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From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham

Q: Did God really drive Adam and Eve out of the garden of Eden just because they ate an apple from the forbidden tree? This does not really sound like a sin to me. – R.S.

A: When God created mankind in His image, he put Adam and Eve in a perfect paradise, in a perfect environment, to live in perpetual youth. He didn’t want to create a piece of machinery. He gave mankind free will and said to them, “Love and obey Me, and do not eat of the one forbidden tree lest your eyes be open to evil.”

Man failed the test and the result of the failure was sin, which has been inherited generation after generation. The first couple learned that God’s command had a purpose and consequences. If they obeyed, they would enjoy paradise; if they disobeyed, they would experience suffering and death – paradise would be lost. God is not a liar. He keeps His word, and Adam and Eve were sent away from the garden and lost paradise. And one day, they died.

But through His Son, Jesus Christ, God made a way for sinners to be redeemed, forgiven of sin, and brought into a relationship with Jesus, who cleanses us from sin.

When we come to Him in repentance, we have the hope and assurance of eternal life in Him. Paradise is restored. This is the glory of the Gospel.

Sin – plain, old-fashioned sin, the self-same sin which caused Adam’s downfall – is what we are all suffering from today. Sin was not the act of eating the fruit; eating the fruit was the demonstration of disobedience. If the human race would turn from its evil ways and return to God, putting behind its sins of disobedience, idolatry, pride, and greed among many other things, we would find God’s forgiveness and know His peace.

(This column is based on the words and writings of the late Rev. Billy Graham.)

©2026 Billy Graham Literary Trust. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

(c)2026 BILLY GRAHAM DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.