What specifically was this fruit? Was it literal or figurative? I do not know. Probably neither do you. We are entitled to opinions, but that is all they are since the Bible does not clearly tell us.

But whatever it was, it was to replace God as the source of a moral value, as the source of the knowledge of good and evil. As the Shining One said to Eve, "Ye shall be as gods to know good and evil." (He forgot to mention that Adam and Eve were not designed to function in that capacity.)

When Eve ate the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil, she made a mistake. When Adam ate, he sinned. He deliberately disobeyed God, and through him, not Eve as is commonly believed, sin entered into the world.

Ever since then, Mankind has struggled with trying to replace the void caused by a lack of God as the source for moral truth.

Certainly, Mankind still had a choice, whether to work in godly fashion, or to use their hands in whatever way came to mind. Without God to rely on for the one source of moral guidance, Man tends to the latter.

In fact, this lessening of her position had everything to do with literal physiological differences, and the tendency of post-Eden Man to advantage himself of weakness, and nothing to do with God's original intention.

Even after the expulsion from the garden, man was able to work toward "replenishing the earth." The godly design was simple. Trust God as much as Man's fallen nature would allow, find a God-trusting partner of the opposite sex to merge the rest of your life with, work in honesty and wisdom to provide, and make copies of oneself and raise them to do likewise.

Seven hundred and twenty six years after the death of Adam, the world "spewed out" Mankind. A mere one thousand six hundred and fifty six years after the introduction of the current species of Man onto the planet, the world revolted, and a flood happened.

God designed a way of blessing, with incredible room for diversity and individuality. Anything else is "at your own risk." This, by the way, is "free will."

Mankind had rejected God's role in his life, the Giver of morality, by fulfilling every imagination, and allowed wickedness to fill his every waking thought. He gave his hand to every "at your own risk" idea he could think of, rejecting honest labor. And rather than picking a mate, men took to themselves "wives (women) of all whom they choose." In other words, they scratched their itches whenever they chose with whomever they chose, total promiscuity.

(Notice the women don't seem to have been given a choice.)

And so, their actions literally affected the world around them to "spew them out."

Therefore, only a man who listened to God, and his family, was spared.

We see from scripture that the A) companionship of marriage was based on B) the godly design of "replenish the earth," i.e., the family. It was equal, it was permanent, it was not based on sex, and the love was based on commitment, not on feelings.

This godly design leaves out promiscuity, it leaves out "love 'em and leave 'em," it leaves out homosexuality and lesbianism, it leaves out temporary marriages based on sexual gratification or emotional sensitivity, it leaves out sado-masochistic arrangements, it leaves out "no-fault divorces."

(It allows for a lifetime partnership of equals. It allows for raising a secure family, it allows for the comfort of grandchildren and the continuity of culture.)

Because of this rampant movement away from godly design regarding our responsibilities, the world again readies itself to "spew us out." This is known as the Tribulation period, and while it may take another thirty-five hundred years to arrive, many doubt this.

Only one thing: Return unto me, saith the Lord, and I will return unto you, and heal your land.

How are we to return unto the Lord? In this day, it is by accepting His Christ.

Put our trust in God by putting our faith in His Son, Jesus Christ.

Confess Jesus as Lord, believe God hath raised him from the dead, and be saved. And put the word of salvation, the Bible, into your cranial cavity.

"I am the Way. The Truth, and the Light," Jesus said. Do we believe him?

Then, commit ourselves unto good works, not evil ones. Work a job according to your status in Christ, gathering sustenance. And continue "off the clock" laboring as "unto the Lord." We make the choice. It takes time to shed our old ways, but God is with us to will and do of His good pleasure. Walk in love, and love is the giving of oneself to the benefit of others.

And "replenish the earth."

In our home lives, it means loving and committing ourselves to our spouses and our children.

And when we forgive, that is the end of it. To forgive is to bury, never again to bring up the past. We may carry scars in our hearts, but after we forgive, they are our own personal burdens, and we have a God that comforts us with the comfort Christ was comforted.

And reveal to others the Way of Salvation, Jesus Christ.

For, we no longer are limited to biological methods for "replenishing the earth." We can reach the lost, the unsaved, and bring them a new birth in Christ!

In these things are our responsibility.