Lesson 3 – Sin Enters the World

Through Adam, sin spread to all people. Through Christ, God offers forgiveness to all people.

Opening

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

This lesson will use the Bible, the Bible Exploration Guide and the Lesson 3 Leaflet from the Student Pack. The front cover shows how the artist sees the Angel driving Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden. Also paper and pencil will be needed.

Read the first article of the Apostle’s Creed and it’s meaning on the back of the leaflet. The first article covers creation.

This lesson is about a mistake the first man and woman made that gave all of us a lifelong problem.

 Prayer: Lord God, thank You for giving us second chances by forgiving our sins in Christ Jesus. Thank You for Your grace and mercy, today and always. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

God Speaks

What would you do if you found out your friend stole money from someone or stole something from a store? Or if you heard that your best friend spread nasty rumors about you?

Doubt sometimes leads to sin. We question someone's loyalty, truthfulness, or integrity and act on our unbelief.  Think about the following statements about God and decide if you believe them:

• God seems to love some people more than others.
• God always works for good. He never does anything to hurt us.
• If we love God and truly follow Him, He'll give us riches and glory.
• The Bible is God's true Word. All of it.
• Jesus is God's Son. He really did those miracles and rose from the dead.

If you don't believe someone you trusted, you might stop being that person’s friend or avoid being around them. If you don't trust God, you might sin without even realizing it.

We all have doubts from time to time. It's normal, and when we do, we need to let God speak to us through His Word and Sacraments. We can turn to Christian friends, family members, and our pastor too.

In this lesson, we sadly see that Eve didn't have anyone to help her when she doubted God's Word. She sinned against God and pulled Adam in too.

Using the Bible follow the direction on page 2 of the leaflet with the title The day everything changed and read Genesis 3:1-7. Then think about or write down answers to the questions.

Describe the serpent. Crafty

How did the woman react when the serpent spoke to her? Neither surprised nor afraid

What does this tell you about the garden before sin? Things were different before the fall. The devil disguised himself beautifully. If this were not so, Eve would not have talked with him so calmly. After sin entered, the serpent’s beauty changed and the freedom from fear disappeared.

How did the serpent question God’s Word in verse 1? What did the serpent want Eve to do?  Compare his words with Genesis 2:16-17. The serpent misstated stated God's command, asking if the Lord said they couldn't eat from any tree in the garden. With this false statement, the serpent wanted Eve to doubt God.

What does the serpent’s deceit show us? His words show us the serpent is no ordinary snake but rather a form taken by the devil.

Compare Eve’s answer in verses 2-3 to Genesis 2:16-17. What did she add? What does this tell us? Eve added an extra, untrue phrase to God's command “neither shall you touch it" Sin had already taken hold of her, One falsehood led to another sin.

The serpent enticed the woman to turn away from God and to listen to him. When Eve hesitated, what lie did he offer? (v. 4) You will not die.

How did the serpent again misrepresent God in verse 5? The father of lies accused God of lying. He said God didn't want Eve to be like Him. He said her eyes would be open when she ate the fruit and shed know good and evil, like God. Until that point, humans had known only good.

What three benefits did Eve see in the tree's fruit (v. 6)? It was good to eat, a delight to the eyes, and it would make her wise.

When did Adam and Eve realize they sinned? As soon as they ate the fruit their eyes were opened and they realized they were naked.

The Hebrew word for "crafty" is almost identical to the word for naked. Why is this amazing but true fact important? Before sin entered the world, God’s creation was perfect; embarrassment and shame didn't exist.

 The human body was perfect and there was no need to cover it up. The craftiness of the serpent allowed the devil to work through this creature to bring about Adam and Eve's shame when they "knew that they were naked".

Skip the And then what? section on page 2 of the leaflet since this is not  classroom setting.

Continue with the The blame game and read Genesis 3:8-13 then think about or write down answers to the questions.

Why did Adam and Eve hide? They felt afraid of God.

Think of a time you did something wrong and tried to hide. How did you feel when you hid? How did you feel when caught? Answers will vary.

Have you ever blamed someone else for your sin? Answers vary.

Adam and Eve played the blame game. Whom did Adam seem to blame?  Eve

Whom did Adam really blame? God, who gave him the woman

Whom did Eve blame? The serpent

How do these responses show sin advanced quickly? Neither Adam nor Eve to responsibility for their actions. There is a rapid progression from doubt to sin and disobedience to cover-up to deceit to blame; sin gradually grows and grows if left unchecked.

Continue with the Eat dust! section on page 3 of the leaflet and read Genesis 3:14-19 then think about or write down answers to the questions.

Whom did God punish first? How? The serpent. He cursed the serpent and made it crawl on its belly and eat dust. "Eat dust" is still an insult today.

What word did God use to punish the serpent that He did not use with  Adam and Eve? Cursed. God did not curse Adam and Eve, or humankind.

What were the consequences of Eve's sin? Pain in childbirth, unwilling sub mission to her husband.

What were the consequences of Adam's sin? Hardship in work, thorns and thistles, return to dust when he dies.

Continue with the Evicted! section on page 3 of the leaflet and read Genesis 3:20-24 then think about or write down answers to the questions.

What name did Adam give his wife instead of "Woman"? Why? Eve, because she was the mother of all the living.

Why do you think God clothed Adam and Eve Himself? He showed His great love for them by covering their shame more effectively than they could do it.

Why did God evict Adam and Eve from the Garden? To keep them from eating of the tree of life and living forever in their sinful state.

What does sin take away from all people? How do we get it back? Read Romans 6:23. Sin cuts off the sinner from eternal life. The only way to receive eternal life is through Christ Jesus.

We Live

Read the Scripture verses are on Leaflet page 4, under The first Gospel promise.

God does not leave us in our sin, shame, and stupidity. He didn't abandon Adam and Eve because of their sin, and He doesn't cut us off either. By saying, "Where are you?" God called Adam and us back from sin.

We call Genesis 3:15 the first promise of the Gospel because it claims ultimate victory for humans through one man.

To whom did God speak these words? The serpent, the devil.

What did God say he would put between the woman's offspring and the serpent's offspring? Enmity

What is enmity? Hostility, opposition, animosity, hatred, friction, separation.

The verse starts by prophesying a conflict between the woman’s Offspring and this serpent. What will happen between the woman's Offspring and the devil?  The Offspring will bruise the devil's head, but the devil would bruise His heel.

Which injured body part would receive a more deadly wound? The head

Which Offspring of Eve dealt a deadly wound to the devil's head? How? Jesus bruised the devil's head in His suffering, death, and resurrection.

How did the devil bruise Jesus' heel? The devil bruised Christ on Good Friday but Jesus dealt the worse blow with His resurrection on Easter morning, when He destroyed the power of death and the devil.

Continuing with Hebrews 2:14 and 1 John 3:8 on page 4.

What does this first Gospel also mean for you, us, and all people? God kept the promise He made to Adam and Eve. He willingly sent His own Son to take our sin and assures life eternal with Him in heaven to all who believe.

Read pages 5 and 6 in the Bible Exploration Guide about the Garden of Eden and the Special Trees in the Garden of Eden.

Closing

What promise did God keep for all of us? God sent His Son, Jesus, to destroy the work of the devil and to save us from sin and death.

Listen to the hymn “The Tree of Life”.