UThixo wathi kuAdam: “Mhla uthe wadla kuwo [umthi] uya kufa ngokuqinisekileyo.” (Genesis 2:17) Ukuba uThixo wayemdalele ukuba afe uAdam, kwakungazukubakho sizathu sokuba amxelele loo nto. UAdam wayesazi ukuba, ukuba wayengatyanga kula mthi, wayengazukufa.

UAdam noEva babengaxhomekekanga kula mthi ukuze baphile. Igadi yase-Eden yayigcwele yimithi eneziqhamo. (Genesis 2:9) Ukuba babengazange batye kula mthi, babeza kubonisa ukuba bayamthobela uYehova owabanika ubomi. Babeza kubonisa nokuba bayaqonda ukuba nguThixo omele abaxelele yonke into amabayenze.

Ukuze sazi ukuba yintoni eyabangela ukuba uAdam noEva bafe, makhe sithethe ngencoko eyabangela ukuba sonke sibe kule ngxaki. USathana uMtyholi wabaxokisa esebenzisa inyoka. IBhayibhile ithi: “Ke kaloku inyoka yaba yeyona ilumkileyo kunawo onke amarhamncwa asendle awayewenzile uYehova uThixo. Ngoko yathi kumfazi: ‘Utshilo ngokwenene na uThixo ukuba nize ningadli kuyo yonke imithi yomyezo?’”​—Genesis 3:1.

UEva wathi: “Kwiziqhamo zemithi yomyezo singadla. Kodwa mayela nokudla kwiziqhamo zomthi osemyezweni phakathi, uThixo uthe, ‘Nize ningadli kuzo, ningazichukumisi, ukuze ningafi.’” Inyoka yathi kumfazi: “Ngokuqinisekileyo anisayi kufa. Kuba uThixo uyazi ukuba mhla nithe nadla kuzo aya kuvuleka amehlo enu nize nibe njengoThixo, nazi okulungileyo nokubi.” Ngamany’ amazwi, uSathana wayesithi, uYehova wayelixoki elalingafuni ukuba abazali bethu bokuqala bafumane izinto ezibonwabisayo.​—Genesis 3:2-5.

UEva wayikholelwa loo nto. Wawujonga umthi, wabona indlela ezazivuzis’ amathe ngayo iziqhamo zawo. Wakha isiqhamo, wasitya. IBhayibhile ithi: “Emva koko wanika nendoda yakhe isakuba kunye naye yaza nayo yadla.”​—Genesis 3:6.

Inoba waba buhlungu nyhani uThixo akungathotyelwa ngabantwana awayebathanda kangaka. Wathini ke? Wathi kuAdam: ‘Uya kubuyela emhlabeni, kuba uthatyathwe kuwo. Ngokuba uluthuli, uya kubuyela kwaseluthulini.’ (Genesis 3:17-19) Ngoko “iyonke imihla awayiphilayo uAdam yaba ngamakhulu asithoba anamashumi amathathu eminyaka waza wafa.” (Genesis 5:5) UAdam zange aye ezulwini okanye kwenye indawo. Ngaphambi kokuba uThixo amdale ngothuli, wayengekho.  Akufa, waphinda waluthuli. Zange aphinde aphile. Yaba mbi ke loo nto.

Ngenxa yokuba bengazange bamthobele ngabom uThixo, uAdam noEva baba nesono, kwaphela nethemba ababenalo lokungafi. Baya besaluphala kuba baba nesono. Kodwa ayizange ibe ngabo bodwa abanesono. Isono basigqithisela kubantwana babo, baza baya besaluphala. AmaRoma 5:12 athi: “Isono sangena ngamntu mnye ehlabathini nokufa ngaso isono, ngaloo ndlela ukufa kwasasazeka kubo bonke abantu ngenxa yokuba bonke bonayo.”

IBhayibhile ithi isono nokufa ‘sisigubungelo esigubungela zonke izizwana.’ (Isaya 25:7) Eso sono sifana netyhefu esemoyeni ophefumlwa ngabantu bonke, akakho onokusiphepha. Ngenxa yaloo nto, ‘kuAdam bonke bayafa.’ (1 Korinte 15:22) Umbuzo ongekaphenduleki ngulowo wabuzwa ngumpostile uPawulos othi: “Ngubani na oya kundihlangula kulo mzimba usisisulu sokufa?”—Roma 7:24.