The views expressed below are those of the writer and may not reflect the views of Rejoice Marriage Ministries or the Steinkamps.
Men, has the Lord placed a devotional on your heart that you would like to share with other standers?
When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Genesis 3:6
Some thought to this, what was Adam’s original sin? Was it eating the apple or something entirely different? The interesting thing about this passage is that it says that Adam was right there with her. Something I have noticed more recently.
Adam failed to protect his wife and family. As husbands and fathers we have a unique roll given to us by God as the protector of our family. This means so much more than just protecting them from harm. We are the spiritual leaders of our homes. Are you protecting your family the way that God has called us as men? Are you leading, teaching, covering your family with the Word and praying for them daily?
Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— for we are members of his body. Ephesians 5:25-30
Adam had a choice to make after Eve ate the fruit – he could live in a perfect relationship with God and be eternally separately from his wife, or he could turn his back on God and follow his wife – who was deceived – down a road of sin and separation from God. Adam chose to take his eyes off of God and look at his circumstances. It was at this point that Adam placed his wife at a level higher than God and made an idol of her. This same perspective can be seen in our marriages. How often have we made decisions, not based on what God desires from us, but based on the decisions and actions of our wives? Are we guilty of taking our eyes off of God to make our decisions strictly by what our wife is doing or saying?
“. . . saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, . . . “Upon eating of the fruit, Adam attempted to make himself equal with God, or “be like God,” by becoming the judge of what was right and wrong. Is this what we too often try to do? Instead of just loving our wives unconditionally, we too often judge, condemn or attempt to become the Holy Spirit in the lives of our wives to convict them of what they should do – our attempt to become equal with God.
The interesting thing about this, this is the reason Satan was cast out of heaven, an attempt to become equal to God.
How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart, “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” Isaiah 14:12-14
So what was the original sin of Adam, eating the fruit or was there more to it?
I see my life and our marriage in this light. I was right there with my wife, and I failed to protect her, our children, our marriage, our home. I failed as the spiritual leader, to lead courageously, to accept responsibility, reject passivity and invest eternally in our home.
In this stand for our marriage and the journey God has taken me on, I have taken my eyes off of God and my Savior Jesus Christ and stared too often at my wife and our circumstances, making an idol of her. By doing this, I set her at a place above God. I have had to repent of this more often than I care to admit.
I have attempted more times than I care to admit to judge my wife, condemn her and attempt to convict her of what was right, thereby attempting to become the Holy Spirit at work in her life, making myself equal with God. This is not what we have been called to do. We have called to love our wives as Christ loved the Church, unconditionally. How did He do this? He denied himself, stood in the face of false accusations with “zipped lips.” He took a beating that would alone would kill most men, then He carried His cross and stretched out his arms and died for who he loved. He protected us from death, He gave us life, and created and cultivated a way for us to live abundantly.
Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” Luke 9:23
What was the original sin of Adam? Let’s look at our lives and our relationship with God first, so that we can be the men, husbands and fathers that God has called us to be. We can never be who we need to be for our wives, until we are where God wants us to be as men.
Standing for my covenant bride, a truly amazing woman, until death parts us.
David in Texas
