Origins: The Beginning (Genesis 1–11)Sample

By Danny Saavedra

“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. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. 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.’" Genesis 3:17-19 (NIV)

Actions have consequences. There really is no way around that. You make a decision, it ripples. More often than not, those consequences directly affect us, and we must live with the fallout of our actions. But sometimes, the waves we make can end up crashing into the lives of others. Sometimes, they affect our environment; and sometimes they can even impact the entire world. This is exactly what we see in Genesis 3 with Adam and Eve’s decision to disobey the Lord and eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. 

The world was changed because of Adam and Eve’s sin, and we feel the effects of that every second. And not just us, but the earth as well. The ground was cursed because of their transgression. The apostle Paul even goes as far as to tell us that since sin entered the world, “The whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth” (Romans 8:22 NIV). 

When we read about the result of man’s sin, we can become very discouraged. We experience what is described above and hope for a better future. But we can be encouraged because whatever man has lost, God can redeem! 

It is interesting that wherever we see man’s failure, we see Christ’s redemption. Christ takes on all of the sin and suffering of the world! Note how He does this:

1. It says the ground would be cursed. Christ was cursed as He hung on the cross (Galatians 3:13).
2. The ground will produce thorns. Christ bore a crown of thorns (Matthew 27:29).
3. Man would produce food by the “sweat of his brow.” Jesus sweat from His brow before He went to the cross (Luke 22:44).

God has clearly shown that He is in the process of restoring everything that was lost so long ago in the Garden of Eden. While the work on the cross is finished, the result is yet to come! God’s plan not only involved redeeming mankind, it also included a plan to redeem the earth! We can look forward to a day, just like in Eden, when man and God can live in communion together once more (Revelation 21:1-4).

These promises have been guaranteed by the work of the cross. It serves as a reminder for us personally that there is nothing that God cannot restore or redeem. What does that mean for us? God is in the business of forgiving sins and healing relationships! When we turn our eyes and hearts towards Him, He can provide restoration and redemption in our lives! Nothing is beyond God’s ability. He can transform our lives and relationships! We need to simply place our trust in Him. 

DIG: What do you see in God’s redemptive plan from the beginning?

DISCOVER: What areas do you struggle with that you need to give over to God to redeem and restore?

DO: Pray for those areas and allow God’s restoration and redemption in your life!