If Mary and Moses were in the Garden of Eden would they have listen to the serpent and eaten the forbidden fruit?

We do not know what would have happened. What we do know is that God created Adam and Eve in such a way that they could feely choose to obey or they could freely choose to rebel. God created Adam and Eve that way because if Adam and Eve were created like puppets then love would not mean anything. The only way that you can know that love is meaningful is if you really have a choice. Adam and Eve truly were able to reject a relationship with the Lord or to love and follow and serve Him. Adam and Eve decided that they wanted to do it their own way and as a result they fell into lives of constant sin terminated by death (Gen. 3; Rom. 5:12-14).

Now we cannot know what would have happened if someone else is in the Garden in their place. We know this that our identity is bound up in the identity of Adam and Eve. We have all fallen into sin because of Adam’s sin. He is our representative but the beautiful thing is that if we receive the second Adam, and in Scripture the second Adam is Jesus Christ, then Jesus Christ will come into our hearts and restore the relationship that was broken by Adam’s sin (Rom. 5:15-21; 1 Cor. 15:20-22, 45).

We know that Moses and Mary are descendants of the first man and the first woman. As a result of that, they bear Adam’s sin. We know that they are fallen and that they needed a savior. Mary needed a savior for she was a sinner and Moses was a sinner and needed a savior.

Now Moses was only able to look forward to Jesus because Jesus had not come yet. He looked forward to Jesus through types and shadows, through civil and ceremonial laws that pointed forward to Jesus Christ. When Jesus came, however, He fulfilled those types and shadows that pointed forward to Him, and those types and shadows were not necessary anymore (Gal. 3:15-29; Heb. 4:14-10:18).

But your question is a good question. We just do not know because we would be speculating. What we do know is that Moses was born in sin and so was Mary.

—Hank Hanegraaff

For further related study, please see the following:

Original Sin: It’s Importance & Fairness (Clay Jones)

What is Sin? (Hank Hanegraaff)

What Must I Do to be Saved? (Hank Hanegraaff)

How were People who lived Before the Time of Christ Saved? (Hank Hanegraaff)

Blog adapted from “Would it have been different if Mary or Moses was in the Garden of Eden?”