Confronting our Own Sin

Sin is sometimes treated as a taboo subject—something people don’t want to be confronted with or talk about. Yet most of us readily admit that sin is a reality in our world. Greed, violence, and poverty are just a few examples of the sin that exists in the world. Even if we don’t like to talk about our own sin, we can be quick to point it out in the lives of others. The challenge for us is to recognize and admit that sin is something we also fall prey to and participate in.

Lent is a season for confronting our own sin. That’s why Genesis—where sin entered the world—is an ideal place to start this forty-day journey because this story is not just about Adam and Eve and sin entering the world. It’s a story about ourselves. It’s an age-old story we see play out over and over again about about humanity choosing our own way over the ways of God. Lent is the season when confront our sin so we might move into a deeper relationship with God.

Genesis 2:15–17 NIV

15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”

Genesis 3:1–7 NIV

1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” 2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 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.’ ” 4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 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 it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

Abundant Provision

It’s easy to start discussions of this text with the prohibition—what Adam and Eve are not allowed to do—but the emphasis is actually on the vast provision of God. They are free to eat from any tree in the garden except that one. God has provided abundantly for humanity.

There is only one tree, out of the vast abundance of trees, that they aren’t supposed to eat from. God has created a boundary that is for the well-being of humanity.

The boundary is: if they eat from this tree they will die. Whether death will be immediate or at some point in the future is not clear in the text, nor is it important. What’s important is that a consequence for disobedience—certain death—has been articulated.

This boundary is ultimately about trust: Do Adam and Eve trust that God wants good for them? Do Adam and Eve trust that the provision of God is enough?

Adam has been placed in the garden to tend and care for it. Even this purpose demonstrates extravagant provision

He doesn’t have to plan and plant the initial garden; he is simply placed in one that already exists and asked to care for it.

Tending the garden gives him the opportunity to live out the creative nature of the image of God. His work is rewarding and fruitful. Caring for the garden leads to abundance.

Blame the Serpent

We aren’t sure what a serpent is—is it a snake? Is it the devil in disguise? Is it a metaphor for idolatry? (All of these options are argued by various scholars.) What’s important here is not defining a serpent but understanding its role, which is to tempt Adam and Eve to violate the boundary. The benefit of not really knowing what a serpent is, is that we can imagine our own temptations in its place.

The questions the serpent asks emphasize the crossing of the boundary. Walter Brueggemann says the serpent transforms the boundary God established. The boundary is meant for the good of humanity, but the serpent transforms it in their minds as something good that God is trying to keep from them.

They have every good thing, and they only have one boundary! Yet, suddenly, they fixate on the boundary: they notice that the fruit is pleasing to the eye, that it is good for food, and that it is desirable for gaining wisdom.

This temptation is a temptation to not trust God and to reorder how things are meant to be. Humans have been placed as caretakers of creation, yet here is creation trying to rule humanity. Humanity is supposed to trust God, yet here they are questioning if God is trustworthy.

Ultimately the choice to violate the boundary is the choice of Adam and Eve. They choose to abdicate their caretaker role, instead becoming subject to creation. They choose not to trust that God wants what is best for them.

Blame the Woman

In the exchange with the serpent, the “you” pronouns are plural in Hebrew, indicating that both Adam and Eve have been and are responsible for observing the boundary God set regarding the one tree, even if the serpent is only addressing the woman directly. Verse 6 tells us that Adam has been with her the whole time.

Ultimately, both choose to eat the fruit. Humanity has sinned. It is not that one particular person has sinned and then caused another to sin. The choice is made by both Adam and Eve to violate God’s boundary.

The shifting of blame begins in verses 12 and 13. Adam blames Eve, and Eve blames the serpent. Their violation of the boundary fractures their relationship with God, and their unwillingness to take responsibility for their actions and shift blame fractures their relationship with each other.

Shame and Hiding from God

The humans sew clothes for themselves when they realize they are naked. It doesn’t take long for their guilt over the sin to turn into shame, which causes them to hide from God.

How might this story have ended if Adam and Eve didn’t hide? We often want to ask what would have happened if the first humans didn’t sin, but an important question to ask is, what if they had admitted their sin to God, instead of hiding from God?

These passages have demonstrated God’s abundant provision and God’s trustworthiness. We also see that, despite their sin, God still seeks relationship with humanity—so what if the humans had chosen to run toward God instead of away? Would the consequences have been the same?

What if the actual sin here is more about the hiding and the failure to take responsibility for the disobedience and less about the disobedience itself?

This idea of hiding instead of confronting our sin is important because Romans 3:23 tells us that “all have sinned.” There is no shame in sinning. We all do it. And we experience the consequences of our sins. But then what? Do we run toward God and confess our sin? Or do we turn away from God and try to hide it from both God and ourselves? .

Instead of blaming others, we need to take responsibility for our own actions.

Instead of layering ourselves with shame upon shame, we need to confess and repent before God.

Instead of hiding when we feel convicted, we need to allow God to take our sin and redeem us so we can begin to be healed and restored

Lent is a season in the church calendar that is set aside for the confrontation of sin. It is a time to stop shifting blame, to come out from the bushes, to unburden ourselves from the shame we’ve crafted for ourselves. The question isn’t whether we’ve sinned but whether we’re trying to hide our sin from God. When we try to hide our sin from God, we are ultimately hiding our full selves from the presence of God as well. Just like Adam and Eve, God seeks to provide abundantly for us, and we cannot be provided for when we’re hiding in the bushes, cloaked in shame. What if Adam and Eve had run toward God instead of away from God?

We see in

1 John 1:9 NIV

9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Throughout Scripture we see a God who pursues humanity in spite of sin. In spite of humanity hiding, in spite of humanity running away, God continues to pursue us. In the story of the prodigal son, when the son walks toward the father, the father runs toward the son. So we can say with confidence that this story would have ended differently if Adam and Eve hadn’t run from God because of their sin but ran toward God instead.

During Lent, may we stop running in the wrong direction. Let’s collectively face God with our sin, and humbly ask for grace and mercy. Let’s run toward the one who is already running toward us, so that we might renew our relationship with God, with those around us, and with creation itself. It’s not an easy process, but we will find a God who is full of love and mercy as we travel these forty days together.

TIME OF REFLECTION - Prayer Stations (while music plays in background)

COMMUNION RITUAL

The Communion Supper, instituted by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is a sacrament, which proclaims His life, His sufferings, His sacrificial death, and resurrection, and the hope of His coming again. It shows forth the Lord’s death until His return.

The Supper is a means of grace in which Christ is present by the Spirit. It is to be received in reverent appreciation and gratefulness for the work of Christ.

All those who are truly repentant, forsaking their sins, and believing in Christ for salvation are invited to participate in the death and resurrection of Christ. We come to the table that we may be renewed in life and salvation and be made one by the Spirit.

In unity with the Church, we confess our faith: Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again. And so we pray:

PRAYER OF CONFESSION AND SUPPLICATION:

Holy God,

We gather at this, your table, in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ, who by your Spirit was anointed to preach good news to the poor, proclaim release to the captives, set at liberty those who are oppressed. Christ healed the sick, fed the hungry, ate with sinners, and established the new covenant for forgiveness of sins. We live in the hope of His coming again.

On the night in which He was betrayed, He took bread, gave thanks, broke the bread, gave it to His disciples, and said: “This is my body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”

Likewise, when the supper was over, He took the cup, gave thanks, gave it to His disciples, and said: “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this in remembrance of me.” Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

And so, we gather as the Body of Christ to offer ourselves to you in praise and thanksgiving. Pour out your Holy Spirit on us and on these your gifts. Make them by the power of your Spirit to be for us the body and blood of Christ, that we may be for the world the Body of Christ, redeemed by His blood.

By your Spirit make us one in Christ, one with each other, and one in the ministry of Christ to all the world, until Christ comes in final victory. In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Amen.

EXPLAIN ELEMENTS

The body of our Lord Jesus Christ, broken for you, preserve you blameless, unto everlasting life. Eat this in remembrance that Christ died for you, and be thankful.

The blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, shed for you, preserve you blameless unto everlasting life. Drink this in remembrance that Christ died for you, and be thankful.

CONCLUDING PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING AND COMMITMENT

And now, as our Savior Christ has taught us, let us pray:

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.