JOEL - It was not considered a "sin" to partake of the fruit;
it was a "transgression". There is a big difference. To
commit a sin one must understand right from wrong and
intentionally choose to do the wrong. Adam and Eve
knew fully well the plan God had for His children on
the earth. There was no veil of forgetfulness
over their minds about the pre-earth life and what was
decided there. Even though in their inocent state they
did not comprehend good and evil, they did have this
knowledge of God's plan of salvation. Because of this
knowledge and because God gave them their agency to
choose for themselves they decided
to choose the greater of the two commands God gave
them.
1. If they wanted to stay in the Garden forever God commanded
them to not partake of the fruit of the tree.
2. God also gave them a greater commandment; that they
must multiply and replenish the earth; something they
could not do if they remained in the garden.
They made the correct choice to do the latter. Not chosing to do the first one was not a sin.
Satan's intention was not to help with God's plan; he
simply did something that God knew he would do; tempt
His children to disobey a command; for this he was cursed and cast out.
In thinking about all this we really
don't know for sure how literal to take the
descriptions of events and characters and what they
did in the Garden of Eden. The Bible may be speaking
in figurative terms in its description of much of
this.