Photographer: Meg Jerrard | Source: Unsplash

There are different ways your marriage can be attacked.

Failing to understand those vectors leaves you vulnerable.

Genesis 3 gives that insight:

Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. (Genesis 3:4-6)

How was Eve persuaded to sin against God?

The serpent tempts Eve with moral judgment “knowing good and evil.”

She then persuaded herself, rationalizing that the fruit provided provision (was good for food), beauty (pleasant to the eyes), and her form of common sense (make one wise).

There is no back and forth debate with the serpent.

According to Scripture, she persuaded herself.

How similar are those rationalizations in a modern Christian marriage?

Moral justification and judgment: “This is right, that is wrong!”

Appealing to basic sustenance: “But how will the kids survive without it?”

Beauty: “Wouldn’t this look so nice, hon?”

Pragmatic common sense: “It just makes more sense to do it this way.”

These vectors aren’t just the wife rationalizing to herself.

We can imagine that it’s also the way she persuaded Adam.

How was Adam persuaded to sin against God?

He was asked by his wife.

No debate. No protestation.

In his simplicity and natural desire to please his wife, he agrees to violate God’s command.

Both forms of sin were equally offensive to God. And the human race has had to pay for this fall.