Pastor Abel Damina, founder of Abel Damina Ministries and Power City International, has challenged the traditional belief that Adam and Eve’s sin in the Garden of Eden stemmed from eating the forbidden fruit.
During his New Year’s Eve sermon on Tuesday, Pastor Damina questioned the common interpretation of the biblical account, stating, “Adam and Eve ate nothing. Were you there? So how do we know whether they ate something or not? Jesus was there. Can Jesus explain what happened? Yes.”
Referencing Mark 7:18-21, Damina argued that sin does not originate from what a person eats or drinks. “If Adam and Eve ate something, they would not be sinners. It is not what you eat or drink that makes you a sinner,” he asserted.
Pastor Damina also touched on controversial topics, declaring that smoking and drinking alcohol are not sins.
“I’ve said it before—alcohol is not a sin. Smoking is not a sin. You can put it on the front page of a newspaper; I said it,” he remarked.
However, he clarified that he was not encouraging such behaviors.
“Am I saying you should smoke? No. You should have enough sense to know it will shorten your life. Am I saying you should drink alcohol? No. If you drink, you may end up in a gutter without your shirt or trousers. Use common sense,” he said.
He emphasized that sin stems from the condition of the heart, not physical consumption.
“If Adam and Eve ate, it would have gone to their stomach, digested, and been expelled. Nothing a person eats enters their heart. It is what comes out of a man—what resides in the heart—that defiles them,” he concluded.