The First Marriage III: Against all Odds

Everyone assumes Adam and Eve had it all — the perfect couple in the perfect setting. They literally started in paradise. Their marriage began in a lush garden, with every need met and every blessing provided. It doesn’t get better than that… at least, not until Genesis 3 happened.

When things went wrong, they really went wrong. Their story reminds us that no marriage, no matter how divinely arranged, is without challenges. What matters is not the lemons life throws at you — it’s whether you make lemonade or let the sourness take over.

Let’s take a closer look at how Adam and Eve faced the storms of life and what lessons their journey still teaches us today.

Eviction and labour pains: Paradise to Wilderness

The first great test of their marriage came when they were evicted from Eden — their perfect home gone in an instant. Along with the loss came pain: physical labour for Adam, and childbirth pain for Eve. Their lives were turned upside down.

Leaving Eden for the harshness of the outside world must have felt like being evicted from Buckingham Palace into a war zone. They lost everything — status, comfort, and security. Yet through it all, they stayed together.

Food for thought: Adam/Eve lost their home and all their investments, but not their union. Marriage is for better or for worse — even when everything else falls apart, the bond God joined should remain unbroken.

Ageing and Decay: The weight of time

Before the fall, there was no decay, no ageing, no concept of death. But once they left Eden, mortality became part of their reality. In Genesis 6:3, God even limited human lifespan to 120 years because of sin.

Adam and Eve had to face something new: the slow fading of youthful strength and beauty. But even in this, there was a quiet grace.

Food for thought: Ageing together is beautiful. To see a marriage weathered by time but strong, one that has deepened, not just lengthened, with a shared language beyond words, is simply priceless. The shared history, unspoken understanding, interwoven memories is greater than the fireworks of youth - it’s a diamond in the rough. 

Losing two children: Love through pain

When their children, Cain and Abel, arrived, Adam and Eve probably thought they were seeing the promise of “fruitfulness” fulfilled. But that joy quickly turned into heartbreak. Cain killed Abel, and then Cain himself was lost to sin.

Can you imagine that pain? Losing one child is unimaginable — losing two is crushing. Yet even in their grief, Adam and Eve stayed united. Later, God blessed them with another son, Seth, a sign that restoration was still possible.

Food for thought: Adam/Eve failed in Eden together, were punished together, grieved for Abel together, and both were compen-Seth-ed by God (Gen. 5:3). Every marriage is a best-selling story in the making; such a story is like a pot of soup with a variety of ingredients - spices, salt, pepper, vegetables, water, oil etc. Each ingredient on its own is not palatable, but when combined, it produces a delectable meal. What finger-licking story is your marriage producing?

Final thoughts: Standing firm through the fire

Every marriage faces fire. But if Christ is at the center, you will come out refined, not destroyed — just like the three Hebrew boys who walked through flames and emerged untouched.

The ultimate model for marriage is Christ and the Church — a love story written in sacrifice. As Romans 5:8 reminds us:

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

That’s a vow of love that never breaks — even when we do.

So, here’s the question: Is your marriage built on the agape love of Christ? For only the agape love of Christ remains steadfast against all odds.

Selah!!!