The Estate of Innocence

Having created Adam, God placed him in a perfect environment, the Garden of Eden, and thus provided every possible incentive, both outwardly and inwardly, for Adam to obey the Creator. This passage emphasizes the relationship that God established with Adam at Adam's creation. It was a relationship built on a covenant. Adam must fulfill his obligations under that covenant, not only for himself, but for all of his posterity. His obligations were to obey the simple prohibition against eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. That Adam should have violated that prohibition should be the most shocking event to us, but sadly, it is not. But the failure of Adam did not excuse him or his posterity from the requirement. It remained for the second man, the last Adam, the Lord Jesus Christ to discharge the obligations of that covenant in the behalf of all of His posterity, all of His people.