The book of Genesis records for us the historical events that occurred in the beginning. The main event that we are interested in is the creation of man by God and the placing of man in the Garden of Eden. God had created woman to be man's helpmeet. This helpmeet became Adam's wife and the relationship was so close and so interdependent that they are said to have become one flesh. He gave them free access to the garden. They had the right to any fruit in the garden accept for the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil that was in the midst of the garden. They had fellowship with God, all their needs were met and they lived in complete innocence before God.
In chapter three of Genesis we find that picture is quickly destroyed through sin. The serpent comes to the woman and begins to question her. He asks if she is allowed to eat of the fruit in the Garden and she tells the serpent that they are free to eat any of the fruit except the fruit in the midst of the Garden. The serpent seizes the opportunity to deceive the woman.
His deceit will be extended from at least three sources. These three sources will be to first deny the penalty of sin, then he introduces doubt about God and then will accuse God of jealousy. We need to see these three things as the primary weapons of Satan and understand that he uses these same arrows still today to tempt us to sin. He will use these methods to induce three things in the woman to cause her to given in to the temptation, the lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life. These are the targets in us that Satan, the old serpent, is trying to hit with those previously mentioned arrows.
So the woman has told the serpent that she cannot eat of the tree of good and evil for in the day she does God said she will surely die. The serpent replies to her you will not surely die, there is the denial of the penalty of sin. Then he tells her that God knows if she eats of the fruit she will become like God. So now he has enter doubt into the mind of the woman regarding God's honesty and truthfulness and also has accused God of being jealous and holding the woman back from her potential of being like God.
The result is that the woman ate the fruit and gave to her husband and he ate of the fruit. The serpent succeed in his temptation and deceit. The woman notice the fruit how it was pleasing to the eye (Lust of the eye!). Then she thought that it would be a pleasure to eat (Lust of the flesh!). And of course she would be like God, at least that was what she was deceived into thinking (Pride of Life).
Both the woman and Adam were now in sin, they realized they were naked and no longer were they living in innocence before God. They now would have to face death in their lives. The woman would have increased pain in labor because she was deceived and would now be ruled over by her husband. Because Adam knew it was wrong and was not deceived but ate anyway, the ground was cursed. Adam would now face hard labor to bring forth food from the earth. And of course the reality was they were both kicked out of the garden and God could no longer fellowship man as he did in the beginning for now sin separated God and man.
Even thought this event happened so long ago its effects and reality are still felt today. We don't inherit the sin of Adam as some would suggest, but we inherit the results of the sin of Adam. We inherit the cursed earth and we must all now face death at some point. The reality of being tempted and deceived needs to be remembered for Satan is still out there playing his deception on all men, causing them to turn to the lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life. And of course he has been extremely successful at it to the point that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23. But God made a promise in that garden that the seed of the woman would one day destroy Satan. One day the power of sin and death would be defeated that day was a dark Friday when Jesus was nailed to the cross.