Free Will

When Adam and Eve were created they were given free will. The Lord gave man (Adam and Eve) a world that He had created for them to live in and enjoy. And it was good. Only one thing was forbidden--to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. (Gen 2:16 And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.")

Satan came, as a serpent, to Eve and cast doubt on the Word of God. Satan then told her the lie that she would not die but would be like God. Eve believed the lie and ate of the fruit of the forbidden tree of good and evil and then gave the fruit to Adam to eat and he took it and ate it. Their eyes then were open. Satan's lie was a half truth, Eve and Adam did not die from eating the fruit, but they would die because of disobedience to God's command. For God then said, "For dust you are, And to dust you shall return.” (Gen 3:19, in part) They did not became wise as Eve desired, instead they now knew good and evil. The Lord cursed the ground, and thorns and thistles came into the fields and life became as we know it now.

• Genesis 3: 1 "Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, 'Has God indeed said, "You shall not eat of every tree of the garden"?'2 And the woman said to the serpent, 'We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’” 4 Then the serpent said to the woman, 'You will not surely die. 5 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.'"