The Beginning: Genesis 3:8-24
“8 They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 Then the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 He said, “I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.” 11 And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” 12 The man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate.” 13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” And the woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” 14 The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, Cursed are you more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you will go, And dust you will eat All the days of your life; 15 And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel.” 16 To the woman He said, “I will greatly multiply Your pain in childbirth, In pain you will bring forth children; Yet your desire will be for your husband, And he will rule over you.” 17 Then to Adam He said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat from it’; Cursed is the ground because of you; In toil you will eat of it All the days of your life. 18 “Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; And you will eat the plants of the field; 19 By the sweat of your face You will eat bread, Till you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return.” 20 Now the man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all the living. 21 The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them. 22 Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”— 23 therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken. 24 So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life.”—Genesis 3:8–24
We have all been contaminated. The world has been contaminated. Scripture makes this point abundantly clear.
“23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”—Romans 3:23, NASB 95
“12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned— [1]”—Romans 5:12, NASB 95
“22 For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.”—Romans 8:22, NASB 95
We have a problem. We are contaminated. That contamination is far-reaching.
We wrap up “The Beginning” series with the far-reaching consequences of sin. We are reminded that sin and death have entered the world, and all creation is contaminated. While the effects of sin are devasting, there is hope. Genesis 3 is filled with God’s grace, reminding the reader that God will indeed bring good out of evil. Augustine said, “God judged it better to bring good out of evil than to suffer no evil at all.”
We have all been contaminated. The world has been contaminated. Scripture makes this point abundantly clear.
“23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”—Romans 3:23, NASB 95
“12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned— [1]”—Romans 5:12, NASB 95
“22 For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.”—Romans 8:22, NASB 95
We have a problem. We are contaminated. That contamination is far-reaching.
We wrap up “The Beginning” series with the far-reaching consequences of sin. We are reminded that sin and death have entered the world, and all creation is contaminated. While the effects of sin are devasting, there is hope. Genesis 3 is filled with God’s grace, reminding the reader that God will indeed bring good out of evil. Augustine said, “God judged it better to bring good out of evil than to suffer no evil at all.”
Discussion Questions
1. There are some terrible consequences of sin in Genesis 3. How do you see those consequences in your own life? How do you see them in the world?
2. Russell used the phrase “death and then there is DEATH.” A few weeks ago, Russell described abundant life as “life, and then there is LIFE.” We can be physically alive but not have abundant life. We know we will physically die, but there is also DEATH, which is separation from God. Before accepting Christ, we were all separated from God. After receiving Christ, sin can separate me from thoroughly enjoying His presence. Have you experienced that? How do we restore that fellowship? Confession or hiding?
3. The enemy is delivering lots of heel strikes. Name a few that you have experienced. The church is also delivering head strikes. Name a few that encourage you.
4. Read Genesis 3 out loud as a group. Take note of all the ways God’s grace shows up in the passage. Discuss those and reflect on how gracious God is during this tragic example of rebellion. Share how God has shown His grace to you amid our rebellion.
5. Reflect on the series. What are some key takeaways you have from Genesis 1-3? Why are those important, and how will they continue to help you in your spiritual journey? Who could you share those with?
2. Russell used the phrase “death and then there is DEATH.” A few weeks ago, Russell described abundant life as “life, and then there is LIFE.” We can be physically alive but not have abundant life. We know we will physically die, but there is also DEATH, which is separation from God. Before accepting Christ, we were all separated from God. After receiving Christ, sin can separate me from thoroughly enjoying His presence. Have you experienced that? How do we restore that fellowship? Confession or hiding?
3. The enemy is delivering lots of heel strikes. Name a few that you have experienced. The church is also delivering head strikes. Name a few that encourage you.
4. Read Genesis 3 out loud as a group. Take note of all the ways God’s grace shows up in the passage. Discuss those and reflect on how gracious God is during this tragic example of rebellion. Share how God has shown His grace to you amid our rebellion.
5. Reflect on the series. What are some key takeaways you have from Genesis 1-3? Why are those important, and how will they continue to help you in your spiritual journey? Who could you share those with?
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