The Serpent

How was paradise lost? Though there was good in the tree, the man & woman, and even the serpent once, all had the potentiality for evil within. The serpent was Satan manifest, the devil & dragon whose fall from heaven after his creation is recapitulated during the ministry of Jesus when He sees him fall, and in end when Satan is finally cast down.

It was for this reason he was more crafty than all the other wild beasts in the garden, and his schemes consisted of questioning God's Word, then adding restrictions to it, after which he was able to deceive Eve to do the same. Once the serpent knew she was willing to add to God's Word, he knew she would be willing to reject it entirely, as would her husband; and thus, humanity fell through one sin.