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Genesis 3 captures and as well unfolds the beginning of the whole question “Sin, punishment and
mercy” of and about the three individuals “Adam, Eve and the serpent” in this context. Before
this chapter “3” we see creation in the previous chapters including man that was later provided
for a suitable companion (a fitting helper) and plants including the one they were warned not to
eat of. Let me then break the sin, punishment and mercy in the following.

Firstly, the serpent (most crafty beast on the ground) who I would like to assert that he clung to
luring aspect about the tree of life “knowing good and evil” and used it to trick Eve. The serpent
managed to convince Eve by making her believe that she won’t die after eating of the fruit and
she would be like God. This to some sense points out that if the aspect of “lest you die” wasn’t
attached to whole instruction, it would be a lot easier to lure Eve to eating of the tree of life
hence disobeying God.

Secondly, even though Eve tried resisting, she let her guard down and let her imagination (I
would say) of what it feels like to be God (desire to attain knowledge of both good and evil)
supersede her ability to be obedient to the instruction of God. More to that, Eve in a way as well
was disobedient to God by not being a helper fit for Adam (helping may also include helping
Adam obey God by not eating the fruit)

Thirdly, Adam according to scripture did not even resist to attempt to decline the offer of eating
the fruit given by the wife possibly despite knowing the instruction of God about the fruit.

Conclusively about sin, the serpent convinced Eve to eat of the fruit, she accepted. Eve later as
well proceeded to offering to Adam who as well didn’t decline the offer. After consuming of the
fruit, they realized they had sinned, ran off in hiding from the Lord. In addition to that after the
Lord’s inquiry, Adam blamed his wife and wasn’t appreciative to God for giving him a wife. The
wife, Eve as well blamed the serpent. It would be more appropriate if there was sacrificial love in
this point.

For this next part, I would like to combine both the aspect of punishment and mercy coherently.
God decided to punish all the three characters here justly instead of laying all the burden of
carrying the punishment on the initiator of the sin, this according to me mercy to the serpent,
who did not by the way eat of the fruit. He punished all of the individuals accordingly. More to
that, instead carrying on with the initial punishment of eating the fruit (killing them), God did not
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actually stick to the initial punishment, he instead gives them a second chance to life by not
killing them although serving them their respective punishments to all the characters. This was
just and merciful according to me.