The Divine Response to Sin

God seeks out sinners (Genesis 3:8-9)

Explanation: The setting for today’s text is the Garden of Eden and the time is after Adam & Eve have transgressed God’s specific command to not eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. They are experiencing the shame and guilt of their sin and they have made coverings of fig leaves in a hopeless attempt to cover their shame.

In the passage of time, they hear the sound of God as He approaches them. In their shame, they try to hide from God as they attempt to escape accountability for their actions.

NOTE: Before proceeding, take a moment to consider the privilege Adam & Eve had. They were able to walk and talk with God and enjoy sweet fellowship together. God ‘clothed’ Himself in some type of physical presence that could be seen and heard! They had that ability and they lost it!

Back to the Garden - they tried to hide. Is that not the same tactic we attempt when we have done wrong? Sometimes the 1st thing we ask, “does anyone know? did anyone see me? Can I get away from this before I am noticed?

Argument: God takes the Initiative. He comes looking for Adam and Eve. God is the One who asks, “Where are you?” [God did not ask because He was unaware of Adam’s physical location; He asked in order for Adam to respond]

Application: Be Thankful that God initiates salvation. The Gospel of Luke affirms this when Jesus declares, “For the Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Luke 19:10)

The truth that God comes looking for lost sinners is really good news because:

Sinners do not willingly acknowledge their guilt (Genesis 3:12-13)

Explanation: God has to take the initiative because we don’t readily acknowledge our guilt. Adam is experiencing the guilt brought on by sin and as a result he went into hiding, but he is not willing to acknowledge wrong doing. God asks Adam a direct question about his actions: “have you eaten from the forbidden tree?” Adam is the first player in the “blame game” and his descendants have been playing every since.

Adam actually tries to put the blame on God: It’s your fault because you’re the One who gave me this woman in the first place. Then he throws Eve under the bus as well. Eve take her place at the table when God turns the questions to her: she blames the serpent!

Argument: On our own, lost sinners will not seek out God. Paul affirmed this truth when he quoted from the OT and declared, “as it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one: there is none that understandeth, there is no that seeketh after God.” (Romans 3:10-12)

In His Holiness, God judges sin (Genesis 3:14-19)

Explanation: In giving judgment God reverses the order. He begins by passing judgment on the serpent, moves to Eve, and then finishes with Adam.

God’s holiness is seen on the extent and severity of the judgments. The serpent is cursed above all the creatures of the field. Satan’s role is recognized when God informs the serpent (the devil per Rev. 20:2) that the seed of the woman (Jesus) will crush him.

The judgment on the woman is pain in childbearing and the surety of conflict in the role relationship between men and women.

The judgment on the man is that his labor is now under the curse and what was to be joyous and restful will now be very difficult

While much else could be said, the main point is to gain a better understanding of God’s holiness and His perspective on sin. He does not overlook sin, nor does He take it lightly. He is Infinite in His attributes and sin is an infinite transgression against Him.

We don’t understand what the big deal is when we compare our actions against other fallen humans who perform terrible actions - real sins like killing, raping, hurting children, sexual perversion, drugs, etc. We believe that our own behavior, compared to those actions, don’t merit hell. Our perspective is too generous when we look at our own sin history, while our view of God’s holiness is too low

Application: We are sinners by nature and we choose to sin because it is our nature. Because we sin against God’s infinite holiness we deserve Hell. We are NOT inherently good - we all, without exception, need a Savior. We cannot save ourselves because we lack any means of satisfying God’s righteous judgment against our sin.

God provides the sacrifice so that sinners can be reconciled to Himself (Genesis 3:15, 21)

Explanation: The sin of our first parents brought sin into the world. With sin came death.

Romans 5:12 ESV

Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—

BTW - This is another very clear truth against evolution. According to evolutionary theory, the fossil record is millions and millions of years of the dead things. The Bible clearly teaches that death was the result of Adam’s sin which places the entry of death only about 6 or 7,000 years in the past - NOT millions of years!

Our sin nature and behavior separate us from God (cf., Isa 59:2) and on our own we will not seek God (Rom 3:10-12). This leaves humanity in a hopeless condition. Fortunately, God in His grace and mercy, provides the means by which lost sinners can be reconciled to Himself.

Gen 3:15 has been referred to as the proto-evangelium, or the first account of the good news. Even in His judgment, God gives grace. He promises that the seed of the woman would crush satan one day. That was brought to pass at the Crucifixion -satan bruised His heel, but Jesus defeated satan through His substitutionary death and His vindicating Resurrection!

Commentary on v. 22 - Knowing good and evil

Man had once known only the goodness of God; but now he had come to know experimentally the evil inherent in rejecting God’s Word, as well as the necessary spiritual and physical suffering resulting from such action, so that he did, indeed, “know good and evil.” His hoped-for “godness,” however, as promised by the Serpent, was indeed a pitiful caricature of what he had anticipated. He had been created in God’s very image, but now that image had been gravely marred and defaced by his experience of evil." (The Genesis Record, by Henry Morris, p. 131))