The story of Adam and Eve in Genesis describes how the woman saw that the tree’s fruit was good to eat, pleasing to look at, and capable of making one wise. She took the fruit, ate it, and gave some to her husband, who was with her. After eating, they suddenly realized things they hadn’t known before—like the fact that they were naked. Embarrassed, they sewed fig leaves together to make clothes. (Genesis 3:6-7)
The traditional interpretation of this passage, often called “Original Sin,” goes like this: humans disobeyed God, God discovered their disobedience, and as punishment, God cast them out of paradise into a harsh world filled with pain, toil, and suffering. This interpretation has been taught for centuries in churches and temples and remains widely accepted today.
But I’d like to suggest a different perspective—one that aligns more closely with the teachings of Jesus as described in the four Gospels. This interpretation doesn’t see disobedience as the root of sin. Instead, it suggests that humanity’s first “sin” occurred when people believed they were separate from God—their source—in the first place. The real Original Sin was the moment Adam and Eve believed they could exist as independent beings, apart from God’s presence, will, and life.
This belief, not the act of disobedience, marked the turning point. After all, God describes Himself as capable of forgiving “seventy times seven” times. If Adam and Eve’s only transgression had been disobedience, God would have forgiven them, and the matter would have ended there. However, belief in separation from God is different—it creates an illusion of separation that even God does not override.
It wasn’t God who cast humanity out of paradise; it was humanity’s own belief in separation that caused them to perceive themselves as exiled. This belief in a life apart from God is what brought darkness and suffering into the world. But where could this “separate life” come from? According to Genesis, God breathed life into man, and that breath became man’s very existence. If your life is God’s breath, then separation is impossible—just as you can’t exist without your own breath.
This interpretation isn’t just theoretical; it reflects the core message of the Gospel as taught by Jesus. It’s the truth Jesus spoke of—the truth that sets people free. Two thousand years ago, this idea was revolutionary, and it still challenges conventional beliefs today.
Understanding this truth goes beyond religion, philosophy, or denominational boundaries. It doesn’t matter what name you use for God or whether you use the word “God” at all. The source of your being—the ground of life itself—is beyond words, thoughts, or labels. You cannot be separate from Life, because everything that exists is a part of it.
As Jesus illustrated in the parable of the Prodigal Son, the belief in separation can be dispelled by simply returning to your source. No rituals, sacrifices, or permissions are required. Your connection to your source is your birthright, always waiting for you to return.
This is the heart of the Gospel—the simple, freeing truth that you are never truly apart from your source.