Advent Day 1: Adam, Eve and the Fall of humanity

Adam, Eve and the Fall of Humanity

Scriptures:

1. Genesis 2:7-9; 15-24 = The Instructions
2. Genesis 3:1-6 = The Disobedience
3. Genesis 3:17, 23-24; Romans 5:12 = The Consequences

Ornament: A tree or a picture of the world

1. The Instructions: Genesis 2:7-9; 18-24

• Adam and Eve were created innocent, but also with a free will. They had untested holiness. They were perfect, but they had to make a decision to stay perfect or to turn against God. He gave Adam the option to follow Him or not. One simple instruction; don't eat the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. 

• This is a little hard to swallow. A magic tree that when you eat it you suddenly have knowledge of good and evil, right and wrong? A little far fetched, I'll give you that. But not so much when you consider what God was doing. He was giving them a choice to remain holy and pure, or to do their own thing.

• This is one of the great things about God. He doesn't force you to obey Him. He might encourage, and He usually lets you suffer the consequences of making the wrong choice, but He always gives you a choice.  

• Also note that God gave this command to Adam before Eve was even created. 

Conclusions: It's hard to imagine why an all-knowing deity would create beings that He knew would rebel against Him. But consider this: in order to create a being that could follow him by choice, God also had to present the option NOT to follow Him. You cannot choose to follow God without the option not to follow Him. He made us so unique and perfect that we can think, reason, and decide for ourselves. It is the most beautiful and god-like thing about every individual. It sets us apart from all other creation.

2. The Disobedience: Genesis 3:1-6

• Not much to say here. Just that I am glad this is the beginning of the story and not the end. This passage is crucial at Christmastime, because it points out the reason why Jesus had to be born in the first place. Sin. Adam chose to disobey God. He knew there would be death. He knew there would be separation from God. But he did it anyway. Why? Why else? For a woman. Ladies, be careful what you ask your men to do! 

3. The Consequences: Genesis 3:17, 23-24; Romans 5:12

• The ground was cursed
• Childbirth became painful
• They had to leave the garden
• But the worst consequences of all this was death, and separation from God for all people. Romans 5:12 says, "Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin and so death spread to all men because all sinned."  Perhaps one of the saddest verses in the Bible is Genesis 5:5, "Thus all the days that Adam lived were 930 years, and he died." 

Jesus was the creator!

• John 1:1-3
• Collisions 1:16
• Hebrews 1:1-2
• 1 Corinthians 8:6
• Genesis 3:22