Adam's Rebellion

My revelation of Chapter One of Bruce C. E. Fleming’s Familiar “Leadership” Heresies Uncovered

Rev. Bruce C. E. Fleming holds both a Master of Divinity and a Master of Theology. He is ordained and has co-founded several churches, schools, and parachurch organizations. He is the host of the Eden podcast.

Every time I read a book written by humble theologians who dedicate themselves to in-depth research and accurate translations—free from the filters of pagan philosophies—it feels like a doorway opens. I begin to see God’s love for humanity with fresh eyes: His precious creation, made in His image.

Have you noticed how the blame for the fall of humanity is so often laid solely at Eve’s feet? In Section One, which Fleming titles The Eden Heresies, I discovered truths I had never heard before. The Hebrew translations of certain key words shed new light on what really happened in Eden. It was like revelation, undoing years of assumptions I didn’t even realize I carried.

Fleming points out that many ideas commonly taught in churches are actually heresies that crept in over time. People think they are following God’s Word, but in reality, they are following distorted interpretations. These false teachings are often labeled “biblical” when they are not. Heresies always harm: they twist truth to serve human agendas of power and control, religious legalism, and fear. Instead of setting people free, they hold them captive.

The dictionary defines captive as “held under the control of another but having the appearance of independence.” That’s exactly what these heresies do—they bind people, promising godliness but delivering spiritual abuse. They bring death instead of life, oppression instead of grace, and confusion instead of clarity.

Spiritual abuse is a form of control and manipulation in which someone uses another person’s religious or spiritual beliefs, practices, or faith to exert power over them. This can cause emotional, psychological, and even physical harm. Such abuse often involves misusing Scripture, inaccurate translations and interpretations, or positions of “authority” within a church or marriage to coerce, demean, isolate, or exploit others—especially women and wives.

God’s Love and Mercy for Humans

According to the Bible and Fleming’s findings, God imposed only two curses in Eden. The Hebrew word for curse, arur, appears only twice in Genesis 3: God cursed the serpent (3:14) and God cursed the soil (3:17). In His immense love and mercy, God did not curse Adam or Eve. Instead, they would live with the consequences of their choices: toiling over the cursed ground and returning to the dust they came from—mortality.

Notice the difference: God does not use the same language toward the woman as He does toward the serpent or the man. There is a difference between being deceived and rebelling on purpose. According to Fleming, God does not curse Eve, nor is anything cursed because of her. The Hebrew word itsebon means “sorrowful toil.” It results from the curse God placed on the soil because of Adam’s rebellion, not on childbirth.

Through translation difficulties, itsebon was misapplied to childbirth instead of the soil. Fleming shows that the woman would share in “sorrowful toil” as she worked the cursed ground alongside the man outside of Eden. Labor pains, however, come from having a mortal body, not from any curse. A loving God and Father would never turn childbirth—a creative miracle—into a punishment.

In God’s justice and mercy, He considers the heart of the sinner. When God confronted Eve, she took accountability and told God the truth that she was deceived by the serpent. Eve sinned without malice, which is why God placed no curse on her, nor is anything cursed because of her.

Adam’s Responsibility in the Fall

When we carefully study the Hebrew text, the story looks very different from the way it is often told. Genesis shows that Adam was right there with Eve when she encountered the serpent (Genesis 3:6). The “you” used by the serpent is plural (3:1, 3, 5), indicating both were being tempted. Adam wasn’t off elsewhere, unaware. He was present—and silent.

Even more revealing, the command not to eat from the tree was given directly to Adam before Eve was even created (Genesis 2:16–17). Yet when the serpent deceived Eve, Adam said nothing, did nothing, and willingly ate.

Afterward, God addressed Adam first—not Eve. When confronted, Adam deflected blame, taking no accountability. He did not mention the serpent at all. Instead, he accused both the woman and God Himself (3:12). This reveals his heart had already turned rebellious.

God, fully aware of Adam’s rebellion, warned Eve of the trouble ahead: “he will rule over you” (3:16). This was not God’s design but a description of the brokenness that sin would bring. In God’s original creation, male and female were co-rulers of creation. God never commanded one to rule over the other. The warning was descriptive, not prescriptive.

As Fleming explains, the ruling of one over another is the act of a sinner, not something God imposed. Adam’s refusal to confess and his betrayal of Eve show the true rebellion. Eve was deceived, but Adam knowingly disobeyed. His rebellion opened the door to sin and death.

Correcting the Heresy

For centuries, the church has overemphasized Eve’s guilt while minimizing Adam’s. This distortion has fueled doctrines that demean women as more gullible or untrustworthy. But the Hebrew text does not support that. Instead, it highlights Adam’s accountability as the one who received the command directly from God.

Jesus Christ, the promised Seed of the woman, taught the opposite of domination. He said, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be last of all and servant of all” (Mark 9:35). Paul also taught that being filled with the Spirit means practicing mutual submission (Ephesians 5:21), not ruling over one another.

In Genesis 2, the woman is described as Ezer Kenegdo—a strength and equal counterpart. Ezer (used to describe God Himself throughout Scripture) means strength, power, and rescue. Kenegdo means equal and corresponding, creating the image of two people facing one another, not one ruling over the other, or “helpmeet”. God created man and woman to be partners, co-leaders over creation and His plan has not changed!

God’s final words to the woman warned her of the man’s adversarial stance, not because God willed it, but because Adam’s rebellion had corrupted their relationship. She would now live with a presumptuous, power-seeking spouse.

Thank God for Jesus’ humble example of servanthood. It is possible to reject toxic patterns, seek healing, and live as mature, humble people who treat one another with love, dignity and respect—especially in marriage.

When we let Scripture speak for itself, we see God’s justice and fairness. He does not scapegoat Eve. Adam sinned not because he listened to his wife but because he chose to disobey God. Both were accountable, but Adam’s rebellion is central.

What This Means for Us Today

Heresies don’t just distort theology—they damage people. Blaming Eve has silenced, shamed, and belittled, generations of women, excluding them from leadership. Correcting this lie restores God’s truth: both men and women are His image-bearers, co-heirs with Christ, equally precious, equally responsible, and equally called.

God’s original design was for male and female, made in His image, to govern the earth together (Genesis 1:26–29). This is God’s best leadership team: no one over the other, no one beneath (Deuteronomy 28:13), because in Christ we are one body (Roman’s 12:5).

As Fleming shows, freedom comes when we let God’s Word—not human traditions or pagan philosophies—guide us. The fall was not “Eve’s fault.” It was Adam’s rebellion. And in Christ, both men and women are redeemed and restored to their original calling: to walk with God side by side in partnership, not hierarchy.

✅ Takeaway for Readers:

The next time you hear someone blame Eve for the fall, remember what Scripture actually says. Adam is the one responsible, and both Adam and Eve were covered by God’s mercy and love. Seek truth from humble theologians, that dig into the Word - the original Greek and Hebrew.  Don’t settle for secondhand traditions or pagan philosophies and let God’s love free you from heresies that bind.

For more information on how God’ spiritual Kingdom functions on earth, get the manual Life in God’s Kingdom, How to Manifest Heaven on Earth, found at Mighty4Jesus.com.

Please share with those who need to hear the truth that sets free.

Be free to be mighty for Jesus,

In freedom and might,

Jeannette