The Holy Spirit in the 21st Century



Lesson 6

The Fall of Man

Imagine for a moment, that we lived in a perfect world. There would be no crime, no disasters, and no plagues. Fear, stress, physical illness and disease would be nonexistent. Humans and the animal kingdom would live together in total harmony.

The first three chapters of Genesis give us a detailed account of Creation. What is quite clear is the original perfection of God’s creation: everything was good. Man, being created in God’s imagine, was good, sinless and in harmony with his creator. What we then see is the degeneration of the human race from perfection to moral debasement. “The fall of man.”

1. The Creation of Man

a. God created man by a specific and immediate Action:

• So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. Genesis 1:27

• The Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. Genesis 2:7

Humans did not evolve from some other species as some people would have us believe. Our loving Creator formed the first man in the first instance. He was created in God’s image and likeness, reflecting God’s perfection in his spirit, mind and body. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

b. Man was Given Status above the Animal Kingdom:

• God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” Genesis 1:28

• What is man that you are mindful of him?.....You have made him a little lower than the angels, and You have crowned him with glory and honor. Psalm 8:4-5

Man was given immediate dominion over the earth and the animal kingdom, separating him as a unique creation. Special, distinct, and above the rest of God’s earthly creation.

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2. Human’s Initial relationship with God.

a. Given Stewardship of the Garden of Eden.

The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and to take care of it. Genesis 2:15

What does stewardship mean to you? ______________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

b. Given Authority to Name the Animals:

• Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the field. Genesis 2:19-20

God put such a high value on His creation that he allowed the man the honor of giving names to all the animals and birds. Man became a coworker with God in the garden. God gave the man position, authority, and responsibility right from the start.

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c. An Intimate Relationship with God.

• Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day… the Lord God called to the man. “Where are you?” Genesis 3:8-9

The scripture indicates that Adam and Eve were accustomed to literally walking and talking with God as we do with our human companions.

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d. Given Only One Restriction:

• And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.” Genesis 2:16-17

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Why should God put a forbidden tree in the middle of the garden and then tell the man not to eat of its fruit? Below is an excerpt from John Bevere’s book, “Undercover”

3. The First Human Sin

a. Satan Distorted God’s Word:

• ...And he (the serpent) said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, “You shall not eat of every tree in the garden?” Genesis 3:1 (NKJV)

Satan’s ploy began with distorting the meaning of God’s word. He was basically saying, “So, God is holding out on your, is He?” He was “fishing” to see what Eve knew and believed about the matter and he wanted to get her to begin focusing on what she couldn’t have rather than on God’s giving nature. By pointing to God’s one exception, Satan implied that something good for them was being withheld.

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b. Eve Misinterpreted God’s Word:

• The woman said to the serpent, “We must eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, “You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.” Genesis 3:2-3

God had told Adam, not Eve, that they were not to eat from the tree but He had said nothing at all about touching it. Eve’s response to the serpent, “We may eat…” instead of saying, “God has said…” is typical of a person who has received information second hand. She shared her knowledge with the serpent, adding that they were not to even touch the fruit. Why did she do that?

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c. Satan Attacked God’s Word and Character:

• “You will not surely die, “the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. Gen 3:4-5

He had already challenged God’s authority. Now the serpent boldly challenged God’s truthfulness and then assured Eve that, upon eating the fruit, they would become like God – the very thing that Satan had wanted for himself.

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d. Adam and Eve Gave in to Temptation:

• When the Woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate. She also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate it. Genesis 3:6

Now Eve looked at the tree through new eyes. With newly raised doubts about God, she touched a piece of fruit…nothing happened. She picked a piece and held it in her hand... still nothing happened. That was all the confirmation her human reasoning needed.

4. The Consequences of the Fall

a. Immediately:

• 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. And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. Then the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, "Where are you?" So he said, "I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself." 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. Genesis 3:7-13

As soon as their eyes were opened they were filled with guilt, shame and fear, followed by evasion and blaming. It is interesting to note that God called Adam to accountability first, then eve.

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b. To Women:

• to the woman he said, “I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing, with pain you will give birth to children. You desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.” Genesis 3:16

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c. To Men:

• Then to Adam He said, "Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat of it': "Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are And to dust you shall return." Genesis 3:17-19

• therefore the LORD God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. 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 3:23-24

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d. To the Human Race

• Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned – Romans 5:12

• …the result of one trespass (Adam’s) was condemnation for all men…through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners. Romans 5:18:19

• There is no one righteous, not even one . Romans 3:10 (See 1 John 1:8)

• …for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…Romans 3:23

• For the wages of sin is death. Romans 6:23

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5. The Three Types of Death

a. Physical:

• …the body without the spirit is dead. James 2:26

• …It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment. Hebrews 9:27 (NKJV)

b. Spiritual:

• …you were dead in your transgressions and sins…when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air…..Ephesians 2:1-2

c. Eternal:

• Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. Revelation 20:14-15 (See Revelation 21:27)

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6. The Peculiar Curses of Sin

• Man’s Understanding is Darkened

• The Heart is Deceitful and Wicked

• The Mind and Conscience are Defiled

• The Will Slants Toward Evil

Conclusion

God’s word states that man began at the highest level and through rebellion to God, fell to the base level that the unregenerate man now lives in.

There are also those who teach that there is a personal power within every person which, if only accessed, would lead us to greater wisdom and personal development. In short, “enlightened” people become god-like.

Do not be deceived by these kinds of teachings. It is only by God’s grace, revealed through the Person and the completed work of Jesus Christ, that fallen, sinful mankind can be picked up and restored to his proper place and purpose for being created. That is fellowship with God, our loving Creator.

Ephesians 2:4-6:

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

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WE BELIEVE that Man was created by God by a specific, immediate act; his image and likeness morally upright and perfect, but fell by voluntary transgression. Consequently, all humans are separated from original righteousness, being depraved and without spiritual life.

SCRIPTURE REFERENCES: Genesis 1:26-31; 3:1-7; Romans 5:12-21

God’s goodness granted, “You may freely eat…” while His authority restricted, “…but (except) of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.”

He desired companions in His garden who would love and obey Him. He did not want robots who lacked the freedom of choice. He longed for children, made in His image, with a free will. When He restricted their access to the tree, He gave them a choice that would protect them from death. It involved their will. Would they trust ad obey? Without the command there would be no choice. (John Bevere, Under Cover, page 41)

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