By Gbenga Osinaike
Contrary to generally held belief, the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye has said Eve was not responsible for the sin of Adam noting that Adam sinned because he wanted to sin.
Adeboye made the observation at the July Holy Ghost Service of the church which held at the Redemption City, Ogun State.
According to him, though Eve was the one who urged Adam to eat the forbidden fruit, the onus lied on Adam to turn down the temptation since he was the one God instructed not to eat the fruit.
“God spoke to Adam that the fruit was not meant for food. He had the knowledge about the forbidden fruit not Eve. So he ought to have quickly informed Eve that the fruit was not to be eaten. So it is wrong for Adam to now blame Eve for eating the fruit. I think Adam had always wanted to eat the fruit.
“Another person in the Bible, Joseph precisely was tempted by a woman but he declined. He did not fall to the temptation. So Adam sinned because he wanted to sin. Eve was not responsible for his downfall.”
The cleric was making the assertion against the background that women are not useless in the vineyard of God as some people think noting that “many people would not be comfortable with what happened in the service today because we allowed women to mount the pulpit.”
The service had earlier featured women taking all the programmes for the monthly service a development Adeboye noted was deliberate to prove that “the anointing on women is not for frying chicken.”
Let me say that women are very strategic in the ministry of Jesus while he was on earth. “Women were those who supported his ministry financially. Women were the people who stayed with Jesus at his death. They were the ones who first saw Jesus when he rose from the dead.” He said.
He said further that the Bible informed “that on the last day I will pour my spirit on your sons and daughters and they shall prophesy. This simply shows that God does not want women to be idle in his house. So people should not be surprised that women are being allowed to mount the pulpit.”
He congratulated the women in the congregation while referring to them as girls saying, “let the girls shout hallelujah.” The atmosphere was subsequently charged with women who were deeply excited by the endorsement of the revered cleric.
Speaking later on the theme of the Holy Ghost night which is, “stronger than your enemies (7) …permanent all around victory” he expressed confidence that the congregation can have permanent victory over sin, sickness and poverty. He stressed that there is a connection between sin and sickness; and also poverty.
While citing several instances in the Bible he noted that a life of obedience to the will of God is a doorway to abundance and life of good health. “You cannot live in disobedience and expect that the blessings of God will continue to be with you.”
He also decried a life of ingratitude by some people adding that many only come to receive from God but find it difficult to appreciate him.
He recalled that he once recommended a woman for a one-time Nigeria president for appointment. “I never knew the woman before but she came and pleaded with me to help talk with the president for an appointment. I spoke with the then president and she was appointed a minister in the federal cabinet. She left and did not come back. By the time the first four years was up she came back again when the president was reelected and asked me to still talk with the president for another opportunity. I said to her since you got appointment I did not see you, it’s now that you’re coming that is not fair enough.”
He also cited another example of a young man who gave him a 10,000 dollar gift after listening to his message at a Bible study group of some select special people. “When he gave me the gift I said to him next year it will be more. The man was looking at me as a greedy man. He went away. But by the time I went back to the Bible group the following year he came to testify that the Lord had blessed him tremendously since the last time he gave the gift. He brought something much more higher than what he gave the previous year. To cut a long story short this man testified that he had over 100 filling stations in Nigeria and has been acquiring filling stations abroad.”