1. First Principles

2. Lesson 9

3. Lesson Text—Genesis 3:14-16 Genesis 3:14-16 14 And the L ORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:

4. Lesson Text—Genesis 3:14-16 15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. 16 Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.

5. Lesson Text—Genesis 3:17-19 Genesis 3:17-19 17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;

6. Lesson Text—Genesis 3:17-19 18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; 19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

7. Lesson Text—Genesis 3:20-23 Genesis 3:20-23 20 And Adam called his wife’s name Eve; because she wast he mother of all living. 21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.

8. Lesson Text—Genesis 3:20-23 22 And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: 23 Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.

9. Lesson Text—Genesis 3:24 Genesis 3:24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

10. Focus Verse—Romans 5:12 Romans 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.

11. Focus Thought Man turned from God and received an inherent fallen nature and inclination to sin. But God promised a Savior to redeem us from sin.

12. I. The Fall Culture Connection It is a struggle experienced by all believers—the struggle between the carnal and the spiritual natures. Often, new believers experience guilt and condemnation when they first encounter this raging struggle within. They somehow think they have failed or that something is wrong with them that they should experience such temptations. The good news is they are no different from any other Christian; all believers deal with this struggle for spiritual dominance.

13. I. The Fall Even Paul wrote of this perpetual inward struggle (Romans 7:14-25). The bad news is they will have to engage and deal with the struggle. Thanks to Adam and Eve, every human has a fallen, carnal nature—one that is susceptible to and tainted by sin. All have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23). When a person receives the Holy Spirit, he does not become immune to his carnal nature; it still resides within.

14. I. The Fall Rather, he must develop spiritual disciplines to nurture his regenerated spirit and resist his inward carnal urges. We need not think it strange when we encounter such strong struggles within. However, through praying, meditating on the Word of God, fasting, and attending church faithfully, we can overcome this struggle of two natures. We should not be discouraged that the struggle rages—only aware of how to combat it through the power of the Holy Ghost.

15. I. The Fall Contemplating The Topic Perhaps we could picture the following scene. Outside the entrance to the Garden of Eden we hear a car engine start. Eve, the childless mother of all living, sits behind the wheel of her candy-apple-red car with its fig leaf decals. On the back, we see a personalized license plate reading, “ADAM 812.”

16. I. The Fall A bumper sticker is on the back with a picture of a serpent crossed out with a slogan saying, “Just say NO.” Her husband is there with her, being driven from Paradise. This car is not a sedan or a two-door convertible; it is a hearse, hauling evidence to the death of the divine relationship they had enjoyed previously with God.

17. I Timothy 2:13-14 “For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression” (I Timothy 2:13-14).

18. I. The Fall Few stories in Scripture continually affect so much of our lives as does the story of mankind’s fall into sin. The blame game continues as we wonder what life would have been like if one woman and one man had made better choices. However, since we cannot change the past, we should learn from it and thereby change our future.

19. I. The Fall Searching The Scriptures The Fall While many people turn to online shopping for bargains, others have found some Internet-based companies to be a theological resource—at least the theology regarding original sin. The website www.peoplearegood.com sells the theory that except for a few rotten apples in the bunch, most people are good to the core.

20. I. The Fall Of course, this sales pitch stems from the corporate desire to reassure you, the buyer, that the person who just took your money will indeed send you the digital camera you won on the online auction.

21. I. The Fall How we view human nature, as inherently bad or naturally good, will determine everything we do or say in our views of others, ourselves, and even God. As we peel through the layers of the story of humanity’s fallen condition, we should carefully search for the source of evil in our world, and perhaps ascend from the low level to which the human race has fallen.

22. A. Deceived or Disobedient More than both being sinners, Adam and Eve represent the two ways people commit sin—by choice and by mistake. (See I Timothy 2:14.) Eve was duped, but Adam was defiant and fully aware of his sin. He had received the commandment from God directly, while Eve had gotten secondhand information from her husband and had allowed herself to be deceived by the serpent.

23. I. The Fall Defiant, rebellious sinfulness is more blatant and dangerous than deception; however, it is simpler to assess and correct through genuine repentance. Deception, on the other hand, feeds on the gullible side of human nature, and it requires the most discipline, development, and discernment. Deception is comparable to seduction. One thing is clear about defiance and deception: both require repentance of sin in order to achieve forgiveness and restoration.

24. I. The Fall Deception often is subtle, and it usually originates with those who seek to have company in their own chosen path of defiant sinfulness. Consequently, it is not surprising that selfishly persuasive people often seek to entangle others in their sexual sins: “For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts” (II Timothy 3:6).

25. I. The Fall Deception is a dangerous ploy of the wicked, and we must seek to become wise to its insidious attacks. We must not allow the devil, others, or our own selves to deceive us. (See Genesis 3:4- 5, 13; II Thessalonians 2:3; I Corinthians 3:18.) We especially must be careful that no one deceives us regarding Jesus Christ (II Corinthians 11:1-4).

26. B. Hiding and Covering Up The child riding his bike tries to avoid mud puddles and keep his clothes clean. However, in a moment of distraction, he goes through a little puddle, and his back tire flings mud onto his clean shirt. Does he hurry home now to clean up and change? No. He figures, Now that my shirt is dirty, what is the difference between a little dirt and more dirt? So he hits another puddle. He feels free.

27. I. The Fall He has already broken the rules of good hygiene, so there is no limit. By the time he returns home, he is covered in mud and his mom screams, “What happened to your nice clothes?” The classic answer for a typical child bursts forth, “Sorry, Mom. I didn’t mean to get dirty.” God created our bodies to be healthy. However, once a malady occurs, the body continues getting worse until someone intervenes. Sometimes the simplest cold or fever can turn into a life-threatening disease if left untended.

28. I. The Fall Only by taking action against that downward spiral do we stand a chance at saving our lives. Our human natures do not intend to fall into sin, but once a person has entered the land of iniquity, the carnal nature begins its influence. Human reasoning dominates and takes the individual further than he had originally intended.

29. I. The Fall His reasoning may follow paths such as these: I’ve already gone this far, might as well have fun...; Well, God’s already mad at me now, so...; or If I’m going to repent, I might as well do something worth repenting of. Because of such carnal reasoning, the person tends to stay where he fell, and he wallows in his sinful condition. When a person sins, he suddenly feels the coldness of exposure, even though no one is watching. He will gather fig leaves of flimsy excuses to hide his shame.

30. I. The Fall Rather than come out in the open with his errors, he reorders his world from within his sinful environment and with his new identity. He hides behind the scrawny forest of the family tree, social conditioning, and victimization. From behind the bushes of embarrassment, he secretly longs to restore fellowship with his Creator. However, he seeks ways of coping with his “isms,” lifestyles, and phobias rather than running to the One who could save him from them.

31. I. The Fall Like the scene in the Garden of Eden after Adam sinned, the Almighty comes looking for fellowship asking, “Where are you?” Created in the image of God, the sinner spreads both hands and replies, “Things have changed between us. Now that I know myself better, I’m afraid of You.” Mankind attempts to cover his shame further by passing the blame: “It’s that woman you gave me!”

32. I. The Fall Many people have echoed this sentiment: it was the home I grew up in; it was because of what my father did; or if someone had told me sooner, I wouldn’t be in this mess. The Scriptures warn us that those who cover their sins will not prosper or enjoy God’s favor. (See Genesis 4:7; Proverbs 28:13.) How simple it would have been for Adam and Eve to confess and forsake their sins. They would have received God’s mercy, and likely God would not have cursed them.

33. I. The Fall When God warned them about the tree, He told them that eating from its fruit would cause them to die. He did not say anything about the man being cursed with hard labor to provide for the family and the woman being cursed with hard labor to deliver children. These judgments came only after they refused to confess their disobedience. If a child of God falls into sin, immediately he or she should cry out to God for cleansing with a commitment never to return to such an action.

34. I. The Fall The longer we go in unconfessed sin, the more damage we heap on ourselves. Living in a shroud, concealing our transgressions, we feel justified in continuing in them. If no one knows, then no one will be hurt, right? Wrong! Both we and the ones we love will suffer when we defend our sins. A curse limits a person from attaining his calling. God ordained Adam to be a caretaker of the ground. When He cursed both Adam and the ground, it hindered Adam from fulfilling his calling.

35. I. The Fall Eve’s destiny was to bear children. God cursed her with an impediment in the very process of her purpose. Sometimes people go through life wondering why they are not achieving their God-given dreams. Perhaps they should examine their lives for hidden shame and unconfessed sins.

36. I. The Fall God wanted to cover and restore His wayward children. With the shedding of blood, God created animal-skin outfits for them to thoroughly cover their shame. We cannot cover our own sins effectively. Only the shed blood of Jesus Christ can hide our transgressions and give us the opportunity to walk with Him.

37. II. The Carnal Nature The Carnal Nature People try to blame their genes for everything bad that happens to them. Many people claim they are shadowed by a generational curse, or they are the product of an evil environment. Many impoverished people have proven to be the nicest, most considerate individuals in society. On the other hand, many well- to-do people have drifted into various sorts of criminal activity. The truth is that everyone has a choice either to live a life of sin or to be a child of God.

38. I. The Fall A society that believes people are basically good will not try to teach morals. Instead, they try to teach respect and balance apart from the principles of right and wrong. They teach young students to use condoms, but not to save sex for marriage. They teach us to appoint a designated driver, but not to stay away from alcohol. They teach us to be nice, but not to be holy.

39. I. The Fall They teach young people to obey rules when they fall within their own self- interest, but they will allow utter disrespect for the authorities that give those rules, ultimately including God from whom all authority flows. A society that accepts people as basically good will encourage youth to achieve their wildest dreams and greatest successes, but it neglects to point out the important inner developments of integrity and purity.

40. I. The Fall This wrong basic assumption of secular humanism has developed a public education system that organizes barbarians without civilizing their passions. The Word of God, however, teaches us that sin dwells within us (Romans 7:17) and is the law followed by our carnal nature (Romans 7:21, 25). While God did not create us as sinful, He created us with the ability to give ourselves over to sin. While we were created with a capacity for purity and righteousness, we chose a lower value system.

41. I. The Fall Paul declared that sin took its opportunity and deceived him (Romans 7:11) just as it did the woman in the Garden (I Timothy 2:14). Unfortunately, the carnal nature continues trying to work within individuals, even the redeemed. The struggle between carnal flesh and the Spirit, which Paul contrasted clearly in Romans 7, continues all of a person’s life. He can overcome carnality only through great effort and by yielding to the influence of the Holy Spirit within.

42. I. The Fall We yield to whichever influence we choose: “With the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin” (Romans 7:25). Certainly, our personal choices and decisions determine which nature lives and thrives within us. The European cuckoo bird usually grows up as an adopted member of another bird’s nest. The pregnant mamma cuckoo flies around until she finds a nest with eggs the size of her own, like the thrush.

43. I. The Fall While the mother thrush has “run downtown for a minute,” the mamma cuckoo lays her egg in the untended nest and takes one egg so the mother does not notice the swap. The nest- builder returns and sits on the eggs until they hatch. The cuckoo chick hatches sooner than the others and grows quickly. Not only does it greedily devour whatever grubs, worms, and bugs its foster mom brings for lunch, but will even kick the other eggs or baby chicks out of the nest to eliminate the competition.

44. A. Corrupted Nature The polluted nature of mankind has earned him much more than he ever possessed in the Garden. We now can sin, feel sorrow, catch sickness, feel the pangs of conscience, create social conflict and rebellion, experience pain, experience the bondage of self- indulgence, fight to justify our self-will, follow it with thoughts of self- justification, and anticipate God’s wrath.

45. I. The Fall A salesman paid a visit to the office of a potential client. On the businessman’s desk was a bid from the salesman’s competitor. While discussing with the gentleman what his company could offer, the salesman twitched with nervous impatience to know what the competitor’s bid was. He knew it would be cheating to see the document because then he could undercut the competition and be sure to get the contract.

46. I. The Fall During their discussion, the businessman excused himself and said he had to leave the room for a few minutes. The salesman seized the opportunity to peek at the proposal lying on the desk. To his frustration, the final bid amount was hidden under a tin can. Glancing toward the door and seeing that the coast was clear, the salesman decided to move the odd looking paper weight. As he lifted the can, he watched in horror as hundreds of BBs spilled out from the bottomless can and covered the desk.

47. I. The Fall His heart sank as he realized he had fallen for a trap, and now his would-be client knew he had no integrity. Mankind without God is totally depraved. “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away” (Isaiah 64:6). Even our good is counted for bad when we live in the fallen state.

48. I. The Fall Not only does unregenerate mankind sin liberally, but he also invents new ways to do evil. (See Proverbs 12:2; Ecclesiastes 7:29.) Even those who have tasted the heavenly gift and sampled the symbolic fruit of the Garden may return to evil. However, Peter observed that the latter end of those who return to their sinful roots is worse than the beginning (II Peter 2:20). People would be better off not knowing the way of life than to know it and then return to a life of sin.

49. I. The Fall Spiritually immature people do not exhibit responsibility. Eve never considered her obligation to the billions of people who would suffer because of her poor choice. Adam never thought of the multitudes who would struggle to survive just because of his moment of weakness. Not only are humans naturally irresponsible when they sin, but they also invent excuses in an attempt to shift the blame to others. They make morally reckless decisions that are not trustworthy.

50. B. Separation from God When God created mankind, He declared that His creation was good (Genesis 1:31). He created him as sinless and perfect with an inclination to be like Him. However, when mankind went against God’s law because of the desire to be his own master, he separated himself from God. Further, separation from God is always one of the results of sin.

51. A. Innocence Lost Results of the Fall A.Innocence Lost Being aware of evil may be our biggest problem. Depraved human nature causes individuals to be drawn to what is wrong like magnets to metallic objects. Adam and Eve were drawn to the only tree whose fruit God had barred them from eating. They did not fence it off and they never put it out of their minds.

52. I. The Fall Perhaps they became experts at creating rules for how close they could get to the tree. Perhaps Adam first set the boundary at twenty feet from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, which would have been close enough for them to see and enjoy it without eating from it. Eve might have later presented a new proposition to shorten the rule to fifteen feet so they could see it and also enjoy its fragrance. However, soon the rule was five feet, and then just under its branches.

53. I. The Fall It is possible they drew closer and closer to the tree until it became impossible to resist its tempting fruit. In a similar fashion, people today justify themselves for drawing near to things that God has forbidden. They rationalize exposure to sin until the next logical step is to partake of the sin themselves. Consequently, they end up violating God’s commands.

54. B. Expelled from Eden After Adam and Eve fell into sin, God put them out of the Garden. In the Garden, God had provided everything including the best food, the best living conditions, and the safest environment. Suddenly, Adam and Eve lost God’s protection and provision as they had known it. Adam had to make his own way in life and provide food for his wife and himself by working for it. Their selfish choices cost them dearly. Thinking they were gaining so much, they instead lost tremendously.

55. C. Fellowship Broken Sin caused mankind to lose his utopian home, and it also caused a break in his fellowship with God. Now, humanity can reestablish relationship with God only on an individual basis. To regain relationship with God, a person must deliberately and passionately pursue the presence of God through obedience to the Word of God. Further, after a person experiences a renewed relationship with God, he should carefully guard it and nurture it lest he lose it again through a careless, self-seeking attitude.

56. D. Destiny Cursed Humans are the only creatures in the universe who took the blessing of God, corrupted it, and caused it to change into a curse. Originally, mankind’s life was blessed and easy as God provided his food, relaxation, and happiness. Sadly, mankind’s selfish ambitions landed him in poverty, survival living with aching muscles and many sorrows. Eve could have happily populated the earth with sheer joy and carefree exuberance; instead, she swapped that for excruciating pain in fulfilling her destiny of motherhood.

57. IV. Redeemed from the Fall Redeemed from the Fall Individuals today still experience the desolation mankind brought about in the Garden because of sin; however, they do not despair over the story for they know the ultimate outcome. God provided a way of restoration through Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ was God manifest in the flesh for the purpose of forgiving sins, restoring fellowship, and ushering in a new era of oneness with God through repentance, water baptism in Jesus’ name, and receiving the Holy Spirit as evidenced by speaking in other tongues.

58. A. Shedding of Blood Shedding of Blood Mankind messed up God’s beautiful plan. Paul wrote, “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” (Romans 5:12). Mankind lost his relationship with God in the Garden and received the judgment of death. However, what mankind lost through sin because of imperfection, Jesus Christ, the perfect Son of God, could restore.

59. I. The Fall The death brought by man’s disobedience could not be remedied by the death of a bull, goat, sheep, or pigeon. Only the death of a human could undo the curse: “For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead” (I Corinthians 15:21). As now the author of death, Adam could not bring about this restoration: “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive” (I Corinthians 15:22).

60. I. The Fall However, Jesus Christ was the perfect man—the only One able to fix what mankind had broken. He shed His life’s blood so we could be cleansed from the curse of sin and live free from sin’s hold.

61. B. Promise of a Savior Promise of a Savior Adam sinned when he showed more loyalty to his wife than to God. He followed Eve’s lead when he should have led her to do what was right. If Adam had refused Eve’s enticement, perhaps the story would have been quite different today. However, he chose to sin and found himself separated from God. Eve sinned because the serpent deceived her. She fell into the transgression, but Adam descended into disobedience by his own willful choice.

62. I. The Fall Although the woman brought a curse upon her gender and along with Adam introduced sin to the entire human race, the Scriptures offer hope. Paul wrote to his son in the gospel, Timothy, “Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety” (I Timothy 2:15). God’s curse only limited the woman, but did not destroy her. The woman saw, lusted, and sinned, thereby suffering the blight of agony in giving birth to children.

63. I. The Fall However, through the curse also came the promise of restitution. God warned the serpent that the offspring of the woman would bruise his head (Genesis 3:15). This first prophetic glimpse at the redeeming work of Jesus Christ reminds us that the woman who messed up everything also brought the solution. Eve may have been the mother of all living, but Mary became the mother of the Living One. Indeed, the child born to Mary in Bethlehem brought life and hope to a sin-enslaved world.

64. B. Promise of a Savior Internalizing The Message Even in the midst of our greatest failures, God will make a way of rescue and triumph for us. It is possible that a prison sentence could become a shining testimony of God’s grace in spite of the shame involved. When Adam and Eve sinned, they committed three violations in the Garden. (1) They sinned against their own consciences and damaged themselves. (2) They also sinned against each other and showed disrespect for God’s established line of authority.

65. I. The Fall (3) Worst of all, they sinned against God, who had given them life and friendship. While fallen humanity finds salvation in the birth of the Savior, we must “continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety” (I Timothy 2:15, NIV). By developing holiness in our private lives through self-control, our love for one another, and our faith in God, we reestablish spiritual life.

66. I. The Fall One could sum up the whole of the Christian walk in the qualities of growing confidence in the Almighty, compassion and respect for others, and living with personal integrity and godliness. Ultimately, we look forward to the restoration of Eden when peace reigns and wild animals become tame (Isaiah 11; 65:17-25). We long for the day when God wipes away every tear, and the Tree of Life gives fruit each month as its leaves heal the nations. (See Revelation 21; 22.)

67. I. The Fall In our present state we must endure the curse, but one day we will enjoy the fullness of the cure. Although winter follows fall, there remains a spiritual spring with renewed life for all who will receive it. Without delay, we should take advantage of the opportunity for new life through a renewed relationship with God.