Why is Adam blamed for the fall of humanity when Eve sinned first?

Answer

It is true that chronologically, Eve sinned before Adam. She was tempted, took the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and ate it. Afterward, she gave the fruit to her husband, and he ate as well (Genesis 3:1-6). However, the Bible attributes the responsibility for the fall of mankind to Adam.

In Romans 5, Adam is held accountable without any mention of Eve:

“Sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people” (verse 12).

“Death reigned from the time of Adam . . . even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam” (verse 14).

“Many died by the trespass of the one man” (verse 15).

“By the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man” (verse 17).

“Through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners” (verse 19).

The “one man” Paul refers to is Adam, as Romans 5:14 clarifies. Scripture indicates that it was Adam, not Eve, who disobeyed God, leading to alienation from God and death for all mankind. Adam attempted to shift blame to Eve indirectly «And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. », (Genesis 3:12), but Adam is the one held accountable for introducing sin into the world.

There are several reasons why Adam is responsible for humanity’s fall. Adam was created first, and his wife was created to be a “suitable helper” «And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. », (Genesis 2:18, BSB). God held Adam accountable for his family, as evidenced by the factThat God sought out Adam specifically «And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? », (Genesis 3:9). Also, in His conversation with Adam and Eve, God questioned Adam first (Genesis 3:9-13), even though Eve sinned before Adam. Adam, as the leader of the family, was held responsible for what happened in his family.

Also, the original command to not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was given to Adam before Eve was created «but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. », (Genesis 2:17). Eve knew of the restriction (Genesis 3:2-3)—Adam had obviously informed her—but it was Adam who heard it straight from God’s mouth.

In 1 Timothy 2:14, Paul makes a subtle distinction between the sin of Adam and the sin of Eve: “Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner.” Eve fell into sin because of deception; however, Adam was not deceived, which means he chose to sin. When Adam took the fruit from his wife, he knew full well what he was doing. He was not misinformed or misled; he simply decided to rebel against God’s command. He chose to listen to his wife instead of to God «And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; », (Genesis 3:17).

The New Testament teaches that, as the first man, AdamRepresented all mankind. He was the head of the human race, and “everyone dies because we all belong to Adam” «For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. », (1 Corinthians 15:22, NLT). The suffering and death that resulted from Adam’s sin emphasizes our need for a Savior—whom Scripture refers to as the “last Adam” «And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. », (1 Corinthians 15:45). That title for Christ, and the multiple comparisons of Adam to Christ, would make no sense if original sin had come through Eve.

Although Eve was the first to sin, the solution to sin came through “her Seed” «and I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. », (Genesis 3:15, NKJV). The Seed, Jesus Christ, was born of a virgin named Mary (Matthew 1:18-25). He paid the price for sin and will redeem those who receive the salvation He offers «For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. », (John 3:16). So, just as sin and death came through one man, Adam, it is also through one man, Jesus Christ, that grace and righteousness are given as free gifts to believing sinners. Through Adam we received a curse, but through Jesus we receive a blessing.