own belief and practice.