In their happy home in Paradise (the garden of Eden), the holy pair found themselves in sacred and joyful surroundings. They could enjoy the presence of the Creator and talk with Him face to face. The home of Adam and Eve was adorned with the most beautiful flowers of diverse colors, planted by God Himself. The cloudless sky was their roof. The foliage of every kind of tree, and all the green herbs and vegetation contributed to the happiness of the first pair on earth. Four crystal rivers were flowing across the garden. The varied fruit trees beautified Paradise, bearing their abundant, succulent fruits.

Two special trees grew in the midst of the garden—one being the “tree of life,” which perpetuated life, and the other, the “tree of knowledge of good and evil.” In such a beautiful setting, what spoiled the happy joy in Eden? “And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it” (Genesis 2:16, 17). This “tree of the knowledge of good and evil,” was forbidden food. It was not the will of God that the human race should know evil. The Creator had provided them with all that was good, but in love, He had withheld from them all knowledge of evil. Adam and Eve were placed upon probation. The tree of knowledge was withheld as a simple test of their obedience and love to their Creator. They could maintain immortality only on condition of their loyalty to God. They were counseled to repel the tempter and his suggestions; then they would be secure and free from danger. Satan could only tempt them through access to the tree of knowledge. If they disobeyed the divine command, they would forfeit their allegiance to God, and become subject to Satan and lose their paradise home.

While Eve was busily engaged in the garden, she unconsciously wandered away from her husband. She realized that she was alone but was unaware of any danger. As she came near “the tree of knowledge of good and evil,” Eve looked at the attractive fruit hanging on the branches and forgot the warning of the angel. She asked herself: “Why did God forbid us to eat of the fruit of this tree?” As she lingered near the forbidden tree, the tempter, through the medium of a serpent, had his opportunity. “Now the serpent was more subtil 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”(Genesis 3:1–4).

What an amazing thing: A serpent speaking! From where did it obtain the gift of speech? Instead of running away from the tree, she, in curiosity, was drawn into conversation with him. The serpent flattered her: “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” (Genesis 3:5). This suggested that God’s command was merely to frighten them, but that somehow He did not really mean what He said. Furthermore, the serpent implied that because he had eaten the fruit, he had obtained knowledge as well as the gift of speech. (In reality, however, what the woman did not realize was that it was Satan speaking through the serpent, not the serpent itself speaking.)

“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.” Genesis 3:6. At first, Eve did not realize what she had done. As soon as she took the fruit and ate, she felt strangely exhilarated. She took the fruit and gave some to Adam. When her husband saw what she had done, he was dismayed, and told her that she must die. He realized that this was the work of the tempter, the rebel against whom they had been warned. But then, Adam, thinking that he could not endure to be separated from his wife, decided to share her lot. He took the fruit and quickly ate it. Satan’s subtle deception was a success. The holy pair yielded to his temptation, and they fell in disobedience.

“Adam and Eve persuaded themselves that in so small a matter as eating of the forbidden fruit there could not result such terrible consequences as God had declared. But this small matter was the transgression of God’s immutable and holy law, and it separated man from God and opened the floodgates of death and untold woe upon our world. . . . Let us not regard sin as a trivial thing.

“Every act of transgression, every neglect or rejection of the grace of Christ, is reacting upon yourself; it is hardening the heart, depraving the will, benumbing the understanding, and not only making you less inclined to yield, but less capable of yielding, to the tender pleading of God’s Holy Spirit.”—Steps to Christ, p. 33.

The Bible tells us that all human beings have an inherent deficiency, which is fatal to them. Through sin we have all lost an essential part of our being—the glory of God, His moral image, His character, His righteousness, without which we are but hopeless sinners doomed to eternal perdition. But thanks to a special provision of God, the fundamental need in us can be supplied; God’s righteousness can be restored in us—and we can inherit everlasting life.

From the very beginning, men have been trying to find their way back to God, and the question, “How then can man be justified with God?” (Job 25:4), has been repeated over and over since sin came into the world. But, sad to realize, by following their own ideas, men have generally missed the way. When our first parents fell into transgression, and lost their white robe of innocence and righteousness, they tried to cover their nakedness with fig leaves sewn together. “This is what the transgressors of God’s law have done ever since the day of Adam and Eve’s disobedience. . . . They have worn the garments of their own devising, by works of their own they have tried to cover their sins, and make themselves acceptable with God.”—Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 311.

With their disobedience, sin entered the earth, and as a result of sin, death would follow: “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” (Romans 5:12). “Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life” (Genesis 3:23, 24).

Although God is loving and merciful, He is also just and righteous. He is forgiving and makes provision for restoration, but Adam and Eve was to reap what they had sown. The guilty pair were banished from Eden and became subject to death. If Adam had not accepted God’s provision for the remission of sin—which is the shedding of blood—his doom would have been certain. But he accepted the substitute victim and an innocent lamb was killed. Blood was shed and God made garments from the skins to clothe Adam and Eve. “Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them” (Genesis 3:21). The lamb that died by Adam’s hand and the skin garments provided for man, represent the sacrifice of Christ in behalf of the repentant sinner. The promise of a coming Saviour was given to Adam and Eve—thus, God did not leave the first couple without hope. The plan of redemption was offered to them. This same plan of redemption is still offered to everyone who accepts the provision God has given to restore us from sin through Jesus Christ, the Saviour of every repentant sinner.”—Selected Messages, bk. 1, pp. 321, 322.

As we realize our helpless condition and that, “almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission” (Hebrews 9:22).

“Jesus is our atoning sacrifice. We can make no atonement for ourselves, but by faith we can accept the atonement that has been made.”—Selected Messages, bk 1, pp. 321, 322. How can that be done? “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement” (Romans 5:8–11).

“As one is drawn to behold Jesus uplifted on the cross, he discerns the sinfulness of humanity. He sees that it is sin which scourged and crucified the Lord of glory. He sees that, while he has been loved with unspeakable tenderness, his life has been a continual scene of ingratitude and rebellion. He has forsaken his best Friend and abused heaven’s most precious gift. He has crucified to himself the Son of God afresh and pierced anew that bleeding and stricken heart. He is separated from God by a gulf of sin that is broad and black and deep, and he mourns in brokenness of heart. . . .

“God reveals to us our guilt that we may flee to Christ, and through Him be set free from the bondage of sin, and rejoice in the liberty of the sons of God. In true contrition we may come to the foot of the cross, and there leave our burdens.”—Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, pp. 9, 10.

“Through the sacrifice made in our behalf, sins may be perfectly forgiven. Our dependence is not in what man can do; it is in what God can do for man through Christ. When we surrender ourselves wholly to God, and fully believe, the blood of Christ cleanses from all sin. The conscience can be freed from condemnation. Through faith in His blood, all may be made perfect in Christ Jesus. Thank God that we are not dealing with impossibilities. We may claim sanctification. We may enjoy the favor of God. We are not to be anxious about what Christ and God think of us, but about what God thinks of Christ, our Substitute. . . . The Lord shows, to the repenting, believing one, that Christ accepts the surrender of the soul, to be molded and fashioned after His own likeness.”—Selected Messages, bk. 2, pp. 32, 33.

“The salvation of human beings is a vast enterprise, that calls into action every attribute of the divine nature. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit have pledged themselves to make God’s children more than conquerors through Him that has loved them. The Lord is gracious and long-suffering, not willing that any should perish. He has provided power to enable us to be overcomers.”—The Review and Herald, January 27, 1903.

Do not think your sins block you from going to Christ. “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be like crimson, they shall be as wool” (Isaiah 1:18). The Lord “hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:10–12).

The Bible teaches that if a sinner will turn away from wickedness in sincere repentance and surrender to Jesus Christ as Saviour, “he shall surely live, he shall not die. None of his sins that he hath committed shall be mentioned unto him: he hath done that which is lawful and right; he shall surely live” (Ezekiel 33:15, 16). This wonderful privilege is granted to all because Christ has already paid all their sins at the cross of Calvary.

Aren’t you glad that God has paid for your sins through the sacrifice of His Son? I am very happy for this, and I hope and pray that you share the same joy. God has promised full and complete pardon of sin to all who believe in Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

Dear brethren, if you have not made this kind of decision in your whole life, will you make that choice now? You have nothing to lose but everything to gain if you make up your mind to believe the gospel and receive Jesus as your Lord and Saviour!