Woman Deceived

The woman was first to disobey in this matter. Satan knew whom to approach first. Even the apostle Paul noted this point as he stated, “And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression” (I Tim. 2:14). Continuing in Genesis 3, “And unto Adam He said, Because you have hearkened unto the voice of your wife, and have eaten of the tree, of which I commanded you, saying, You shall not eat of it: cursed is the ground for your sake...” (vs. 17). In the final analysis, both were accountable and both paid the penalty.

Women are naturally designed to follow the lead of their husbands. Modern feminists aside, the female gender was not created, and neither is it suited, for taking the lead in decision-making or in the marriage. Eve should have consulted with Adam before making any decision, particularly one that could so permanently affect their relationship, with one having eaten of the fruit and the other having not. But when consulted even after the fact, Adam was weak and yielded to his wife’s error, knowing what he was doing—he was “not deceived.” In one crucial sense, his error was greater than that of his wife—he knowingly did what was wrong.

Shame Injected

Satan had attempted to make what God had created to be perceived as something to be covered up, embarrassed about—shameful. God provided clothing to adorn and decorate them, rather than the primary motive being to cover their shame. Genesis 3:21 shows that it was God who actually clothed them—they did not put on clothing on their own without His approval.

Certainly it was never God’s intention for all mankind who would come later to become a global nudist colony. First, He intended clothing to be worn for the sake of decency and propriety—as adornment—not because the human body was in some way bad and needed to be hidden. God designed and intended that sex would only take place between husband and wife in the institution of marriage—not in random promiscuity, as do certain animals in the wild (even though some animals do mate for life), or according to the precepts of the New (A)Morality. Second, besides these considerations, the exposed female body arouses lust in the mind of any normal, carnal male. To avoid temptation, God expects people to be clothed.

A point regarding nudist colonies: While some have been confused on this matter—and others have not, but have wanted to take advantage in raw lust of what the world offers—God has no more sanctioned them than He has sanctioned pornography.

The Role of Plato and Philosophy

Most of the ancient pagan theologians and philosophers accepted Satan’s lie that sex is shameful. An examination of the teachings of Plato, perhaps the most renowned and studied philosopher—and who was a student of the sex pervert Socrates—in his book, the Phaedo, reveals the doctrine of dualism. In this teaching, the real or true man is represented by the immortal soul. This form is the part of man that is supposedly righteous, pure and free of sin. The flesh, by contrast, is considered totally corrupt and evil. The physical sexual anatomy of humans is especially considered to be the most repugnant and filthy part of the creation. It was expected that the real man—“the immortal soul”!—should shun this corruptible part of the creation.

Many of Plato’s premises eventually became established as hallmarks of false religion and the basis for prudery in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. To demonstrate how influential was Plato’s pivotal work, the following quotes reveal a continuation of Satan’s lie about mankind’s immortality, along with the approaches mentioned above.

Note how Plato elevates philosophy as the central element of mankind’s salvation: “Death is merely the separation of soul and body. And this is the very consummation at which philosophy aims. The body hinders thought...the philosopher has a life-long quarrel with his bodily desires and he should welcome the release of his soul...The soul, if pure departs to the invisible world, but, if tainted by communion with the body, [it] lingers hovering near the earth, and is afterwards born into the likeness of some lower form. That which true philosophy has purified alone rises ultimately to the gods...In the Phaedo, more than elsewhere, Plato preaches withdrawal from the world...” Finally, Plato summarizes, “...by searching for clearer images of truth in the world of mind, we may hope to be emancipated from sensation, and to lay hold upon the sole object of pure reason” (Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th ed., vol. 21, pp. 814-815).

It was “pure reason,” or actually flawed human reasoning, that Adam and Eve used to justify their taking of the forbidden fruit. Plato’s conclusions have come to constitute the central teachings of orthodox Christianity of this day, whether in regard to the trinity, immortality of the soul or various other associated ideas. The universal church has been greatest, however, in continuing and spreading the notion that sex is shameful and evil and should only be for the purpose of procreation, and that celibacy is a higher state of being than marriage.

Thus, Satan was successful in perpetuating his false claims that God’s creation was evil, while mankind was inherently righteous and being pulled down by God’s shameful physical creation. We find that the real author of prudery was Satan. He has influenced many generations past into thinking that the physical human anatomy is a pitfall of sin and lust that pulls down the righteous immortal soul. However, we saw in Mark 7:1-37 that Jesus taught that it is within the hearts of men that lust originates—not in God’s physical creation!

But there are spiritual parallels that the Scriptures reveal about sex, reproduction and marriage, and what has not been known need not remain hidden.