What Was The Greatest Sin In The Garden? by “Brother Bill”
OVER-COMER’S GUIDE: S000 What was the greatest sin in God’s garden that still endures today?
The greatest sin in God’s Garden of Eden is not just the act of eating the forbidden fruit; that was disobedience, but the rebellion of the human heart aligned with Satan’s original desire: to become like God.Let’s break down the layers of sin involved, all are drawn from NKJV Scripture:
1. Disobeying God’s Direct Command (Law of Fruit-Eating)
“But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
—Genesis 2:17, NKJV
This is the first clear law given to man. Disobedience to this command introduced sin and death into man.
“Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin… thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.”
—Romans 5:12, NKJV
Sin begins here as rebellion against the authority of God’s Word.
2. Wanting to Be Like God (Pride and Self-Exaltation)
“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.”
— Genesis 3:5, NKJV
This temptation strikes at the heart of pride: the desire to usurp God’s role, to define good and evil on our own terms.
“You shall have no other gods before Me.”
—Exodus 20:3, NKJV
“God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
—James 4:6, NKJV
3. Satan’s Role: Leading People Astray to Build His Own Kingdom
Before the garden sin, Satan committed the first rebellion in heaven:
“For you have said in your heart:
‘I will ascend into heaven,
I will exalt my throne above the stars of God;
I will also sit on the mount of the congregation…
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds,
I will be like the Most High.’”
—Isaiah 14:13–14, NKJV
In the garden, Satan deceives Eve with the same desire: “You will be like God.”
“So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world…”
—Revelation 12:9, NKJV
“You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do… he is a liar and the father of it.”
—John 8:44, NKJV
So What Was the Greatest Sin?
The greatest sin in the Garden was the rejection of God’s authority in favor of self- exaltation, initiated by Satan and embraced by man.
• Eve was deceived (1 Timothy 2:14),
• Adam willfully disobeyed (Romans 5:19),
• and both aligned with Satan’s rebellion to become like God.
This sin combined:
• Disobedience (Genesis 2:17),
• Pride and desire to be like God (Genesis 3:5),
• and spiritual deception by Satan, who sought to reproduce his rebellion in mankind (Isaiah 14:14, Revelation 12:9).
Redemption Answered That Sin
“For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.”
—Romans 5:19, NKJV
“Let this mind be in you… who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God… but humbled Himself and became obedient…”
—Philippians 2:5–8, NKJV
Jesus, who was God, did not grasp at pride—but humbled Himself to redeem those who tried to become like God.
“The Greatest Sin in the Garden: Pride, Disobedience, and the Deception of Self-Divinity”?
Do we enable people by getting them to depend on us or empower them by helping them depend on God?
God’s law isn’t a punishment—it’s protection.
It shields us from the crushing burden of trying to be our own gods or saviors.
As followers of Christ, we are not responsible to fix everyone—but to point them to the One who can.
Here’s a breakdown of that truth with supporting NKJV Scriptures:
1. God’s Law Is Protection, Not Punishment
“The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul;
The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.”
—Psalm 19:7, NKJV
“You shall walk in all the ways which the Lord your God has commanded you,
that you may live and that it may be well with you…”
—Deuteronomy 5:33, NKJV
“The law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.”
—Galatians 3:24, NKJV
God’s commands keep us safe from pride, destruction, and false responsibility.
2. Trying to Be Like God Leads to Crushing Burden
“For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders;
but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.”
—Matthew 23:4, NKJV
“Woe to the shepherds… who feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flocks?”
—Ezekiel 34:2, NKJV
“It is vain for you to rise up early,
To sit up late,
To eat the bread of sorrows;
For so He gives His beloved sleep.”
—Psalm 127:2, NKJV
3. Our Role: Point Others to the Way, Not Be the Way
“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through Me.’”
—John 14:6, NKJV
“He must increase, but I must decrease.”
—John 3:30, NKJV
“We do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ sake.”
—2 Corinthians 4:5, NKJV
“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
—Matthew 11:28, NKJV
“Who is this who darkens counsel by words without knowledge?”
—Job 38:2, NKJV
“Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations…”
—Psalm 46:10, NKJV
“The fear of man brings a snare,
But whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe.”
—Proverbs 29:25, NKJV
5. The Holy Spirit Is the One Who Convicts and Transforms
“And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment…”
—John 16:8, NKJV
“Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,”
Says the Lord of hosts.
—Zechariah 4:6, NKJV
“It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing.”
—John 6:63, NKJV
Summary Truth:
You are not God.
You are a servant, a witness, and a light-bearer.
Your job is to point people back to the Father, not carry the weight of being their solution.
“We Are Not God: Freed from the Burden, Called to Be Witnesses”
When we take over their responsibilities that God gives them for their growth we stand in Gods way and overburden our abilities.
About the Author
Mychal Massie
Mychal S. Massie is an ordained minister who spent 13 years in full-time Christian Ministry. Today he serves as founder and Chairman of the Racial Policy Center (RPC), a think tank he officially founded in September 2015. RPC advocates for a colorblind society. He was founder and president of the non-profit “In His Name Ministries.” He is the former National Chairman of a conservative Capitol Hill think tank; and a former member of the think tank National Center for Public Policy Research. Read entire bio here
