John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
The next words of this verse are “so loved” -- "For God so loved" this is a love He wanted to share. It says next God loved “the world” that’s not talking about our global earth of dirt, water and rock. The world refers to US—mankind who God created in His own image.
Genesis 1:26-27 “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping things that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.”
God made us eternal beings. We may have physical bodies that wear out and die. But we have eternal souls that will live on for all eternity.
When God placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. He walked with them in the cool of the day. He gave Adam dominion over all the animals. Their food was available right at their fingertips, ready to eat. God created a beautiful world for Adam and Eve to live in and only asked for one thing in return. God told them not to eat the fruit from one particular tree. He called that tree “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” in Genesis 2:9. Out of all that was created God wanted that one tree “set apart” for Him. He told Adam and Eve everything else was for them.
God was giving Adam and Eve a chance to show Him love through obedience. It was through some twisted misquoting of God’s word’s that Satan caused Eve to doubt what God had said. When she saw the fruit looked so good, she yielded to temptation.
You know, I can relate to this with my love for chocolate and a saying I heard once. “Opporunity knocks at your door, but Temptation leans on the doorbell.” Old temptation just leans on the doorbell when it comes to me and chocolate, especialy choc. with peanut butter.
Eve did eat of the forbidden fruit. Then she gave some to Adam and he ate it, too. Instantly they knew the knowledge between good and evil. They had been created with pure innocence and the free will to make choices. By eating the forbidden fruit they learned the shame of disobedience.
Romans 5:12, “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death be sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.”
Through Adam’s sin of disobedience all men have inherited the sin nature.
Romans 3:10 “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one.” and Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;”
Our sin nature puts us all in the same boat — we are all sinners.
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