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Man was placed in the Garden of Eden with a wonderful destiny. He also had a sober choice between the promise of life and the prospect of death. Life was a choice he could make. Adam had an initial probationary period beyond which was the prospect of eating of the tree of life. If he had been obedient, he could have been eternally fed on that tree. If he was disobedient, he would be banished from the garden, barred from access to that tree of life.
1. What had God said that man could do and that he could not do? (Genesis 2:15-17)
2. Eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil represented the freedom to make decisions as to what is right and wrong. This was a test of Adam’s obedience: whether he was willing to let God determine good and evil, or to make his own autonomous decisions. What did the serpent say about God’s command? (Genesis 3:4,5)
3. What was Eve’s response to the lies of the serpent? (Genesis 3:6). [Notice what she was doing here. She looked at the tree and made her own assessment of it. She heard what God had said about it. Then she heard the serpent’s version. Then she made her own decision, no longer depending on God for true knowledge or direction in morality. In that sense, she became as God.]
4. What difference did Adam and Eve’s disobedience make to their relationship with God? (Genesis 3:8)
5. Did Adam give a straight answer to God’s question? (Genesis 3:11,12)
6. Read Genesis 3:14-20. Do you think the knowledge of good and evil benefited mankind? What are the consequences of our sins when we act in rebellion against God’s word, seeking to be independent in assessing what is right and wrong?
7. As a result of sin, man was not allowed to eat the fruit of the tree of life, and live for ever (Genesis 3:22). Looking at the evil in the world now, do you think that this is a good thing? Would you want to live in the world, as it is today, for ever?
8. In Genesis 3:15 we see the first mention of the promise of a savior. A child of the woman would bruise the head of the snake. By what name do you know this child?
9. Read Matthew 4:1-11. Jesus had to face similar choices to Adam, though in a far more hostile environment. In what ways were the devil’s temptations to Jesus similar to those faced by Adam and Eve? In what ways were Jesus’ responses different?
One small act of disobedience had such disastrous results for mankind. Spend time considering the fruit of some of the rebellious choices you have made in independence from God’s word. Praise God that even in the midst of this sad story of man’s sin, God had a plan of salvation.
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