As we study Genesis 3 and the fall in this week’s Sabbath School lesson, I am amazed how much Gospel theology is packed into this one chapter. 

In Genesis 3 we find The Plan of Salvation.

The wages of sin is death.

“but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” Genesis 3:3 NKJV

We cannot cover our own sin or be saved by our own works.

Photograph by William Earnhardt

Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.

So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.” Genesis 3:7,10 NKJV

While we cannot save ourselves, God has promised us a Savior.

And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.” Genesis 3:15 NKJV

While we cannot cover or save ourselves Jesus, the Lamb of of God died to cover our sins and save us.

Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin, and clothed them. Genesis 3:21 NKJV

In Genesis 3 we find the truth about God’s Word.

While Eve reminds the serpent of God’s Word the serpent casts doubt on God’s word at first, and then turns around and calls God’s Word an outright lie. 

Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”  And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. Genesis 3:1-4 NKJV

The serpent then suggests that Eve does not need God’s Word. She can be a god herself and decide for herself what is right and wrong.

For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Genesis 3:5 NKJV

The serpent assures Eve she won’t die for disobeying God. After all, how dare God tell us what is right and wrong, much less give us consequences for having our own opinions and way of doing things! The serpent tells Eve she will be like God. God makes the rules. God is the judge between right and wrong. If Eve becomes like God she will make the rules and decide for herself what is right and wrong. This was implied in the serpent’s comment to Eve, “you will know both good and evil.” In other words, “She would be a god. She would be a law unto herself. ” Ellen White, Christ Triumphant, January 16

Even with all the deceptions and misrepresentations God’s Word proves true. Adam and Eve died for disobeying. “For dust you are, And to dust you shall return.” Genesis 3:19 NKJV 

In Genesis 3 we find the truth about death. 

The serpent’s lie opens the door for spiritualism. 

Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die.” Genesis 3:4 NKJV

We see that mankind really does die and just returns to dust until the resurrection.

For dust you are, And to dust you shall return. Genesis 3:19 NKJV 

We see that sinners do not have immortality and do not get to live forever.

Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”— Genesis 3:22 NKJV

We see that angels are not our dead loved ones. We do not become angels when we die. God sends Cherubim angels to guard the garden and yet no one has died yet. Angels are not our dead loved ones. 

So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life. Genesis 3:24 NKJV.

In Genesis 3 we find an investigative judgment. 

Many throw shade on the Biblical teaching of the investigative judgment, saying God does not need to investigate since He already knows everything. Yet we see an investigation in Genesis 3 even though God already knew everything. Remember the investigation is not for God only. He is offering accountability to the entire universe. At the conclusion of the investigation in Genesis 3 and at the end of days, believing mankind will be justified and Satan will bear the ultimate responsibility for and punishment for sin.

And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?” Then the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.” And the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” So the Lord God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, You are cursed more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, And you shall eat dust All the days of your life.  And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.” Genesis 3:11-15 NKJV

Did I miss anything? Can you find anymore Gospel theology in Genesis chapter 3? 

Amen!(1)

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“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel” (Genesis 3:15, NIV). What did the Lord say to the serpent here, and what hope is implied in these verses?

God begins His judgment with the serpent because he is the one who initiated the whole drama. The serpent, too, is the only being who is cursed in this narrative.

Image © Lars Justinen from GoodSalt.com

We reach here a kind of “reversal” of Creation. While Creation led to life, the appreciation of good, and blessings, judgment leads to death, evil, and curses — but also, to the hope and promise of salvation. Attached to the somber picture of the crushed serpent eating the dust (Genesis 3:14) shines the hope of the salvation of humankind, which appears in the form of a prophecy. Even before the condemnations of Adam and Eve, which will follow, the Lord gives them the hope of redemption (Genesis 3:15). Yes, they have sinned; yes, they will suffer because of their sin; and, yes, they will die, too, because of the sins. But despite all that, there is the ultimate hope, the hope of salvation.

Compare Genesis 3:15 with Romans 16:20, Hebrews 2:14, and Revelation 12:17. How is the plan of salvation, as well as the great controversy, revealed in these texts?

Notice the parallels between Genesis 3:15 and Revelation 12:17: the dragon (serpent), enraged (enmity); the seed (offspring); and the woman in Eden and the woman in Revelation 12:17. The battle (the great controversy) that moved to Eden, with the Fall, will continue to the end of time. However, the promise of Satan’s defeat was already given in Eden, in that his head will be crushed, a theme more explicitly revealed in Revelation, which depicts his final demise (Revelation 20:10). That is, right from the start, humanity was given hope that there will be a way out of the terrible mess that came from the knowledge of evil, a hope that we all can share in right now.

<–Tuesday Thursday–>

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Read Genesis 3:7-13. Why did Adam and Eve feel the need to hide before God? Why did God ask the question “Where are you?” How did Adam and Eve seek to justify their behavior?

After they sinned, Adam and Eve felt naked because they lost their garments of glory, which reflected God’s presence (see Psalm 8:5, compare with Psalm 104:1-2). The image of God had been affected by sin. The verb “make” in the phrase they “made themselves coverings” (Genesis 3:7, NKJV) was so far applied only to God the Creator (Genesis 1:7, Genesis 1:16, Genesis 1:25, etc.). It is as if they replaced the Creator as they attempted to cover their sin, an act that Paul denounces as righteousness by works (Galatians 2:16).

Image © Krieg Barrie at Goodsalt.com

When God approaches, He asks them the rhetorical question “Where are you?” (Genesis 3:9, NKJV), the same kind of question that God will ask Cain (Genesis 4:9). Of course, God knew the answers to the questions. His questions were asked for the benefit of the guilty, to help them realize what they have done and yet, at the same time, to lead them to repentance and salvation. From the moment humans sinned, the Lord was working for their salvation and redemption.

In fact, the whole scenario reflects the idea of the investigative judgment, which begins with the judge, who interrogates the culprit (Genesis 3:9) in order to prepare him for the sentence (Genesis 3:14-19). But He does it also to prompt repentance, which will ultimately lead to salvation (Genesis 3:15). This is a motif seen all through the Bible.

At first, as so common with sinners, Adam and Eve both try to evade the charge, seeking to blame others. To God’s question Adam responds that it was the woman whom God had given to him (Genesis 3:12) — she led him to do it. It was her fault (and, implied, it was God’s as well), not his.

Eve responds that it was the serpent who deceived her. The Hebrew verb nasha’, “deceive” (in Genesis 3:13, NKJV), means to give people false hopes and makes them believe that they are doing the right thing (2 Kings 19:10, Isaiah 37:10, Jeremiah 49:16).

Adam blames the woman, saying that she gave him the fruit (some truth to this), and Eve blames the serpent, saying he deceived her (some truth to this, too). But in the end, they both were guilty.

<–Monday Wednesday–>

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Key Thought: The warning God gave Adam and Eve against eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil shows us that, though they were to know good, they were not to know evil..
April 9, 2022

1. Have a volunteer read Genesis3:1,2 ; Rev 12:7-9..

1. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the most important point is in this passage.
2. Who is the serpent and how does he deceive Eve?
3. Personal Application: How much more vulnerable are we now than Eve was then? What is the best defense against Satan’s deceptions? Share your thoughts..
4. Case Study: One of your relatives states, “I believe we are all born with immortality. God meant for us to live forever. Satan told the truth about death. We don’t sie; we just pass from one level of our lives to another level. The body may die, but the spirit lives on after death.” How would you respond to your relative?

2. Have a volunteer read Genesis 3:7-13.

1. Ask class members to share a thought on what the most important point in this text is.
2. Why did Adam and Eve feel the need to hide from God? How did they seek to justify their behavior?
3. Personal Application: How often do we blame others for what we have done? How do we keep from doing this? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: One of your friends states, “Why does God allow so much evil to exist on this earth now? My son was killed by a stray bullet. My husband has cancer. We have been robbed. Why did God allow all these things to happen? Couldn’t He stop these things from happening?” How would you respond to your friend?

3. Have a volunteer read Genesis 3:15..

1. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the main idea of this text is.
2. What did the Lord say to the serpent here, and what hope is implied in these verses?
3. Personal Application: Why is it comforting and hopeful to see God begin to open up the plan of salvation to humankind when sin began? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: One of your relatives states: “Why did Eve think that eating from the tree would give her wisdom? Did she think she could get something better than God had already given her?” How would you respond to your relative?

4. Have a volunteer read Genesis 3:15-24..

1. Ask class members to share a thought on what the most important point in this text is.
2. What happened to Adam and Eve as a result of the fall?
3. Personal Application: In what ways could knowledge not always be a good thing? Share your thoughts.
4. Case Study: Think of one person who needs to hear a message from this week’s lesson. Tell the class what you plan to do this week to share with them.

(Truth that is not lived, that is not imparted, loses its life-giving power, its healing virtue. Its blessings can be retained only as it is shared.”Ministry of Healing, p. 148).

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The book of Genesis offers us so many vast topics from which to choose a theme hymn. As we are starting at the very beginning, I would like to give praise to our Creator of heaven and earth in singing
Hymn 320 – Lord of Creation and 
Hymn 2 – All Creatures of Our God and King. The stories that follow creation will lean back toward our amazing God and what He has done for each of us in creation.

The Sabbath afternoon introduction shows that “despite the Fall, God has made a way of escape for us all”:
Hymn 340 – Jesus Saves.

As the devil continues to twist the words of God (Sunday), may we instead state 
Lord, I Have Made Thy Word My Choice – Hymn 273 and then have joy in singing 
Wonderful Words of Life – Hymn 286 so we can prayerfully say 
Lord, Bless Thy Word to Every Heart – Hymn 667.

With Satan arguing about immortality and being like God (Monday), we find in our Bible 
Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise – Hymn 21.

It is so wonderful to be 
Hiding in Thee – Hymn 525 rather than trying to hide from God as did Adam and Eve (Tuesday).

We are encouraged on Wednesday with the plan of salvation that has been given to us: 
Hymn 339 – God Is My Strong Salvation and 
Hymn 646 – To the Name That Brings Salvation.

We cherish with joy that “God had other plans for the man and the woman, as opposed to the serpent. They were offered a hope…”: 
Hymn 440 – How Cheering Is the Christian’s Hope, 
Hymn 522 – My Hope Is Built on Nothing Less and 
Hymn 214 – We Have This Hope.

God’s abundant blessings as we study through the first book of the Bible which our gracious God has given. May we be faithful and all say “Come, Lord Jesus, come – very soon” so we are able to go to our new home in Heaven, as 
We Have This Hope – Hymn 214.

To learn unknown hymns, you will find the accompaniment music for each one at: https://sdahymnals.com/Hymnal/

Another great resource is for when there is a hymn you wish to sing, but can’t find it in your hymnal. Go to https://www.sdahymnal.org and in the search bar type a special word in that is in the hymn. I am sure you will be amazed at the help you will be given.

2 Timothy 2:15 KJV – “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

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