Jesus - Sin is a Big Deal - Genesis 3 and Romans 5 - October 3, 2010

Bible Study – Jesus – Sin is a Big Deal – October 3, 2010

This begins a new series of study entitled “The Case for Jesus.”
Our scripture is Genesis 3:1-6, 16-19, 24; Romans 5:12-14.
As you recall we are studying apologetics this entire quarter. Apologetics is not apologizing but it is defending our faith in a rational well reasoned manner. We know what we believe and why. We know that the foundation of our faith in GOD as evidenced by the indwelling CHRIST, confirmed by the HOLY SPIRIT. Our witness or testimony is a powerful tool to confirm our faith in CHRIST.

Last month we began our study examining GOD and understanding GOD in our lives. Today, we begin another study to examine JESUS and why we should place our faith and trust in HIM over any other well known religious leaders. We will study “The Case for Jesus” for the next five (5) weeks.

John 3:16-18 captures GOD’S purpose for redeeming mankind:

16 “For God loved the world in this way: He gave His • One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.[10] 17 For God did not send His Son into the world that He might condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. 18 Anyone who believes in Him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the • One and Only Son of God.

GOD sent HIS ONLY SON to come to earth and experience human existence. GOD’S desire for mankind was for Adam and Eve to live obedient to HIS commands and the earth to be the perfect home for mankind for eternity. GOD did not create mankind to be robots but HE created mankind with the free will to choose. Our scripture focuses on man and woman making a decision. Their decision shows the nature of the human heart. Man and woman chose to disobey GOD. GOD had placed Adam in charge of the Garden. Adam was responsible to GOD and Eve was responsible to Adam.

Let’s explore.

Let’s read Genesis 2:15:

15 The LORD God took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden to work it and watch over it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree of the garden,[16] 17 but you must not eat[17] from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for on the day you eat from it, you will certainly die.”[18]

GOD had formed man, Adam from the dust of the ground. HE placed Adam in charge of the garden which included the tree of the knowledge of good and evil as well as the tree of life. GOD instructed Adam that he could eat from any tree in the garden except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Adam was responsible for the garden and what went on in the garden. The garden was his responsibility. Then GOD made woman by taking a body part from Adam. When Adam saw her for the first time he in essence said, “WOW!!! This is what I have been waiting for.”
Life was good in the garden until one day Satan, in the form of a serpent, entered the lives of Eve and Adam. In our next scripture we see that Satan engaged Eve in a conversation. A word of caution, any time you try to reason with Satan, you will lose. He appeals to humans through their flesh. Let’s explore.

Let’s read Genesis 3:1-6:

The Temptation and the Fall of Mankind.
1 Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the wild animals that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You can’t eat from any tree in the garden’?”[1]
See how Satan distorts GOD’S words. He raised a question, which demands a defense. “Did God really say, ‘You can’t eat from ANY tree in the garden’?” Notice Eve’s reply.
2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit from the trees in the garden. 3 But about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, God said, ‘You must not eat it or touch it, or you will die.’ ”[2]

When we add to GOD’S Word we get into trouble. Satan knows GOD’S Word and he knew he had an opportunity when Eve revealed that she didn’t. She added to GOD’S Word “or touch it.” GOD never told Adam he could not touch it. When we add to GOD’S Word something that is not in it, we get disappointed ors leap to certain conclusions about GOD and what HE will do in our behalf. GOD demands obedience to HIS commands not for HIS sake but for our sake. HE knows the consequences for disobedience and HIS desire is to keep us out of trouble.

When Satan heard the words “or touch it” he knew that he had an opportunity to lead Eve into disobedience. So what does Satan do next?

4 “No! You will not die,” the serpent said to the woman.[3]
“No, No! You will not die if you touch it” was the implication. You can almost hear the conversation, “Go ahead and touch it. Look I can touch it and I did not die.” In essence Satan was saying “GOD lied to you.” Now the next step builds on the foundation that GOD is hiding something from you. Now is your opportunity to be like GOD.
5 “In fact, God knows that when[4] you eat it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God,[5] knowing good and evil.”
It was true that those who ate of the fruit their eyes would be opened to knowing good and evil but he left out one very important point. That you will also die.

You can almost hear the conversation, “Eve go ahead and look at that luscious fruit. It is as tasty as it looks. Now just reach out and touch it. See nothing happened.” She does and nothing happened.

6 Then the woman saw that the tree was good for food and delightful to look at, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate [it]* ; she also gave [some]* to her husband, [who was]* with her, and he ate [it]* .[6]

Eve must have been excited. It appears that Adam was standing along beside her and did not open his mouth. He could have said, "Eve, what are you about to do? GOD told me that I could not eat the fruit of that tree and neither can you!" No, it seems that Adam was standing there waiting to see what happened. Adam may have thought, "Just maybe Satan was telling the truth. Having the powers that GOD has would not be bad. Just think of all that I could do if I had HIS powers."

Sin is enticing. Our human nature is drawn to sin. Sin leads to death; not only physical death but death of our relationship between us and GOD. Now mankind has fallen and was subject to physical and spiritual death.

GOD made Adam and Eve with the freedom to choose. What is mankind to do? GOD always has a plan. Let’s see.

Let’s read Genesis 3:7-15:

7. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.

The moment they disobeyed GOD they knew it. They have the knowledge of good and evil. They realized that they were naked. When humans disobey GOD they are Spiritually naked and they try to cover up with other religions, works, many good things to compensate in an effort to fill the void.

Sin’s Consequences

8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze,[7] and they hid themselves from the LORD God among the trees of the garden.[8] 9 So the LORD God called out to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 And he said, “I heard You[9] in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.” 11 Then He asked, “Who told you that you were naked? Did you eat from the tree that I had commanded you not to eat from?”

Adam and Eve heard the Lord GOD walking in the garden and they hid themselves. When we sin we try to hide from GOD. But guess what? GOD seeks us just as HE called out to Adam and Eve, “Where are you?” GOD knew exactly where they were but HE wanted them to come to HIM.

Now, let’s see what happened. This is the first example of transference of guilt. “I did not do it!”

12 Then the man replied, “The woman You gave to be with me—she gave me [some fruit]* from the tree, and I ate.” 13 So the LORD God asked the woman, “What is this you have done?” And the woman said, “It was the serpent. He deceived me, and I ate.”[10]14 Then the LORD God said to the serpent: Because you have done this, you are cursed more than any livestock and more than any wild animal. You will move on your belly and eat dust all the days of your life. 15 I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your • seed and her seed. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.[11]

Adam blamed Eve and Eve blamed the serpent. GOD condemned what Satan had done and told him that he might think he had won the battle but GOD would have the final word. Verse 15 is a foreshadow of the promise of JESUS to redeem mankind from this original sin and death. The seed of woman will produce a person, JESUS, WHO will strike a death blow to you. You will try to kill HIM but HE will survive your blow because GOD will raise HIM from death. This will be proof that HE conquered sin and death. All mankind who will believe on JESUS will be redeemed. We only know all of this by studying the entire body of scripture as captured in the book we call the Bible, GOD’S Word.

Then GOD told Adam and Eve what their actions had resulted in for their lives.

Let’s read Genesis 3:16-19, 24:

16 He said to the woman: I will intensify your labor pains; you will bear children in anguish. Your desire[12] will be for your husband, yet he will dominate you. 17 And He said to Adam, “Because you listened to your wife’s voice and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘Do not eat from it’: The ground is cursed because of you. You will eat from it by means of painful labor[13]all the days of your life. 18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.[14]19 You will eat bread[15] by the sweat of your brow until you return to the ground, since you were taken from it. For you are dust, and you will return to dust.”


24 He drove man out, and east of the garden of Eden He stationed • cherubim with a flaming, whirling sword to guard the way to the tree of life.

Disobedience drives a wedge between mankind and GOD. The birth, sinless life of CHRIST, HIS death, resurrection and ascension is proof that HIS shed blood redeemed all who will ask HIM to forgive them for their sins and to come into their lives. This is the miracle of rebirth and salvation from sin and death. CHRIST gave HIS life for all who will believe in HIM.

Why was GOD so quick to drive them from the garden? Genesis 3:22- 24 gives us the answer - 22 The LORD God said, “Since man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil, he must not reach out, and also take from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever.”[17] 23 So the LORD God sent him away from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. 24 He drove man out, and east of the garden of Eden He stationed • cherubim with a flaming, whirling sword to guard the way to the tree of life.
If Adam and Eve had eaten the fruit from the tree of life, mankind would have lived forever in its fallen state. Sin, decay, disease, suffering, etc. would still have happened but death would not free a person from his/her plight. Death sometimes is a blessing.

The Apostle Paul addresses original sin in our next scripture and connects Adam’s sin with the reason CHRIST had to give HIS life to redeem those who believe in HIM.

Let’s read Romans 5:12-14:

Death through Adam and Life through Christ

12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, in this way death spread to all men, because all sinned.[3] 13 In fact, sin was in the world before the law, but sin is not charged to one’s account when there is no law. 14 Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who did not sin in the likeness of Adam’s transgression. He is a prototype of the Coming One.

Adam sinned and sin and death came into the world. Why Adam since Eve was the first one to disobey GOD? Simply, GOD placed Adam in charge of the garden. Adam was the responsible person and GOD held him accountable.

I was in Poland a few years ago teaching through an interpreter a group of teenagers. I told them to come prepared to ask me any question each day. On the last day, I noticed a group of girls giggling when it came time for them to ask me a question. I thought to myself they must have thought of a good one. Little did I know that they did have a question that caused me to quickly go to GOD in prayer for the answer.

They asked, “Why didn’t GOD send a daughter instead of a son?” Now that put me into panic mode. I prayed and the LORD gave me an answer. It was the fact that HE had placed Adam in charge of the garden and HE held him responsible and accountable. Thus sin came into the world. Adam could have told Eve not to do what she was about to do. Even if she disobeyed GOD, he did not have to when he knew the consequences.

CHRIST had to come as a human, live as a human, subject to all the frailties of a human and yet remain sinless. CHRIST was the sinless SON of GOD WHO gave HIS life to pay the penalty for sin which GOD had imposed on mankind. CHRIST had to shed HIS blood because GOD requires the shedding of blood for the remission of sins. CHRIST gave HIS life to redeem all who will believe in HIM and what HE did for them on the cross. The proof that HE accomplished the mission GOD had for HIM is the fact that GOD raised HIM from the dead. Christians worship a living SAVIOR, which is confirmed by the indwelling HOLY SPIRIT.

Verse 14 states that death reigned from Adam to Moses. Why is that significant? Simply, GOD gave the law, the Ten Commandments to Moses. People did not have the law up to the time of Moses, yet GOD holds them accountable and they died. Ignorance of the law does not excuse a person from death and being accountable to GOD. All humans were and are still subject to death. CHRIST offers eternal life to all who believe in HIM as their SAVIOR.