The punishment placed upon man and woman, and the effect of sin upon nature, were meant to remind humankind of the terrible consequences of sin and cause them to depend upon God in faith and obedience. God intended the present condition of the human race on earth to be redemptive. Eve’s attempt to liberate herself from God and act independently from her husband would counteract a strong desire for her husband. Her deep attraction towards Adam and his headship over her would bring trouble and suffer along with joy and blessing. Did Eve’s choice to solely decide to go ahead and eat the fruit before Adam made her suffer from labor and the privilege to a potential mother of all living? Because of God’s curse upon nature, Adam and Eve would experience physical hardships, toil, struggle, and eventually death for themselves and all their offspring.
Adam and Eve attempted to set themselves up as God’s equal and determine their standards. Through their fall, human beings became, to some extent, independent of God and began to distinguish for themselves between good and evil. In Genesis chapter three, verse five, the serpent, which the devil beguiled them, deceptively mentions that they would know good and evil. However, they would not detect the lie about being gods, but they would have to experience good and bad throughout their life.
In this world, imperfect and perverted human judgment often decides what is good and evil. The direction of human life was never God’s will, for he intended us to know only good in dependence on Him and His Word. All who confess Christ as Lord return to God’s original purpose for humankind. They rely on God’s Word to determine what is good.
Adam’s perfect relationship with God is lost. He was now out of the garden, and a life of dependence on God amid trials began. Some would say Satan, in some sense, gained power over the world through the fall of Adam and Eve. The New Testament speaks of Satan as “the prince of this world.” However, God so loved the human race that He determined to conquer Satan by reconciling them and the world to himself at the cost of the life of His Son.