Lesson 3 – Sin Enters the World
Through Adam, sin spread to all people. Through Christ, God offers forgiveness to all people.
Opening
Invocation: In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
This lesson will use the Bible, the Bible Discovery 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.
Prayer: Dear heavenly Father, thank You for creating us and giving us all good things. We know that we are sinful, and we ask You to forgive us when we sin. Thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus, to be our Savior. Bless us as we learn in Sunday School today. In His name we pray. Amen.
Even when we know exactly what we should do, we aren't always able to do it. That's what sin is: we know what is right and wrong, but we don't always do the right thing. Sin is disobeying God. Today, our story is about Adam and Eve's first sin, and what God did for them, and for us, to make everything right again.
God Speaks
Read the story from the Lesson Leaflet. With a pencil or crayon, underline the parts of the story that show the sin Adam and Eve committed.
Underlined items should include Eve's doubting God's Word, eating the fruit, sharing the fruit, hiding from God, and blaming each other.
Now circle (or underline with a different color) the consequences of sin.
These should include God's curse on the serpent, pain in bearing children, working for a living, and being sent from the Garden of Eden.
Draw a box around (or underline with a third color) the words that show God still cares for them. Include God calling to Adam and Eve, wanting them to confess, clothing them, and promising a Savior.
We Live
Adam and Eve disobeyed God. Satan caused Eve to doubt that she would die. He wanted Eve to believe that God was withholding special blessings and knowledge. Eve ate the fruit and gave some to Adam, and he ate too. This first act of disobedience brought sin into the world. Adam and Eve no longer reflected the image of God. From that point on, every person born has been sinful. This is what we call original sin.
We, too, are sinners. We don't obey God and His Word. We blame others for our sins. We try to be like God. Because we are sinners, we deserve punishment and death. God didn't abandon Adam and Eve. He hasn't abandoned us. He had a different plan to make things right again.
Read Genesis 3:14-15.
Sin makes us enemies of God. The “He” in verse 15 is Jesus, the promised savior. Read John 3:16.
Right from the time sin entered into the world, God knew what He would do to someday restore people to His image. He would send Jesus to do for people what people couldn't do on their own. Jesus came to crush sin, death, and the devil by dying on the cross and rising again.
Page 4 of the Lesson Leaflet repeats the Key Point of this lesson. The Bible Words provides another verse that describes how Jesus saves us by taking on the sins of the world to make us righteous.
As soon as sin came into the world, God planned for the Savior to make things right again. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, so that those who believe in Him would inherit eternal life. Jesus makes us righteous because He died for our sins and rose from the dead.
Read Romans 6:4.
How does this righteousness come to us? Through Baptism, our sins are washed away. We live a new life in Christ.
Read Revelation 2:7.
Where will we have a chance to eat from the tree of life? In heaven. Because of Jesus' death and resurrection, we will be fully restored to the image of God when we get to heaven.
Read the Second Article of the Apostle’s Creed and its explanation from in the Small Catechism as shown below:
The Second Article – Redemption
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dies and was buried. e descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty. From thence he will come to judge the living and the dead.
What does this mean? I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary, is my Lord, who has redeemed me, a lost and condemned person, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil; not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death, that I may be His own and live under Him in His kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, just as He is risen from the dead, lives and reigns to all eternity. This is most certainly true.
Bible Study Skills
Read 2 Timothy 3:16-17.
What does this verse tell us about God's Word? All Scripture comes from God directly.
What we do doesn't get us to heaven. What Jesus did for us gets us to heaven. By studying God's Word, we can know Jesus better. We can be equipped to love others when we understand how God loves us.
Read Colossians 3:16.
When the Word of God "dwells" in us, it lives there; it’s present all the time.
How does this happen? Through attending the church service, where God's Word is preached, and through our study of God’s Word.
Read Romans 10:17.
What happens when we hear the Word of God? The Holy Spirit to creates faith in us.
Closing
Listen to the hymn “The Tree of Life”.
Before sin, Adam and Eve were created in the image of God and had a right relationship with Him.
Read again Revelation 2:7.
The tree of life is in heaven. When we go to heaven, because of what Christ has done for us, we will be restored to the image of God and will also eat of the tree of life.
On the back page of the Leaflet, review the Faith Words. Also there are Weekly Devotions you can use for this week. In the Bible Discovery Guide, read pages 6 and 7.
Prayer: Dear heavenly Father, we thank You for Your plan of salvation, that You sent Your Son, Jesus, to die for our sins and to rise again. Forgive our sins when we do wrong, and send Your Holy Spirit to help us understand Your precious Word. We pray in Jesus' name, Amen.