Session 4: The Fall

Session Overview

Creedal Statement

I believe in God the Father Almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth;
And in Jesus Christ
his only begotten Son our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, dead, and buried;
he descended into hell [to the dead];
the third day he rose again from the dead;
he ascended into heaven, and
sits on the right hand of God
the Father Almighty;
from thence he shall come to judge
the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit;
the holy catholic church;
the communion of saints;
the forgiveness of sins;
the resurrection of the body; and
the life everlasting.
Amen.

Key Elements

• Key Passage - Genesis 3:1–24
• Scripture Memory - For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23
• Catechism - Q: What ruined God’s good creation? A: Sin.

Introduction

For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive an abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!

According to Christianity, we were indeed the survivors of a wreck, the crew of a golden ship that had gone down before the beginning of the world. Gilbert K.

God stationed humans in his original creation to be caretakers of his good world. Given authority as God’s representatives, commissioned with responsibility as creation stewards, and endowed with dignity as God’s emissaries, humans lived in a perfect world—a paradise—which they were to enjoy and protect. God intended all creation to experience continual bliss in an untarnished cosmos and unequaled delight in unencumbered fellowship with him. As the crown of creation, humanity was given great responsibility and immense freedom. As long as humans lived within the bounds of God’s commands, they would continue to delight in the goodness of creation. However, if humanity dared to defy God’s word—a word that created, ordered, and sustained all the good things that God had made—the bliss and blessing of creation would fall into tragic ruin.

Regrettably, soon after God made all things, perfect creation became a broken world. Paradise was lost. In what amounted to a treacherous insurrection against God, the first humans rebelled against their Creator in a defiant act of disobedience. God’s good, free, and beautiful world crumbled. Evil, sin, and wickedness infected paradise and left the world in disrepair. The hopeful relationship between God and humans was broken. The peace and harmony that once defined the created world were disrupted. The order and respect between humans and the animal world were overturned. Human relationships themselves were fractured. The prospect of an intimate, loving, and caring relationship with a trusted companion was upset. Each human experienced corruption and inner conflict within himself. God’s good creation was tragically contaminated and corrupted.

This collapse of creation is felt by all humans in all cultures and generations. Where there was peace, fear now prowls; where there was harmony, blame now disrupts; where there was innocence, shame now haunts; and where there was life, death now lurks. When it comes to our role in creation’s fall, we are both victims and villains. We all suffer because of an original sin committed by the first man and the first woman (cf. Romans 5:12). But God’s creation continues in travail because we are sinful culprits who also disobey God’s commands and defy his authority. We have inherited a broken world and have also contributed to its brokenness. To make sense of life and faith, we should turn to the biblical record to learn about original sin and its destructive consequences in God’s world.

In Genesis 3:1–24, we read the account of creation’s fall. After God placed the first humans in his garden paradise, a shrewd and deceptive serpent tempted the original human family to disobey God’s word. At the time, God allowed humans to eat from every tree in the Garden except one—the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Twisting God’s word and sowing doubt about God’s goodness, the serpent deceived the first woman. She ate from the forbidden tree. She also gave the fruit to her husband, making him complicit in the sinful deed. As a result of their defiance and disobedience, shame, blame, fear, pain, and death entered into God’s good world. In an act of judgment, God spoke a curse over his creation. The first humans were evicted from paradise. The consequences of this rebellion were so sweeping that they are felt to this day. As the first humans lived in a good world of God’s making, we live in a broken world due to the rebellion of the first humans.

The narrative of creation’s fall from perfection is foundational to the life of discipleship. It explains the nature of sin and the severity of disobedience. It tells the true story of how evil entered the world and describes the consequences of human rebellion. This account warns us against Satan’s continual efforts to deceive God’s people. It offers a true and relevant testimony about the human experience of guilt, shame, fear, and pain. While this narrative recounts the moment creation was thrown into mournful upheaval and hurtful decay, it also forecasts God’s promised plan for restoration and redemption. Truly, this narrative is an account of hope. While God allowed the first humans to defy his command, God also orchestrated a plan to rescue his creation from ruin. As we study this most important biblical text, let us receive its challenge, heed its warning, and cling to its hopeful promise.

Biblical Interpretation: Hearing the Word

Study the Text: The Bible is God’s inspired word to his people. Christian disciples mature in the faith when they are grounded in God’s word. In this movement, you will study the basic details of the biblical text.

Observation Questions

Read (or listen to) the whole passage of Scripture. Discuss the questions below for each section of the story. Pay attention to the details of the text to recall what the passage is saying. Use the focus verses to guide your conversation.

Storycraft

Retell the story in your own words, recounting the overall flow of the narrative, the main segments of the story, and the major developments that take place.

Narrative Elements

Story Retell

Theological Dialogue: Discussing the Plot

Explore the Text: God’s word is his trustworthy and sufficient revelation to his people. We grow as Christ’s disciples by rooting our lives in God’s unchanging truth. In this movement, you will explore vital teachings of this biblical passage.

Discussion Questions

Summarize the biblical story. As a community, discuss the following questions. Be attentive to the truths taught in this text. Use the commentary on the next pages to uncover core principles this passage teaches about the Christian faith.

Biblical Commentary

Use this commentary to help you understand the meaning of the text. Refer to the infographic on the next page to think through how narratives work.

Passage Introduction

Key Idea

The unbelief of God’s word, the lust of evil desires, and the boastful pride of human ego resulted in God’s world being placed under a curse of fear, shame, blame, pain, and death.

Passage Overview

The story of creation’s fall exposes the nature of sin and its effects in the world. It cautions us against Satan’s schemes and warns us of the deadly consequences of disobedience. The biblical narrative explains how the world is suffering under divine judgment. But the same narrative also summons us to look toward God’s hopeful redemption. We know that there is not only something severely wrong with the world but also something painfully broken within us. In guilt, we hide from things we have done, thoughts we have contemplated, emotions we have harbored, or relationships we have ruined. In our most honest moments, we acknowledge that we do not measure up to God’s standards. Like the first humans, we cannot engineer our own remedy. Our methods cannot fix our brokenness. God alone can drive out our fears, cover our shame, remove our guilt, heal our pain, remove the curse, and undo death. Only when we humbly come before God in faith and confession can we experience God’s gracious and restoring hand. Study the biblical text and the following commentary to help you understand the nature of sin and how the first sin infected God’s good creation.

Passage Outline

Sin Entering the World

The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt; their acts are vile. There is no one who does good. The Lord looks down from heaven upon the sons of men to see if any understand, if any seek God. All have turned away, they have together become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one.

My heart is like a country but half subdued, where all things are in an unsettled state, and mutinies and insurrections are daily happening. I hope I hate the rebels that disturb the King’s peace. I am glad when I can point them out, lay hold of them, and bring them to him for justice. But they have many lurking-holes, and sometimes they come disguised like friends, so that I do not know them, till their works discover them …. But the mercy is, that there are infinite resources in the name of Jesus. One act of lively faith in Him sets all to rights, heals every breach, and makes up every loss.

Introduction

Tragedy and tribulation are rampant in the world. These are not only the frequent themes of novels and narratives, but they are also the very typical realities of ordinary life. Common to human experience, suffering and hardship afflict all of humanity. The entire created world suffers under difficulty and burden. The testimony of individual experience and international news alike attests to the brokenness of the world. People suffer from sickness, disease, and death. Human relationships fracture due to pride, greed, and jealousy. Envy turns friends into enemies and neighbors into foes. Made to be caretakers of God’s created world, humans misuse the planet for selfish ends. People suffer as victims of abuse and mistreatment. Our inner spirits contend against anxiety, depression, and compulsive disorders. The world we experience is starkly different from the original world described in the first chapters of the Bible. Something has gone terribly wrong with God’s good creation.

Inasmuch as the world in its current condition is evidence of a tragic fall from divine favor, ordinary human experience also attests to a good, beautiful, and perfect world that once existed. Recognizing that there is something greatly wrong with the world in its current condition, we protest evil and lament injustice. We imagine a world without strife and long for a society where righteousness prevails. Humans employ their God-given skills and intellect to solve problems that face humanity. In the face of catastrophe, humans respond with relief and assistance to other humans (sometimes strangers) who are suffering. We long for good but are confronted with evil. Even if done erringly, we seek to uphold standards of rightness and values of integrity. Our efforts to restore good in the world are noble—in fact, they are part of being created in God’s image. But only God’s grace and power will enable creation to be restored. In our own strength, we will never restore fallen creation to its original condition of bliss. No amount of human ingenuity can recover paradise or bring about cosmic utopia. This work of restoration is a work that only God can achieve. Noble though our efforts may be, human sinfulness has infected the world. The distant memory of paradise compels humanity to grapple with the reality of sin and brokenness in the world, a brokenness even noticeable in our desires and efforts to experience restored paradise. True paradise is only achievable when God’s work of divine redemption conquers sin and vanquishes the enemy that deceived the first humans in devastating ruin.

The biblical account of creation’s fall in Genesis 3:1–24 records the incident that brought creation to ruin. The story opens by telling how a crafty serpent deceived humanity into sinful rebellion. In narrating the serpent’s deception of the first woman, we are warned about the underlying causes of temptation and sin, tactics which Satan employs to this day against God’s people. The first humans listened to the serpent’s lies and disobeyed God, much like we do today when we succumb to temptation. As a result, all creation fell into ruin: fear, shame, blame, pain, death, and divine judgment afflicted the world. These tragic consequences are also experienced in contemporary society. God banished the humans from his original paradise, but not without first covering their shameful nakedness and giving a promise that he would send a deliverer to rescue humanity from its fallen state. Although it is short, this narrative is densely packed with truth to help us understand the nature of sin and the hope for divine redemption. Only by recognizing the reality and tragedy of sin can we ever begin to clearly envision God’s sovereign remedy for the misfortunes of the fall.

Christians need to understand the nature and consequences of sin. Evil has invaded God’s good world and created a dilemma of cosmic proportions. Sin is an unwelcome intruder, breaking the fellowship between God and humans and marring the originally intended happiness of communion with God. Sin causes pain, corrupts good, and conspires against God. It devastates families, upends communities, and torments each individual. The causes and consequences of sin at creation’s fall starkly resemble the dynamics of Satan’s fiendish activity in the present world. Even more, the guilt of original sin is an onerous burden under which all humans live. Although the fall of creation was a one-time event, its effects and realities endure today. As such, we do well to establish our faith by an understanding of the nature of sin, the events of creation’s fall, and the means of divine rescue.

Banding with the Enemy: Inspecting the Root of Sin’s Cause

Biblical Narrative (Genesis 3:1–6)

In the beginning, God created a good world (cf. Genesis 1:1–2:3) and placed the first humans in a garden paradise (cf. 2:4–25). After the creation of the world, one of God’s own creatures, a serpent, tempted humans to rebel against God. How could a devious adversary exist in God’s good creation? The fact that everything God originally made was entirely good means some kind of rebellion occurred between creation and the beginning of this narrative. From later biblical testimony, we know that Satan was originally created as a good angelic being. At some point, he rebelled against God and became the first perpetrator of evil in the world (cf. Isaiah 14:18–23; Ezekiel 28:1–26; Luke 10:18; Revelation 8:10; 9:1; 12:1–17). An adversary and accuser, Satan spoke to the first humans through a serpent to entice them into sin.

Of all that God made, “the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field” (3:1). Using his craft for evil ends, the serpent engaged the woman in conversation to tempt her to disobey God’s command. Earlier, God had permitted the humans to “eat freely from every tree of the garden” (2:16) but prohibited them from eating “from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” (2:17). If humans violated God’s command, they would “surely die” (2:17). The crafty serpent (animated by Satan) cast doubt upon God’s character and word. By beginning his question with “Did God really say” (3:1), he invited the first woman to question God’s word. The serpent intended for the woman to reconsider (and doubt) what God had said rather than take God at his word.

In fact, the serpent did not quote God accurately. Instead, the serpent suggested that God said, “You must not eat from any tree in the garden” (3:1). These were not the words of God’s original prohibition (cf. 2:17). Nevertheless, by suggesting that God prohibited eating from “any tree,” the serpent sowed within the woman’s mind doubts of God’s goodness. For the first time in creation, humans entertained the thought that God’s prohibition amounted to God withholding something good from them.

In reply, the woman said that they “may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden” but not “the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden” (3:2). Although the woman corrected the serpent’s misrepresentation of God’s word, the woman herself did not fully represent God’s word. Her version of God’s command was “you must not eat of it or touch it, or you will die” (3:2). Clearly, God forbade them to eat of the fruit, but God did not forbid them to touch the fruit of the tree. While the serpent sowed suspicion of God’s word, the woman added to God’s word. Additionally, the woman lessened the severity of the consequence. Whereas the woman said that eating the fruit they would “die” (3:2), God originally said that they would “surely die” (2:17).

The serpent responded to the woman with an explicit denial of God’s word. He told her, “You will not surely die” (3:4). This was a clear contradiction of God’s original warning. The serpent explained his denial by bringing God’s character into question. He told the woman that “God knows that in the day you eat of it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (3:5). In this statement, the serpent again cast doubt in the woman’s mind, suggesting that God forbade them to eat of the tree because they would become like God. In saying this, the serpent alleged that God was withholding good things from his creation.

With the seeds of doubt sown in her mind, the woman was vulnerable to her own desires. Discontent with the plenty and abundance of God’s provision, she desired the forbidden fruit with great intensity. Attending to her appetites, the woman “saw that the tree was good for food” (3:6). She also thought the fruit was “pleasing to the eyes” (3:6), a specimen of beauty and goodness. Moreover, the woman entertained the serpent’s underhanded allegation against God: God kept the fruit from them because it would give them wisdom. Fueled by the devil’s suspicion and cynicism, the woman’s craving for wisdom—to be like God—stirred within her and overcame her sensibilities. She thought the forbidden fruit “was desirable for obtaining wisdom” (3:6). Believing the lies of the serpent, yielding to her disordered desires, and aspiring to be equal to God, the woman “took the fruit and ate it” (3:6). Her sin was not private as “she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate it” (3:6). The deed had been done. Wicked lies, inflamed lusts, and prideful ambition endangered God’s good world. Through unbelief, lust, and pride, the first humans banded with the enemy and revolted against God’s good plan and righteous order.

Biblical Principles

An Evil Enemy. The first humans are guilty of introducing sin into the world. They rebelled against God, defied his command, and lusted to be his equal. Despite human culpability in creation’s fall, there is another agent who is responsible for evil in the world. One of God’s created angelic beings, Satan, rebelled against God and became the first perpetrator of evil. Using a creature who was “more crafty than any beast of the field that the Lord God had made” (3:1), Satan animated a serpent and tempted the first humans to rebellion. His own sinful treachery against God becomes a script by which he entices others to reject God. The presence of evil in the world is traced back to this adversary of God. To know that he is one of God’s creation helps us to know he is limited in his power and craft. Additionally, knowing that he opposes God and attacks humanity assists us in being ever-watchful and vigilant against his schemes. A good creature turned wicked, Satan showcases the true evil of sin—a rejection of God and elevation of self.

Misusing God’s Word. In the serpent’s conversation with the woman, he subtly and significantly misused God’s word. He sowed suspicion and doubt—“Did God really say” (3:1)—about God’s revealed word. Animated by the adversary Satan, the serpent claimed God said something that he did not say—“You must not eat from any tree in the garden” (3:2; cf. 2:17). The serpent also denied God’s word. When the woman clarified her version of God’s revelation, the serpent contradicted God, saying that eating the fruit would not lead to certain death (3:4). The woman herself was guilty of misusing God’s word. She attempted to correct the serpent when he misrepresented God’s prohibition, but she did not fully or accurately recite God’s word. She added to God’s word, suggesting that the humans were not even allowed to “touch” (3:3) the forbidden fruit. She minimized the freedom and privilege of what God allowed them to eat. She only said that they “may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden” (3:2), when God originally said they “may eat freely from every tree of the garden” (2:16). The woman also diminished the severity of disobedience. She only said they “will die” (3:3) if they disobey God, rather than they “will surely die” (2:17).

In summary, we see that all sin is founded upon unbelief and doubt, both subtle and shameless mistrust of God’s word. The rebellion in the Garden exposes the universal root of all human sinfulness. The first humans were seduced into sin by questioning the reliability of God’s goodness (3:1–5), doubting the reality of God’s revelation (3:1), dismissing the blessing of God’s promise (3:1), downplaying the warning of God’s prohibition (3:1), deserting the precision of God’s command (3:2–3), denying the truthfulness of God’s word (3:4), and distorting the sincerity of God’s intent (3:5). Shadows of doubt grew into a brazen revolt against God. The devious tactics the serpent employed against the woman are the same malevolent maneuvers he uses against people today. Behind every sin is a misuse, misunderstanding, or misconstrual of God’s revealed word, which in turn results in suspicion of God’s character.

Suspecting God’s Character. Tampering with God’s word amounts to mistrust of God’s character. To doubt, deny, or alter God’s revealed truth results in suspicion of God himself. The serpent alleged that God was not clear or faithful in his communication (3:2), sowing doubt in God’s word. Falsely attributing words to God, the serpent alleged that the Creator was not trustworthy or reliable (3:2). The woman’s addition to and diminishment of God’s word was an attack on God’s sovereignty and providence (3:3). When the serpent contradicted God’s prohibition (3:5), he challenged God’s authority and righteousness. The serpent’s final appeal to the woman was an accusation against God’s goodness and grace (3:5). Shrewd and crafty, the serpent knew that doubting God’s word would lead to suspicions of God’s character. Sin entered the world not in a conspicuous revolt of a high hand, but in the subtle suspicions of a doubting heart. And when the heart doubts God’s character, it becomes susceptible to its own self-destructive desires.

Caving to Human Desires. Human sin feeds off of uninhibited and self-consuming human longings. When the serpent sowed doubt about God’s word and character, the first woman (and the first man) considered their own cravings above God’s clearly revealed commandments. The fruit appealed to the woman’s appetite, pleasure, desires, and longings (3:6). In this biblical account, the desire to be equal to God exposes the devastating effects of human pride (3:6–7). Ironically, the first woman longed to gain wisdom and “be like God” (3:4) even though she was already created in God’s image and likeness (cf. 1:26–27). Lust and pride—two cravings that feed off of each other—lead to the destruction of God’s perfect paradise. They also lead to horrific effects in our own lives.

Under submission to God’s word, human desires can be rightly ordered. Only when they are rightly ordered can we experience lasting and meaningful pleasure. That is, human desires only find their ultimate fulfillment in God. As soon as humans try to fulfill their desires outside of God and his revealed decrees, we pursue pleasure in rebellion against God. Any pleasure outside of God will end—even if it initially results in something that seems satisfying—in ruin and destruction. Even longings for self-worth are rightly satisfied only in submission to God’s design for humanity. Unhinged pursuits of significance expressed in pride, arrogance, and self-aggrandizement are certain to result in idolatry, injustice, and immorality. In and of themselves, desires for happiness, joy, significance, and satisfaction are not wrong. They are God-given gifts—expressions of a loving, generous, and benevolent Creator. Desires tamed by God’s authority and shaped by God’s goodness showcase the beauty of God’s creation. However, these desires go awry when they seek to exalt themselves against God. As it always does, sin tarnishes and twists what God intended as good.

When Things Fall Apart: Coming to Terms with Sin’s Consequences

Biblical Narrative (Genesis 3:7–19)

After the woman and the man ate the forbidden fruit, “the eyes of both of them were opened” (3:7). Complicit in an act of disobedience, the man and woman “knew that they were naked” (3:7). Prior to this moment, “the man and his wife were both naked, and they were not ashamed” (2:25), but now they were ashamed of their naked condition. As a result, the first human couple “sewed together fig leaves and made coverings for themselves” (3:7). Rather than enjoying unhindered communion with God, the first humans hid from God. When “the man and his wife heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the breeze of the day” (3:8), they responded in fear and “hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God” (3:8). Originally a sign of God’s creative power and kind provision for his creation, the trees now became a tool for humans to cover their sin. Not only did they sew leaves to cover their nakedness (3:7), but they also hid “among the trees of the garden” (3:8).

When God “called out to the man” (3:9) to identify his whereabouts, the man explained that he heard God’s “voice in the garden” and “was afraid because [he] was naked” (3:10). God asked the man two questions: “Who told you that you were naked?” (3:11) and “Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” (3:11). The man blamed the woman (and God!) when he replied, “The woman whom You gave me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate it” (3:12). God asked the woman, “What is this you have done?” (3:13). She also turned to blame, saying that “the serpent deceived me” (3:13).

After this divine interrogation, God pronounced a word of judgment on the serpent. God said he would be “cursed … above all livestock and every beast of the field” (3:14). Rather than walking like other living creatures, he would crawl on the ground: “on your belly will you go, and dust you will eat, all the days of your life” (3:14). Further, God announced that hostility would exist between humans and serpents. God declared that he would “put enmity between [the serpent] and the woman, and between [his] seed and her seed” (3:15). The women and subsequent generations of humans would live in conflict and hatred of one another. Emphasizing the serpent’s guilt in the fall of creation, God announced the reason this curse would be upon the serpent: “because you have done this” (3:14). All hope was not lost. God told the serpent that the seed of the woman would eventually “crush your head, and you will strike his heel” (3:15). Someday, a descendant of the woman would defeat the serpent even as the serpent wounded him severely.

God also announced his punishment of humanity. He told the woman that he would “sharply increase … pain in childbirth” (3:16). From now on, to “bring forth children” in the world would be an experience of “pain” (3:16). In addition to pain in childbearing, God announced that there would be tension and conflict between the husband and wife. God told the woman (and all women), “Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you” (3:16). Power struggles, conflicts in the home, and battles over gender roles would plague the most intimate of human relationships: husband and wife. The man also received a word of punishment. God told the man, “Cursed is the ground,” and “through toil you will eat of it all the days of your life” (3:17). Adam’s guilt in this original sin resulted in a curse upon the ground and toil in his subsequent work. Man would work the ground with great difficulty: “both thorns and thistles it will yield for you” (3:18) and “by the sweat of your brow you will eat your bread” (3:19).

Two phrases highlight the man’s guilt in this original sin: “because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat” and “because of you” (3:17). Although the woman originally took the fruit, the man was guilty for also yielding to the sin. Even at this early stage in creation, man and woman did not fulfill their God-assigned roles. The woman subversively influenced her husband; the man did not wisely lead his wife as protector. Their marital roles and relationship were not aligned with God’s plan, even before they ate the forbidden fruit. The ultimate punishment upon humanity was death. Because of this sin, man would eventually die: “for dust you are, and to dust you shall return” (3:19). In a reversal of creation, death involved man’s return to dust of the ground—“because out of it were you taken” (3:19). Pain, toil, conflict, struggle, and death were the serious and ruinous consequences of the man’s sinful act.

Biblical Principles

Guilt for Sin. In this section of the narrative, we learn who is guilty of sin. In an almost comical dialogue, Adam blamed the woman and the woman blamed the serpent (3:9–13). However, when God pronounced judgment on creation, he placed blame on the serpent (3:14), the woman (3:13), and the man (3:17). While the serpent was the instigator of sin, the woman and the man were guilty of yielding to his temptation. Certainly, the enemy was culpable of introducing sin into the world, but the first humans were no less guilty. The only unjust accusation in the discourse is the man’s subtle accusation against God: “the woman whom You gave me” (3:12). Many struggle to understand the origin of evil in the world. This passage clearly places blame on Satan, the woman, and the man. God is the righteous judge to whom all creation must answer. Unlike many religious explanations, the biblical record does not conceive of evil as an original part of God’s created order. Rather, evil is an intruder, an unwanted adversary invading God’s good world and wreaking havoc. This narrative not only asserts where the blame of sin ultimately lies—naming the culprits of sin as Satan and humanity—but also to whom guilty sinners are accountable.

Effects of Sin. The horrific effects of sin are detailed in this section. Although the first humans were unashamed of their nakedness (2:25), their rebellion caused them to be ashamed of their unclothed state (3:8–10). They covered themselves with leaves (3:7) and hid behind trees (3:8, 10). Hearing the voice of God, the man expressed fear (3:10). Rather than taking responsibility for their sin, the man and the woman resorted to blame (3:10–13). Women would experience increased pain in childbirth (3:16), and men would face difficult toil in work (3:17–19). Ultimately, a life of pain and toil would end in death (3:19). A statement of judgment, God spoke a curse on the serpent and the ground (3:14, 17). God said there would be conflict in human relationships (3:16) and a long-lasting feud between humans and serpents (3:15).

As this original act of rebellion introduced sin into the world, it also multiplied its consequences to all creation for all generations. In a fallen and sinful world, humans today experience life in fear, shame, blame, pain, death, conflict, toil, and divine judgment. In its current state, the world is under a curse. Humans live in fear and anxiety. We adorn ourselves with coverings of our own making in attempts to hide our shame. We pass blame to others when we are guilty. We struggle to meet basic needs and toil in our work. Childbirth remains painful and difficult. Sometimes this manifests itself in infertility, stillbirth, or the pangs of labor. Husbands and wives argue, struggling to assert themselves over each other. Sickness, disease, and death are ever-present reminders that we live in a sinful world. In these ways (and more), humanity suffers consequences today because of the disobedience of the first humans. Their lustful lunge for sinful pleasure and prideful self-assertion infected the world with a myriad of troublesome and tormenting effects, including damage to the fundamental relationships that God created humans to enjoy.

Broken Relationships. As the first humans hid from God and feared his voice, there was an evident rupture in the relationship between God and humans (3:8–10, 12–13). This breach in the relationship between God and humanity resulted in a breach in the relationship between humans (3:12, 16). No longer would humanity and creation enjoy harmonious fellowship (3:14–15). In a surprising development, the original sin also caused humans to grow uncomfortable with themselves (3:10). These four fundamental relationships—between God and humanity, humanity and humanity, humanity and creation, and humanity with itself—were fractured as part of the grave consequences of human sin. Even today, we can notice the rupture in these relationships. However, we can also celebrate the hopeful restoration of these relationships in Christ, a hope forecasted in this biblical text.

It’s Not the End of the Story: Spotting Hints of Sin’s Cure

Biblical Narrative (Genesis 3:20–24)

The tragic plot of this biblical text is balanced with hints of hope. God did not completely eliminate humanity from the planet. Even in the curse against the serpent, there was hope that God would eventually deliver humanity (3:15). Instead of destroying humans, God allowed humans to fulfill their creation mandate to multiply on the earth and subdue it (1:26–28). In this way, “Adam named his wife Eve, because she would be the mother of all the living” (3:20). Albeit in a sinful condition, life would continue, babies would be born, and generations of humans would multiply. In an act of grace, God replaced the inadequate fig leaf coverings (3:7) and “made garments of skin for Adam and his wife” (3:21). God “clothed them” (3:21), hinting at his plan to eventually and completely remedy human shame and guilt.

God did not want humanity to live forever in its sinful condition. God said, “man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil” (3:22; cf. 3:5). Therefore, “the Lord God banished” humanity “from the Garden of Eden” (3:23). God did not want man to “reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever” (3:22) in his sinful state. Instead, man would live outside of the Garden “to work the ground from which he had been taken” (3:23). Therefore, God “drove out the man” (3:24). To prevent him from reentering the Garden, God “stationed cherubim on the east side of the garden of Eden, along with a whirling sword of flame to guard the way to the tree of life” (3:24).

Biblical Principles

Hope for Sinful Creation. Amid judgment, curse, and sinful rebellion, God demonstrated his grace, love, and faithfulness. God graciously intervened in the disasters of the fall by clothing the shame of human nakedness (3:20–21), guarding against a path of eternal death (3:22–24), promising to send a deliverer (3:15), and giving hope that life is still possible despite the judgment of death (3:20). Amazingly, God worked redemptively even in the midst of his righteous judgment. The hints of hope in this passage should instruct us to look to God for rescue from the devastating effects of sin. Our efforts to cover ourselves can never resolve our shame. Blaming others can never acquit us of our guilt. Hiding from God’s presence (if that were even possible) will never calm our fear. Only the Creator God can rescue and restore his fallen creation. Certainly, he is a holy God who will hold all creation accountable, but he is also a gracious God who orchestrates a divine plan for redemption and salvation.

Jesus Christ as the Promised Seed. Although the Bible explicitly reveals Jesus later on in the biblical narrative, this passage foretells his coming. Ultimately, the remedy for the fall is found in Jesus Christ. He is the promised seed of the woman, the only one who can crush the head of the serpent, overcome death, undo the curse, and mend this broken world (3:15). Through the sacrifice of Christ’s own flesh, he provides a true covering for human sin and shame (3:21). In his death and resurrection, Jesus becomes the source of eternal life for all who will entrust their lives to him (3:22–24). Followers of Jesus live in the certain hope that they will “live forever” (3:22). By placing faith in Christ, humans are no longer banished from God or exiled from paradise (3:23–24). Jesus is the gate that allows disciples to enter into “the way to the tree of life” (3:24). The hints of hope in this passage are ultimately fulfilled at the coming of Jesus. In Jesus, the tragedy of creation’s fall becomes a hopeful reversal of curse to blessing, shame to honor, guilt to innocence, fear to peace, and death to life.

Conclusion

God created humans to enjoy his good world. Rather than caring for creation as stewards, the first humans brought the original paradise to ruin. A crafty serpent deceived the first humans. He cast suspicion on God’s word and God’s character as he also appealed to humanity’s inner cravings. Rather than following God’s word, the first humans disobeyed God. As a result, fear, shame, blame, curse, pain, conflict, and death infected the world. No longer was the world a paradise to be enjoyed but a hardship to endure. The deed was committed. The first humans had ruined paradise, and there was no going back. In a fateful act of defiance, creation immediately crumbled in sinful disrepair. Through subtle seeds of deceit and doubt—appealing to inner cravings, raising unfounded doubts, and imagining prideful desires fulfilled—the serpent enticed the first humans to seek a world of their own making. The experiment of sinful imagination and defiant disobedience did not end well. After the first humans ate the forbidden fruit, a torrent of dismal repercussions was unleashed. Fear, shame, blame, curse, pain, and death became unwelcome intruders and unwanted invaders in our world. As a righteous Creator, God spoke judgment upon his creation. But in the midst of his word of retribution, God hinted at his plan to restore his fallen creation.

Even in this most tragic story of the Bible, God sowed seeds of hope. Knowing that the fall would take place, God made a promise to restore his ruined creation. God first made this decree before the foundation of the world. God then reiterated this promise in the biblical account of the fall. Ever gracious and merciful, God works redemption into the worst circumstances. God would ultimately fulfill his promise of restoration and redemption by sending a deliverer. This deliverer would be a seed of the woman—the eternal Son of God who was to be born as a human thousands of years later. He would be the final and full undoing of the serpent. The hopeful life-giver, the peaceful fear-calmer, the righteous shame-remover, the successful guilt-absorber, the courageous pain-reliever, and the triumphant death-defier, Jesus would rescue and restore his fallen creation.

Session Synopsis

SESSION 4 SYNOPSIS
Understanding the Nature and Purpose of Humanity	In this passage, we learn about the nature and consequences of sin. God made the first humans and placed them in the garden paradise of Eden. At some point after God made his perfect world, one of God’s angelic creations rebelled against him and became a wicked adversary against God and his people. This evil enemy, Satan, tempted the first humans to sin by doubting God’s word and demeaning God’s character. In pride, lust, and unbelief, the first humans disobeyed God and ate forbidden fruit. As a result, fear, shame, blame, pain, death, and curse infected God’s good world. Because of this sin, God’s judgment was over creation, and he evicted humans from the Garden of Eden. Nevertheless, God showed grace to sinful humanity, and he promised to send a deliverer to rescue his fallen creation. A summary of this story’s principles is outlined below.
The Nature of Sin	Sin is disobedience and defiance of God’s command (3:1–6, 11, 13–14; cf. 2:15–17). The original sin by the first humans has infected all other humans with a sinful condition (cf. Romans 5:12).
The Causes of Sin	Underlying sin is a doubt of God’s word and suspicion of God’s character. Satan and humans are both guilty of such unbelief and deceit. Sin festers when people question the reliability of God’s goodness (3:1–5), doubt the reality of God’s revelation (3:1), dismiss the blessing of God’s promise (3:1), downplay the warning of God’s prohibition (3:1), desert the precision of God’s command (3:2–3), deny the truthfulness of God’s word (3:4), and distort the sincerity of God’s intent (3:5).
Temptation to Sin	Satan tempts humans to sin through unbelief, pride, and desire. When Satan tempted the first humans, he questioned God’s goodness (3:1–4), he appealed to human self-importance (3:5, 7), and he offered something enticing to human craving (3:6).
Effects of Sin	Sin results in devastating consequences. After Adam and Eve disobeyed God, it resulted in fear (3:10), shame (cf. 3:7–10; 2:25), blame (3:9–14, 17), pain (3:16–19), relational conflict (3:15–16), death (3:19), and curse (3:14, 17).
Broken Relationships	Sin causes a breach in relationships. When the first humans sinned, it fractured four fundamental relationships: the relationship between God and humanity (3:8–10, 12–13, 23–24), humanity and humanity (3:12, 16), humanity and creation (3:14–15), and humanity with itself (3:10).
God’s Grace and Jesus Christ as the Promised Seed	This passage predicts the coming of Jesus Christ. God’s loving grace is seen in his righteous judgment (3:20–24). God prophesied that a seed from the woman would be wounded by the serpent, but that this seed would crush the serpent’s head (3:15). Eventually, Jesus would come to earth to rescue sinners from God’s judgment: to remove human shame (3:21), to secure everlasting life (3:22, 24), to reconcile humans to God (3:23–24), and to remove the burden of the curse (3:14, 17).

Personal Reflection: Entering the Story

Apply the Text: The word of God is binding and authoritative, the only reliable guide for faith and godliness. True disciples submit themselves to God’s word. In this movement, you will apply God’s word to your lives.

Reflection Questions

Encourage one person to share a testimony about how this story has impacted them so far. Use the reflection questions to examine your life in light of this biblical passage.

Spiritual Practice

Coming Clean

In the space below, use the following questions to guide you as you write a confession of your sin and brokenness to God.

Admitting Sin: What am I guilty of before God? (i.e., “God, I admit that I have…”)

Facing Brokenness: Where are the broken areas of my life? (i.e., “I am filled with fear of …”) What fears or anxieties control my life? What shame or guilt darkens my joy? What blame or fault do I pass on to others? What pain or grief am I facing?

Pleading for Mercy: Will I come to God for forgiveness? (i.e., “God, please show mercy upon me.”)

Ministry Practice: Rehearsing the Script

Minister the Text: God’s word is living and active. Through God’s word, the Christian community is edified. In this movement, you will utilize the biblical passage to minister to other believers and build them up in their faith.

Application Questions

Look at the infographic below. Use the questions to think about how to minister this text to other believers.

Missional Outreach: Publicizing the Truth

Witness the Text: The Bible is a message of God’s gracious salvation to the world. In word and deed, God’s people proclaim the good news of the gospel. In this movement, you will use this biblical passage to reach out to unbelievers.

Strategy Questions

Reflect on the infographic below. Consider how you can use this passage to witness to the surrounding world. Use the suggested ideas to prime your imagination. Then, put together a plan to share this passage with unbelievers, Afterward, reflect on this mission experience.