The founder and president of Abel Damina Ministries International (ADMI), Dr Abel Damina, has asserted that Adam and Eve did not consume anything in the Garden of Eden, challenging the long-held belief that they ate an apple in mankind’s biblical origin.
He made this statement in a now-viral video during a sermon focused on morality and salvation.
Damina stated, “Somebody said, ‘Adam and Eve fell because they ate’, so we too, Jesus tells us to eat in order to overcome. Are you without understanding? Adam and Eve ate and fell, so now Jesus says, ‘Eat my body to live.’ It sounds logically appealing, but that’s not what the Bible says, because Adam and Eve consumed nothing. Adam and Eve didn’t eat anything.”
Challenging this commonly accepted notion, he questioned, “Were you there? You were not there. They ate nothing.”
Further elaborating, Damina explained that Jesus, as the Word of God, was present in the Garden of Eden, providing the ultimate insight into what transpired.
Quoting Mark 7:18, he argued that sin is not a result of eating or drinking but is fundamentally a matter of faith and salvation.
He added, “Do you not realise that if Adam and Eve had eaten something, they would not be sinners? It is not what people eat that makes them sinners. I’ve told you, alcohol is not a sin. I’ve told you, cigars are not a sin. If you like, put it in the newspaper headline: I said it, alcohol is not a sin. Cigars are not a sin.”
However, Damina warned against smoking or drinking, emphasising the need for personal responsibility and common sense.
“Am I saying you should smoke? You should have the sense from your upbringing to know that cigars will shorten your life. Am I saying you should drink alcohol? You should recognise that if you drink too much, you risk ending up in a gutter, with your shirt and trousers gone,” he said.
Reiterating his focus as a preacher of salvation rather than morality, Damina added, “I’m not a moral instructor. I’m a man of God. Your parents are your moral instructors. You didn’t come to me for lessons in morality. You came for teachings on salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. If you understand this, shout, ‘I hear you!’”
