Read Genesis 3:1-7.
As a society, it seems that we sure don’t agree on much these days. Actually, about the only thing we might agree on is that something is not right with the world. The broken world we see on the news, streaming through our social media feeds, or in the lives of those closest to us hammers home one key truth: somewhere at some time in our long history, something has gone horribly, tragically wrong.
The lies of unbelief, idolatry, and rebellion were first believed by Adam and Eve and now bubble up from every human heart. They are everywhere in our culture. It has become almost an assumed dogma that to “follow your heart” is the best path to happiness and freedom. But Scripture shows that those who follow their heart, apart from the transforming work of the Holy Spirit, are actually following the voice of Satan.
The sin of the first couple had devastating consequences for Adam and Eve, and it does for us as well. The Creator God handed down His punishments to the serpent, the woman, and the man for their part in this sin, and we bear those same consequences today, both for their sin and for our own.
Sin has wrecked and ruptured our created purpose to rule over God’s creation and steward it for His glory and the good of others. The consequences of sin are severe, but from the first moment of sin, God also responded with a message of hope to His people.
When you read through Genesis 1–2 for the first time, the final verse of these chapters might seem rather odd: “Both the man and his wife were naked, yet felt no shame” (Gen. 2:25). Adam and Eve were naked and unashamed. Why would God include that detail—one that is prone to make us blush?
We find the answer seven verses later. After Adam and Eve sinned, their eyes were opened and they knew they were both naked, so in shame, they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves. These two verses work together, as bookends to the first sin. The first verse shows God’s intention for Adam and Eve. They were to enjoy complete intimacy and acceptance of one another in marriage. There were no barriers between them. The second verse shows sin’s immediate and devastating consequences. What God had intended for Adam and Eve to enjoy was lost. Intimacy and acceptance gave way to barriers and shame.
Our blushing reminds us of what was lost. Just reading of Adam and Eve’s nakedness makes us uncomfortable. Deep down, when we read Genesis 2:25, we feel what the first couple didn’t feel in that moment—shame—revealing how deeply sin has affected us. And just like Adam and Eve in Genesis 3:7, we do all we can to cover our shame from one another and from God.
Sin has wrecked and ruptured our created purpose to rule over God’s creation and steward it for His glory and the good of others. The consequences of sin are severe, but from the first moment of sin, God also responded with a message of hope to His people.
Adam and Eve disobeyed God, ate from a tree, and died. Jesus willingly obeyed God by being nailed to a tree to die for us. He took the bite of the serpent and the poison of the curse so that we could be released from both. And in doing so, Jesus crushed the serpent’s head (Gen. 3:15).
This article was adapted from The Gospel Project for Adults Fall 2018, Unit 1, Session 3—“Sin and God’s Good News.” Join us in “The Beginning” this fall as The Gospel Project start a new three-year chronological, Christ-centered journey through the storyline of Scripture. Preview four sessions free at gospelproject.com.
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