The Fall of Humans

Fall ‘23 Doctrinal Series: Identity

Message Three

Genesis 3:1-7.

ETS: Humans yielded to the temptation of the serpent and rebelled against the instruction of God.

ESS: We are aided in understanding our enemy and ourselves through the record of the fall of man.

OSS: [Devotional] {I want the hearers to learn from the initial fall of man and respond by honoring God in their lives rather than yielding to Satan.}

PQ:

What aids to humans are given in this Passage?

UW: Aids

Intro: [AGS]: Remember two weeks ago as we began this series what we began it with? We established that the source of truth is the Word of God. Allen Ross and John Oswalt wrote, “In the first two chapters of Genesis, God had been the dominant speaker, not only in creation but in instructing his creation on what to do and what not to do. Now the serpent spoke. The word of the Lord brought life and order; the word of the serpent brought deception and death. By its very nature, truth is older than falsehood; God’s words came before the serpent’s words, but the serpent’s words were more effective because the humans did not know God’s words well enough.” [TS]: The text today records the fall of humans whereby they yielded to the temptation of Satan and rebelled against the instruction of God. [RS]: It is urgently important the you and I understand this account because it aids us in knowing how the enemy operates and the importance of our obedience to the Lord. We are tempted daily by the enemy, and he always uses the same methods that he used in the initial fall. Thus, it is important for us to study this and benefit from the aids provided to us in understanding the fall of man.

.TS: Let us examine a few aids to humans found in this passage:

The serpent is described. [v. 1a]

The most cunning of all...

Notice the subtle, yet significant approaches of the serpent in his first words to Eve: the wording is very suggestive. “You can’t eat from any tree in the garden...” was not what God instructed. Yet, the serpent seems to suggest that God’s word is subject to our judgment by wording it this way. This was a means to pull Eve into a dialogue of discussion about what was not up for discussion.

Wordplay with cunning [1] and naked [7] to refer to the relationship of the two: “Their nakedness represented the fact that they were oblivious to evil, not knowing where the traps lay, whereas Satan did and would use his craftiness to take advantage of their integrity.” [2]

The serpent’s methods of temptation are detailed. [vv. 1b-5]

Questioned what God said. “Did God really say?

Refuted what God said. “No! You will not die…you will be like God...”

The response of the woman. [vv. 2-3; 6-7]

The woman saw...

good for food [lust of flesh]

delightful to look at [lust of eyes]

desirable for obtaining wisdom [pride of life]

notice these are seen in 1 John 2:16 “16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride in one’s possessions—is not from the Father, but is from the world.”

“The pattern of sin runs right through the act, for Eve listened to a creature instead of the Creator, followed her impressions agains her instructions, and made self-fulfillment her goal. This prospect of material, aesthetic and mental enrichment seemed to add up to life itself; the world still offers it (1 John 2:16). But man’s lifeline is spiritual, namely God’s word and the response of faith (Deut. 8:3 “3 He humbled you by letting you go hungry; then he gave you manna to eat, which you and your ancestors had not known, so that you might learn that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.”; Hab 2:4 “4 Look, his ego is inflated; he is without integrity. But the righteous one will live by his faith.” ); to break it is death.” [3]

CONCLUSION:

[1] Are you aware of the methods of Satan at work in our society today?

If not, pray that God would give you an awareness of the enemy’s schemes that you might stand firm and resist him. [1 Pt. 5:9] “9 Resist him, firm in the faith, knowing that the same kind of sufferings are being experienced by your fellow believers throughout the world.”

[2] Do you consciously pay attention to your response to the temptations of the enemy to evaluate whether or not they are glorifying God?

If not, pray that God would slow you down enough in moments of temptation that you might be careful to glorify Him and not yourself.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

[1] Allen Ross and John N. Oswalt, Cornerstone Biblical Commentary: Genesis, Exodus, vol. 1 (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2008), 50.

[2]Allen P. Ross, “Genesis,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 32.

[3] Derek Kidner, Genesis: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 1, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1967), 73.

Consulted Resources:

[1] Robert D. Bergen, “Genesis,” in CSB Study Bible: Notes, ed. Edwin A. Blum and Trevin Wax (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017).

[2]James G. Murphy, Notes on the Old Testament: Genesis (Boston: Estes and Lauriate, 1873).

[3] Arthur Walkington Pink, Gleanings in Genesis (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2005).

[4] Victor Harold Matthews, Mark W. Chavalas, and John H. Walton, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament, electronic ed. (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2000).

[5] Gordon J. Wenham, “Genesis,” in New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition, ed. D. A. Carson et al., 4th ed. (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press, 1994).

[6] David Brown, A. R. Fausset, and Robert Jamieson, A Commentary, Critical, Experimental, and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments: Genesis–Deuteronomy, vol. I (London; Glasgow: William Collins, Sons, & Company, Limited, n.d.).