The Garden of Eden is the place where humankind began. The only restriction that existed in the garden was the forbidden fruit produced by the tree of knowledge. The garden brings the notion of perfection. The society which had been set up in this garden was endowed with innocence and abundance; however, sin made way for definite losses. The Garden of Eden is a story of two possibilities, the loss of innocence and loss of paradise.
The Apprehension of the world
The paradise established in the garden is lost after the entrance of sin in human life (Bell, 2005) . The Serpent contributes to a loss in innocence for Adam and Eve by turning them against God through the spirit of rebellion. In telling them that they would become like God through reaching the point where there is apprehension of the world, the thought of it is enticing. The enticing property of the temptation is what led to the loss of innocence. The mind of Eve develops with the notion of blind obedience where they are supposed to be without knowledge of either good or evil.
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Loss of innocence picks up in the story where attainment of wisdom to become like God becomes more significant than the need to remain obedient and under instruction. The state of innocence in Adam and Eve was inspired by their lack of guile or corruption (Moore, 2016) . The two elements prominently defined the life of the Devil when he rebelled and fell from God’s glory. The act of hiding from God shows that the need to hide guilt and the knowledge that innocence has been lost along with the image with which God had created them. For a moment Eve forgot that "What we can do is trust that what God keeps insisting is true about us is actually true” (Bell, 2005) . By implication, they became misled and corrupted by the notion of rebellion. This is explained by the quick shift of blame between the parties.
The Loss of Paradise
The loss of inner peace signifies the loss of paradise in the story. Inner peace existed because of constant supply in the garden and the presence of God. Loss of inner peace is as a result of expulsion from the garden and the charge of toiling for provision (Moore, 2016) . When the two run after hearing the approach of God, it shows that they were restless and had no peace within them. Expulsion from the garden was just a physical indication of what had already taken place. The garden represents order which goes further into the lives of individuals. When God calls Adam and Eve out, they hide. The impression that God showed up in the garden is the opposite of the truth because "God is always present. We're the ones who show up" (Bell, 2005) . His appearance necessitates the disappearance of sin because, “The point isn’t my failure; it is God’s success in remaking me into the person he originally intended me to be” (Bell, 2005) .
Loss of Innocence
The manifestation of sin in the lives of Adam and Eve through their children when Cain killed Abel indicates another level of loss of innocence. At such a point, sin has grown to a stage where the individual becomes wholly taken by it to the point that the lives of people around him/her begin to lose meaning. The response "I am not my brother's keeper" is a manifestation of the fact that rebellion has grown from simple acts of disobedience to reactions aimed at restricting those who show the potential of responding positively with gestures of obedience.
Conclusion
The Garden of Eden was a serene environment created to sustain the lives of men. Adam and Eve were commanded not to eat of the tree of knowledge located in the middle of the garden, but in the act of disobedience, they went ahead and ate. As a consequence of their actions, they lost innocence along with the paradise created by inner peace and God's creation.
References
Bell, R. (2005). Velvet Elvis: Repainting the Christian Faith. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
Moore, M. (2016). A Quandary of Errors: The Problem of Innocence in Paradise Lost. Retrieved July 11, 2018, from Digital Commons: https://digitalcommons.hollins.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1029&context=researchawards
