The Consequences of Sin
From Genesis 3:16-19.
While God’s creation of this world was “very good” (Genesis 1:31), something soon happened that would ruin what God had made good.
The consequences that came upon Adam and Eve, as well as their descendants, would require God Himself to take on flesh and come to this earth to free us from the consequences of what we had done (Genesis 3:15; John 1:14; Hebrews 2:9-15).
The Consequences of the Woman’s Sin.
To the woman He said: "I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you” (Genesis 3:16).
A Curse on Her Relationship With Her Children.
The woman’s relationship with her children would begin with much pain and discomfort because of her sin. While her children would be a blessing to her (Psalm 127:3), the process of bringing them into the world would be full of suffering.
Scripture considers labor pains to be one of the worst forms of suffering. Isaiah refers to those who face God’s wrath as being “in pain as a woman in childbirth” (Isaiah 13:8). Those who were afraid were gripped by “pangs…like the pangs of a woman in labor” (Isaiah 21:3). The cries of the children of Israel were like the painful screams of “a woman in labor” (Micah 4:9-10).
Even though the medical field has progressed tremendously, the pregnancy and childbirth process is still a concerning time for the health of both mother and child. This exists as a direct consequence of the woman’s sin in the Garden of Eden.
A Curse on Her Relationship With Her Husband.
While the early stages of the woman’s relationship with her children were cursed, she would face an ongoing consequence in regards to her husband. The word “desire” in Genesis 3:16 is not used in this context of a romantic or sexual desire. It’s a desire to “subdue, rule, or control – the desire to defeat a foe” (NIDOTTE 4:341). This same word is used in the same way in Genesis 4:7 to refer to the “desire” sin had toward Cain.
The problem with this desire is that God has placed the woman under the authority of her husband. He rules over her, not the other way around (1 Corinthians 11:3; Ephesians 5:23). Wives are commanded to “submit” to their "own husbands, as to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:22; 1 Peter 3:1-6).
It is the faithful Christian men and not the women, God commands to lead in worship when Christians gather together (1 Timothy 2:8-12). The reason for this is because of the creation order (1 Timothy 2:13) and the woman being completely deceived by the serpent (1 Timothy 2:14).
Though the woman was deceived and became the first to disobey God’s command, He chose to bring His Son into the world through a virgin – a woman (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23-25). And it is through God’s Son – “born of a woman” (Galatians 4:4) - that both men and women receive the same inheritance and blessings according to God’s promises (Galatians 3:26-29).
The Consequences of the Man’s Sin
Then to Adam He said, "Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat of it': "Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return” (Genesis 3:17-19).
The man “obeyed” (ESV) the voice of his wife and did that which the Lord commanded him not to do. While his wife was deceived by the serpent (Genesis 3:13; 1 Timothy 2:14), the man disobeyed the Lord knowingly.
The consequences of the woman’s sin were a curse on her relationship with her children and her husband. The man – Adam – would also face consequences for his sin, and the Lord seems to place the bulk of the burden upon the man for his failure.
Cursed Ground.
The amount of labor required to “earn a living” drastically increased while the “returns” on his labor would dramatically decrease. It would be a hard life full of “blood, sweat, and tears.” No more would man’s work be in a paradise-like garden that God planted. Now, he would have to get out and work among the “thorns and thistles” to grow something he could eat.
The “cursed ground” appears in Romans 8:18-23 as eagerly anticipating the return of Jesus and the glory which will be revealed in His people. On that Day, “the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God” (Romans 8:21). In our eternal, heavenly home, the “curse” is no more (Revelation 22:3).
Cursed Life.
Not only would “hard, painful work” fill the man’s days, but he would eventually die and go back to the ground God took him out of when He created the man (Genesis 2:7). There is a connection between the man and the “dust of the ground” which he cannot escape: the ground is cursed, so man – taken out of the ground – must also be cursed.
It is a blessing that God is merciful to us and “pities those who fear Him” (Psalm 103:13). And why does He take pity on us and show us mercy? Because “He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust” (Psalm 103:14).
When we enter our new heavenly dwelling place with God, the former suffering, grief, pain, and death will be no more (Revelation 21:4). There will be no more curse (Revelation 22:3). We will have an immortal, incorruptible body (1 Corinthians 15:50-56). “Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57).
