God had given to Adam only one restriction. "And the Lord God commanded
the man, saying, 'Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 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 will surely die." (Gen 2:16-17). Adam's
obedience to God hinged on believing, trusting, respecting and obeying
that one commandment of God. After Eve was created, Adam must have told
Eve about this command.
But Eve listened more to the voice of the
serpent (the devil) than to the voice of her husband. She took the fruit
and ate it. (See Gen. 3:1-8). Adam knew that his wife was lost because
she was deceived by the serpent. Adam was not deceived (2 Tim 2:14). He
deliberately rebelled against God, choosing to join his wife in sin
rather than to cling to God. On that day they both died, spiritually.
All the descendants of Adam now are born spiritually dead (Ephesians
2:1). And spiritual death paves the way for eventual physical death,
which brings to judgment and eternal condemnation those who have
rebelled against the great God.