The Whole Story Series
Welcome to the second lesson in our year series
through the Bible.
The beginning… The place where all good
stories start. Genesis 1:1 talks about the beginning of all things, all things
except for one thing, God. In the beginning we find God, the God who already
was when all other things were not. In Genesis 1, the eternal God begins to
create. God creates all things. He orders all things. He sets all things in
motion. When all His work in creating comes to completion, He surveys the whole
of His work and makes a summary statement, “It is very good.”
That very good status lasts about one page in
most Bibles. When we turn the page to leave chapters one and two and begin
chapter three, everything begins to fall apart. A talking snake, later
identified as Satan himself (Revelation 12:1), enters the garden and begins to
wreak havoc. Satan causes Adam and Eve to question God’s word and doubt God’s
goodness. Ultimately, Adam and Eve made the most consequential decision in
human history; they determined they would be better off if they were in charge
and rebelled against God’s command. In short, Adam and Eve sinned. In their
sin, Adam and Eve introduced sin into the world, and we’ve all been sinning
ever since.
This is a truly catastrophic scene. God’s
perfect design reflected in His creation is defaced in a moment of the
creature’s self-exaltation instigated by creation’s greatest enemy, Satan. All is lost, or so it would seem. However,
there is hope even in this scene of damage. God is not done with humanity
despite their rebellion and sin. God promises a Savior who will crush
humanity’s enemy even as He explains the curse and consequences of humanity’s
sin. God foreshadows a Savior who covers our sins and shame. This is evident as
God refused to let Adam and Eve leave the garden naked until He clothed them
with skins. Jesus is here, even at the beginning of the book.
Bottom Line:
God alone can redeem what we have broken.
Sermon Recap:
Genesis 1-3 is the explanation for the world
around us. If we understand these three chapters of the Bible, we can
understand why the world is the way it is.
The foundations of the Christian worldview
are seen in Genesis chapters 1-2.
There is a God who is, was, always was, and
always will be.
He created all things, and all things were
created good.
God created all things, so God gets to say
how all things work.
The first sin originates in the heart of man
and woman when they determine to do things their way and see autonomy from the
God whom they are totally dependent on.
Though sin has broken the world we live in;
God has not left us alone. In the brokenness of Genesis 3 we see two promises
of redemption for the people of God. God promises a Savior (Gen. 3:15), and God
covers our shame (Gen. 3:21).
Genesis 3:1-22
The Fall
3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any
of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God
really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” 2 The woman said
to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did
say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden,
and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”
4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent
said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be
opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 When the woman saw
that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also
desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to
her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them
were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together
and made coverings for themselves.
8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound
of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and
they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God
called to the man, “Where are you?” 10 He answered, “I heard you in the garden,
and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”
11 And he said, “Who told you that you were
naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” 12
The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the
tree, and I ate it.”
13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What
is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
14 So the Lord God said to the serpent,
“Because you have done this, “Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild
animals! You will crawl on your belly, and you will eat dust all the days of
your life. 15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your
offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”
16 To the woman he said, “I will make your
pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labor you will give birth to
children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.”
17 To Adam he said, “Because you listened to
your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must
not eat from it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil
you will eat food from it all the days of your life. 18 It will produce thorns
and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. 19 By the sweat
of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from
it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.” 20 Adam named
his wife Eve, because she would become the mother of all the living.
21 The Lord God made garments of skin for
Adam and his wife and clothed them. 22 And the Lord God said, “The man has now
become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach
out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.”
Discussion Questions
God's Design: The Goodness of Creation
Question: In Genesis 1:31, God declares
His creation “very good.” How does this statement reflect God's perfect
design and intention for the world? How should this shape our view of the
natural world and human life today?
Reference: Genesis 1:31 – “God saw all
that He had made, and it was very good.”
God's Design: The Role of Humanity
Question: Genesis 1:26-28 describes humanity
being made in God’s image and given dominion over creation. What does being
made in God’s image mean for our identity and purpose? How does this inform a
Christian worldview of work, stewardship, and relationships?
Reference: Genesis 1:26-28 – “Let us make
mankind in Our image, in Our likeness, so that they may rule over…”
Satan’s Deception: Twisting God's Word
Question: In Genesis 3:1-5, the serpent
questions God’s command and character, saying, “Did God really say...?”
How does this pattern of deception reveal Satan’s strategy to lead humanity
into sin? How can we guard against such tactics today?
Reference: Genesis 3:1-5 – “You will not
certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman.
Man’s Redemption: God’s Pursuit of the Sinner
Question: After Adam and Eve sinned, they hid
from God, yet He sought them out (Genesis 3:8-9). What does this teach us about
God’s grace and His desire for relationship even when we fail? How does this
foreshadow Christ's redemptive work?
Reference: Genesis 3:8-9 – “But the Lord
God called to the man, ‘Where are you?’”
Man’s Redemption: The Promise of the Gospel
Question: Genesis 3:15 contains the first
promise of a Savior, saying the seed of the woman will crush the serpent’s
head. How does this verse point forward to Jesus Christ and the ultimate
victory over sin and Satan? How does this shape our hope as Christians?
Reference: Genesis 3:15 – “He will crush
your head, and you will strike His heel.”
END
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