Note: This article is in a series called Two Roads. Previous articles are always available at http://www.webbweekly.com.

A good man can’t do a bad thing until he has twisted his mind into thinking a bad thing is a good thing. The act of doing so is called rationalization.

Rationalization is the act of justifying behavior with reasons that appear logical but are not fully accurate or appropriate. Adam had an opportunity to do a bad thing. See Genesis 3.

Adam was allowed to eat the fruit of every tree in the Garden of Eden, except for one — the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God had been very clear on that command,

And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden, but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it, you will certainly die.” Genesis 2:16-17

To eat the forbidden fruit, Adam would need to engage in some big-time rationalization. Satan, disguised as a serpent, was more than happy to assist in that process,

Now, the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” Genesis 3:1

Notice that the serpent’s attack on Adam was not a frontal assault. Instead, the serpent attacked Adam via Eve. Why? Because Adam was the one who heard the voice of God give the command. Eve had not heard God’s voice on the topic of forbidden fruit. The voice she heard was Adam’s. That’s different — and the serpent knew it. He used that little detail to introduce some doubt. Eve’s response reveals two inaccuracies,

The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’” Genesis 3:2-3.

First, God specifically named the tree. It wasn’t just a tree in the middle of the Garden. Second, God said eating would result in death, not touching.

The Bible doesn’t tell us how Adam relayed the command to Eve. It’s possible Adam left out the name of the tree by mistake. It is also possible that Adam added the detail about touching the fruit just to keep Eve away from it. Regardless, what he told her was inaccurate.

There’s one more important detail: God told Adam that Adam would die. God never mentioned Eve because Eve hadn’t been created yet. The command and consequence belonged to Adam. Adam overlooked that important detail.

The serpent continued,

“You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Genesis 3:4-6

The serpent knew Adam’s one vulnerability: He was so close to being like God that he thought he could be God. Adam’s vulnerability intensified as he began to question God’s motives.

Maybe God is holding me back. Maybe He wants to use ignorance as a way of controlling me and keeping me down. If I had more knowledge, maybe I could be a god.

Adam wasn’t stupid. He decided to let Eve go first. She could be the test, the guinea pig.

If she eats it and nothing happens, then I will know God can’t be trusted.

It is an incredibly sad moment. Adam should have refuted the serpent’s lies with truth, just as Jesus did in the wilderness. He should have protected his wife and future mother of his children. He didn’t.

When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Genesis 3:6

When Eve ate the fruit, nothing happened. When he saw her eat, and she didn’t die, Adam had all the information he needed to complete his rationalizing. He concluded that God could not be trusted. A good man found a way to turn a bad thing into a good thing.

That’s how rationalization works. It picks and prods at the label of “sin” until it finds a loose edge, and then it begins pulling to see if the label can be removed.

A man driven toward moral failure is looking hard for loose edges. He will tug on anything that allows him to make a bad thing a good thing.

One of the most popular forms of rationalization is proximity. That’s how John was rationalizing himself into an affair with another man’s wife. He said to me,

Pastor, God brought this woman into my life because he wants me to be with her. If He didn’t want me to be with her, God wouldn’t have brought her into my life.

I strongly cautioned John,

Proximity does not equal permission. Adam had the forbidden fruit in the Garden. David had Bathsheba next door. The thirty pieces of silver were offered to Judas. Just because something is close by and available doesn’t mean God is giving you permission to have it. In fact, proximity is simply a test — an opportunity to choose between right and wrong — and you are about to choose wrong.

John suddenly became aware that he was rationalizing himself into a tragedy. He sought further counsel and accountability. He cut-off communication with the other woman. He stood up to the test and won the battle.

I wish I could tell you that all men win the battle. They don’t. Some fall very hard.