In Genesis, we find the first account of Satan's deception, as he, in the form of a serpent, beguiles the first man and woman that the Lord created. Genesis 1 and 2 record the creation of the earth and God's special creation - "man." Genesis 1:26-28a reads, "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them..."

As we look at this tragic story, we will discover that the same lies Satan told Adam and Eve are the same ones he is still using today to get man to sin and break fellowship with God. He has not changed his method of attack. By studying Genesis 1, we can understand and benefit greatly from the record of the invasion of the planet earth by this hostile power, seeing him strike at God through the ones whom He created and loved. There was a sweet fellowship existing between man and God in the garden of Eden. Satan knew if he could only break the bonds of that fellowship and cause those two in the garden to step out into independence as he had done, then God would lose something which was most precious to Him.

Let us notice the serpent's (Satan's) method of deceiving man. He first came to Eve very subtly, challenging God's instructions to Adam and her. Genesis 3:1-6 reads, "Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat."

We observe from this account that Satan's first method is to bring doubt against God's judgment by questioning His limits on man. "Hath God said?...God hath said." Then the serpent places three temptations before them: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life.

The things of this world still tempt man today. One of the definitions in the Bible for the word "world," as used in I John 2:16 (this is the world we are told not to love that is under Satan's domain), it is the "world" of the moral and spiritual systems we call human society.

Fallen society is that realm of the world which consists of the whole circle of worldly goods, endowments, riches, advantages, pleasures, intellectual pursuits, education, science, man-made religious systems, business, medicine, arts and politics. It is this definition of "world" that the Word of God is speaking of as that which is controlled by Satan. Many of us do not realize that when we touch the things that make up fallen society, we touch the power of Satan. Therefore, we become "independent" in the way we use them if we do not put them under the power and direction of God. God does not want to deny man these things; however, unless we allow God to rule over us and over these things, they become the forbidden fruit to us.

God had not intended to deny man access to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, but had a plan that in time would have opened his eyes to good and evil, and then finally allowed him to partake of the tree of life when he had matured enough to be able to live eternally in that state. By eating the fruit prematurely, it brought death instead of wisdom and life, just as God had told them it would.

Physical death did not come immediately, but spiritual death did. They died on the inside first. They no longer could face God. We experience the same feeling when we sin. Fear and shame are the fruits of sin. Many fear God today because of the sin in their lives. If we really fellowship with God on a daily basis, we find that as we obey Him there is simply no guilt or fear that troubles us. However, when we sin without repentance, we run from the presence of God, just as Adam and Eve did.