Every good story needs a problem, right? Well, the Bible doesn’t take long to get right to the crux of things. After such a good start, everything seems to fall apart in one fell swoop.
In Genesis 1-2, we see a beautiful, good creation cared for by the powerful, yet personal God of the universe. Beginning in chapter three, everything goes wrong. The one boundary God set for humanity is questioned and undercut by the serpent, and Adam and Eve embrace the lie and seek to be like God—incredibly foolish considering they had already been created in the image and likeness of God. The boundaries were for their good, and having crossed them, the first couple experienced the tragic consequences that we still feel today.
Let’s briefly look at three things we learn from this passage:
1. The nature of temptation
Temptation strikes at our belief in God’s goodness. When we are tempted, we begin to question whether God’s Word is actually intended for our good. This is what happens to Eve. The serpent convinces her that God is forbidding something for no good reason. How often do we fall into that trap?
Our society constantly questions the validity of God’s commands in Scripture. For instance, God makes clear that sex outside of marriage is sin and outside of his plan for us. But how often are arguments made that “making sure you are sexually compatible is important,” or “if I know I’ll be with this person for the rest of my life, then why wait for something that is good?” These objections are questioning the goodness and validity of God’s command. Temptation leads us to ask “Is it really that big of a deal?” Sometimes, it may be hard for us to see why it is, but if we really believe in the goodness of God, then we’ll trust his Word and flee temptation.
—In what ways are you doubting God’s goodness in your life right now?
2. Our Reaction to Sin
What happens when we do sin? First, our reaction to sin, especially when we recognize the wrong, is a fleeing from relationships. Sin breaks our relationship with each other and God. As Adam and Eve, we feel shame and guilt, and we begin to experience a breaking of life-giving relationships. We begin to hide parts of ourselves from others, and as the level of authenticity breaks down, our relationships slowly become less and less meaningful. The community we were meant to experience erodes.
Additionally, we begin to flee from God. We don’t want to encounter his Word because we don’t want our sin exposed. We want to hide it from both God’s and our own eyes. So our relationship with Him breaks down.
3. The Response of God
Yet, the truth is, God sees our sin despite our best efforts to hide it, and He justly punishes it as we see in this passage.
But the incredible truth is that He also shows grace. Even in the midst of harsh consequences, God sows seeds of hope and grace. He points toward the promised Savior, who will crush the serpent’s head, ultimately destroying evil and sin. Then he provides a covering for the shame of Adam and Eve. God knows we can’t cover or remove our guilt and shame, so he made a way to wipe away our wrongs. Jesus came and lived the perfect life we were all created for, and then he died to take on the punishment we all deserved. Even in this terribly dark turn in the story, God has sown seeds of light and life!
—How is sin breaking down relationships in your life? Do you have a broken relationship with God? If so, admit your sin to Him and trust in his grace that he has given once and for all through Jesus’ work on the cross
***Another Big Question: If God is good and created all things good (as is seen in Genesis 1), why is there so much evil and suffering in the world? Here are two short articles that begin to address that issue:
Brandon Moore 