In the Beginning: A Study in Genesis 1-14Sample

Why is the World so Broken?

One thing that every human being innately feels and knows is that something has gone terribly wrong, and human life on the planet could be much better. Yet, no matter how many wars we wage, politicians we vote for, taxes we raise, money we spend, medications we prescribe, and tears we shed, life on our planet seems to get only more painful, perilous, and precarious.

Why? What went wrong? Only in knowing what went wrong can we begin to discover how it might be made right again.

Genesis 3 is one of the most important passages in all of Scripture as it not only explains the source of sin and death but the solution. The scene begins in the beautiful and perfect garden made by God for our first parents to live together without sin and its many effects.

The entrance of the Serpent into the garden marks the beginning of chaos in creation. The Serpent is Satan. Satan tempted Eve to mistrust God’s Word by changing its meaning, just as He does later when tempting Jesus (Matthew 4:1-11). Rather than rebuking Satan, Eve entertained his lies and was subsequently deceived by his crafty arguments. Satan became so bold as to accuse God of being a liar and he tempted the pride of Adam and Eve by declaring that if they disobeyed God they could become His peer and gods themselves. Eve believed Satan over God and chose pride over humility by partaking of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in sin against God.

We further read that while all of this occurred, Adam stood silently by her side, failing to lead his family in godliness. For some, sin is commission which means doing the wrong thing. For others, sin is omission, doing nothing.

Adam, the passive silent husband then joined his wife in sin which brought shame, distrust, and separation between Adam and Eve, and between our first parents and God. Adam was the representative and father of all mankind, and when he sinned and fell out of favor with God so did every person who would ever live (Romans 5:12, I Corinthians 15:21-22). Consequently, every person since Adam and Eve, other than Jesus, is a sinner, both by nature and choice.

God then came looking for the man, holding him responsible for the sinful condition of his family and rather than repenting of his sin, Adam blamed Eve and blamed God for making Eve. Eve also failed to repent of her sin and blamed the Serpent for deceiving her. As a penalty for their sin, God then cursed the parties involved. The serpent was cursed for what he had done and told he would be defeated one day by the “seed” of the woman who is Jesus according to Galatians 3:16. The woman was given increased pain in childbirth and God notes that she would struggle with the tendency to rule over her husband rather than help him grow as a loving and godly head as God intended. The man’s work became toil for him because God cursed the ground and they will continually be as frustrated with that which is supposed to be under their dominion as God is with the rebellious man who is likewise supposed to be under His dominion.

However, even though they had sinned and were banished from the garden, God dealt graciously and kindly with the man and woman by clothing them and protecting them. Today, though we still bear the image of God, it is marred and twisted by our pride and sin which accounts for the tragedies and evils in the world that proceed from us. Our only hope is redemption through Jesus—who is God that became man—to live without sin. Jesus came to die in our place and rise from the dead as the pattern for our future when one day the seed of rebellion in us from Adam is forever removed. Then we re-enter the second Eden in the new creation that will exceed that place in which Adam and Eve enjoyed perfect communion with God.

Question:

What things could Adam and Eve have done instead of what they chose to do? What can you learn from their negative example?