In a pivotal scene in the classic animated film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the wicked queen arrives in disguise with her poisoned apple while the dwarfs are away. They had warned Snow White not to entertain strangers, but the old woman looked so harmless and the fruit so inviting. What will Snow White do?

The beginning of Genesis 3 reminds us of this scene. Although the biblical account contains curious elements like a talking serpent and a tree that grants the knowledge of good and evil, its main message is clear: the people who enjoyed life in God’s perfect world chose to disobey their loving Creator, and so they fell away from Him.

The serpent of Genesis 3 is clearly identified in Revelation 12:9 as the devil or Satan, “who leads the whole world astray”. Genesis 3 is the very first occasion when Satan comes to our attention. His efforts to tempt Eve meet with resounding success for four reasons:

1. The serpent’s strategy (vv. 1, 4): The serpent speaks just twice, but each time he strikes at the heart of the relationship that Adam and Eve have with God. First, he raises doubts about God’s Word: “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden?’” (v. 1; italics added). By employing undue emphasis and distorting what God had actually said, the serpent provokes uncertainty. Second, he raises doubts about God’s character: “You will not certainly die” (v. 4). The serpent boldly charges God with lying and depriving the couple of what could be theirs.

2. The woman’s misunderstanding (vv. 2–3): The serpent’s strategy would not have been so effective if the woman had a clearer understanding of what exactly God had said. When she repeats God’s instruction, recorded for us in Genesis 2:16–17, she adds something God had not said: “And you must not touch it” (3:3). An inaccurate grasp of what God commands can make us vulnerable to temptation.

3. The attractiveness of the fruit (v. 6): The serpent’s enticement makes the woman see the fruit in a different light—no longer as forbidden fruit, but fruit that is irresistibly attractive, both to the body and the mind. The
aim of temptation is always to make disobedience to God seem far more attractive than obedience.

4. The man’s collaboration (v. 6): Sin is the most enjoyable in company. The woman, who had been created to be “a helper suitable for [the man]” (2:18), not only violates the garden’s one restriction, but also extends the temptation to the man. Adam, who had received God’s instructions directly, could have corrected her and ended the matter; instead, he chose to join his wife in disobeying their Creator.

The human couple had been given all they needed for life and godliness, but they were not content. They imagined that they would become “like God” (3:5) if they ate the fruit. The only thing they found when they ate it, however, was the knowledge of sin—and its consequences (v. 7).