Four Lessons From the Fall

Genesis 3 is one of the most important chapters in the Bible. This describes the fall of mankind. Today, we look at Four Lessons From the Fall. 

Last time, we studied verses 8-19. Today, I want to look at four lessons we can learn from this study about the fall of mankind

Four Lessons From the Fall

In Genesis 3 man distorts, denies, and defies God’s Word—reducing it to an alternative viewpoint, while man is the judge of what is “true for me.”

This rebellion against God’s Word is responsible for all our woes—our alienation from God, our self-deception, our broken relationships with each other, the failure of animals to respond to our dominion, our toil to raise food from the ground, the “groaning” creation, and our own physical death.

Unbelief is not just stark atheism but any stubborn, willful disregard of God’s Word, even by “believers.” Do we accept that His Word is true, and yet sometimes willfully disobey what He says? Genesis 3 is with us still. This passage of Scripture is full of personal applications.

1. The Standard Is God’s Word

First, we know that God’s Word is still the standard by which we are to live our lives and to resist temptation. Jesus (the “Last Adam,” fended off temptation by affirming God’s Word. “It is written,” He told Satan three times. The first Adam compromised God’s Word; the Last Adam elevated its authority. When facing temptation, Jesus used the same scriptures available to us, rather than generate some kind of “new” scripture.

2. Sin Is Our Problem

Second, in contrast to the claims of modern social engineering, we should not blame sin on our childhood or our environment.

Adam and Eve experienced no childhood trauma; their “Father” (God) was gracious and provided all that they needed to live a fulfilling life.  Yet they rebelled against God. Like Adam and Eve, we would choose to sin, even if we lived in a perfect environment. You can see this played out in the children of the “rich and famous” as well.

3. Suffering Is Because of Our Sin

Third, sin ultimately led to the ravages we see around us today. This includes physical pain due to disease (natural evil) and emotional pain due to sinful choices we make (moral evil).

Philosophers make much of “innocent” suffering. But biblically, there are no true cases of innocent suffering, save one, which is the very purpose of Christ’s incarnation and crucifixion: “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cornithians 5:21).  The death of Jesus is the only case of a genuinely innocent person suffering. He did so in order to reconcile us back to God.

4. Our Solution Is Christ

Fourth, and most important, is God’s promise to provide a way for us to escape the tragic consequence of sin.

The choice to “take and eat” ultimately plunged mankind into the darkness of death. Jesus, by offering Himself as a sacrifice on the cross, freely provided new life for us, if we will but “take and eat” as well. (Maybe this has given you a new understanding of why He chose to use those words at the Last Supper)!

As one writer stated, “Jesus came on a rescue mission for creation. He had to pay for our sins so that some day he can end evil and suffering without ending us.” 

From eternity past, God ordained a plan, knowing full well that He would become the chief victim of that plan so He could  purchase our redemption and our eternal good. To God be the glory!

This concludes our study of Genesis Chapter Three. Next time, we will begin in Chapter Four.

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