Eve and temptation

Question

How was Eve tempted if there was no sin on Earth? Since temptation is a sin?

Response:

"Temptation" is not sin, Jesus was tempted and remained without sin. There is a very important distinction between temptation and sin - sin occurs when/if we yield to the temptation, however the fact that we are sometime tempted does NOT make us sinful. There are many Christians who feel compromised or sinful when they face temptation, but temptation in itself is just one of the tools that the enemy (Satan) uses to trip us up in our Christian walk and, if we resist the devil and he flees from us (James 4:7), then we have not committed sin.

Now about Eve. It is true that God created everything to be perfect - and that included Adam and Eve. There was no sin in them from the beginning, however God did place within them a free will - i.e. an ability to choose between good and evil. We don't know how long they lived in that sinless state, nor do we know how many times they faced and overcame the tempter (Satan), however we do know that Satan wanted to destroy what God has created and, given that Adam and Eve were created in the image of God Himself, they were prime targets. The Bible record tells us that Satan came in the form of a serpent, it would seem that he came at a time when Eve was looking at a tree whose fruit God had forbidden Adam and Eve to eat. Satan came and began to tempt her by questioning God's word ("Did God really say....") and began to persuade her that, if she ate the fruit, she would become "like God" (a lie - because she was already "like God", made in His image). Eve was able to make a choice and, unfortunately, made the wrong choice and, by choosing to disobey God and eat the fruit, she sinned. We know what happened as a result.