Sin and God's Good News

Outline

What are some circumstances during which hope is most needed?

In the previous two sessions, we saw that God created everything good, including people as the pinnacle of creation. Adam and Eve were made in God’s image and instructed to rule over the world and worship God through their work, rest, and relationships with one another and with Him. As we will see in this session, that didn’t last. Adam and Eve chose to sin against God in open defiance of His goodness and loving provision for them. Their sin had drastic consequences as it brought death to all humanity and ruptured our created purpose. But as dark as that moment was, we will see that it was pregnant with hope—hope that could only come from God in His promise to one day send Someone who would make everything right again.

Sin is defiance against God (Gen. 3:1-7).

++Sin brought death and ruptured our created purpose, but hope remains (Gen. 3:14-21).

++Sin and death have spread to all humanity (Gen. 4:1-8).

++People sinned against God and ruptured our created purpose, but God has provided forgiveness in Christ Jesus.

Christ Connection

God promised that one of Eve’s offspring would crush the head of the serpent. Jesus is the promised One who defeated sin and death once and for all.

Missional Application

Because we have been forgiven through faith in Christ and given His righteousness, we trust in God and His grace as we fight against sin in our lives and proclaim the reason for our hope found in Christ Jesus.

Group Time

Introduction

Instruct: Prior to the group meeting, on a board or large sheet of paper, put the heading “Things Wrong with the World.”As group members arrive, ask them to add to the board/paper things that are wrong with the world (contribute 1-2 ideas of your own to help group members get the idea). What are things that are wrong with the world?

Read the following paragraph in the DDG (p. 29) as a wrap-up to the prior activity.

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.

Explain: Help group members recognize that we often assume the problem is only “out there” somewhere, but the reality is the problem is within us too.

Commentary: Perhaps you think there are good people and bad people, and those bad people cause all the trouble for us good people. Or maybe you think the real problems are more systemic—poverty, lack of education, unequal opportunities, the breakdown of the family structure.

In moments when we are painfully honest, however, we have to acknowledge that the problem is not just out there; it is in us too. What if that outburst of anger you explained away wasn’t just a result of stress but reflected something you truly believed? What if that cutting remark wasn’t just a slip of the tongue but a mirror of your heart instead? What if those dark words “sneaking” out of your mouth were not exceptions but hints at the real, unfiltered you? It may just be that the problem is deeper than we know or care to admit.

Interact: Ask the following question. Don’t press hard for an answer from group members as this is a personal question. Depending on the dynamics of your group, you may just ask your group to record an answer in their DDG.

When have you said or done something you were ashamed of, and how did you respond afterward? (be prepared to give an answer of your own to jump-start the conversation)

Summarize: In the previous two sessions, we saw that God created everything good, including people as the pinnacle of creation. But in this session, we will see that Adam and Eve chose to sin against God in open defiance of His goodness and loving provision for them. Their sin brought death to all humanity and ruptured our created purpose. But God promised to one day send Someone who would make everything right again.

Point 1: Sin is defiance against God (Gen. 3:1-7).

Read Genesis 3:1-7 (DDG p. 30).

Say: God created humanity and placed them in a beautiful, good creation. But paradise was lost in an instant—through a single act of defiance against the Creator. In the story of paradise unraveling, we see the universal nature of sin, not just in Adam and Eve but in every one of us as well.

Explain: The nature of sin involves three different aspects, and the woman’s interaction with the serpent resulting in her disobedience along with her husband’s illustrates these aspects: unbelief, idolatry, and rebellion.

First, sin begins with unbelief. The serpent launched his offensive by asking, “Did God really say…?” (3:1). His aim was not so much to start an argument with Eve but to cast doubt on God’s words. You should read Satan’s question with a sneer behind it: “God said what? How absurd! Are you serious?” Many of us face this same attack today. The circumstances may vary, but the origin is always the same—a Satanic temptation to make us doubt that God is trustworthy and that His words are true.

Second, sin moves from unbelief to idolatry. We see idolatry in this story primarily in the way Eve looked at the forbidden fruit. She “saw that the tree was good for food” (3:6). Up until this moment, God had been the only One to see and declare things “good.” The moment Adam and Eve took it upon themselves to make that assessment on their own, they ventured into idolatry. They declared, “I know what’s best for me,” taking some created thing and elevating it to the place of God.

All of this culminates in the third aspect of sin, rebellion. At the core of Adam and Eve’s sin was a question of who was going to be the lord of their lives. God promised that if He were in charge, they would have goodness and blessing. Instead, our first parents decided to defy God and push Him off the throne of their hearts and sit upon it themselves (3:6).

Read: Ask a volunteer to read the following paragraph in the DDG, showing how pervasive sin is, both in our culture and in our own hearts.

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.

Fill in the blanks: Provide group members with the answers for the call-out in their DDG (p. 30), emphasizing the personal and willful nature of sin against our Creator.

Sin as Rebellion: Sin is personal and willful disobedience, the raising of a clinched fist toward the One who made us.

Essential Doctrine “Sin as Rebellion”: Because the Bible portrays people as responsible beings, called to respond in faith and obedience to God’s revelation, the Bible often portrays sin in terms of defiance and rebellion toward God the King. Isaiah 1:2 is one of many passages that describes sin in terms of rebellion against God: “Children have I reared and brought up, but they have rebelled against me.” Seen in this light, sin is personal and willful disobedience, the raising of a clinched fist toward the One who made us.

Interact: Ask group members the following question.

How have you seen these three aspects of sin—unbelief, idolatry, or rebellion—in your community? How have you seen them in yourself? (be prepared to give a couple of answers of your own to jump-start the conversation)

Say: As Adam and Eve demonstrated in making coverings for their nakedness, sin leads to shame and the impulse to move away from God instead of toward Him. Sin makes us want to hide and seek cover (Gen. 3:7-8), perhaps illustrated in our desire not to speak about the aspects of sin in ourselves.

Instruct: Ask groups of 2-3 to list in the space in their DDG (p. 30) some

Some ways people try to hide their sin from God and from others.

After a couple of minutes, call for some responses. Below are some possible answers:

We hide by never being honest about our sin, by rationalizing it, or by comparing ourselves to others.

++We hide by refusing to think about the final judgment, hoping that when God said, “It is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment” (Heb. 9:27), He wasn’t serious.

++We hide by blame shifting, just as Adam and Eve did, using others as excuses for our sin (Gen. 3:12-13).

++Worst of all, we hide through religion. The fig leaves Adam and Eve sewed for themselves were the first religion, an attempt to cover shame without a true relationship with God.

Transition: Sin brought shame and separation from God, but it also brought other consequences, including death, just as God had said.

Point 2: Sin brought death and ruptured our created purpose, but hope remains (Gen. 3:14-21).

Read Genesis 3:14-21 (DDG p. 31), asking group members to highlight any statements or actions of grace God demonstrated in His judgments.

Read: Ask a volunteer to read the first paragraph in the DDG.

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. Consider Romans 5:12-21

Interact: Ask the group the following question about some consequences we experience as a result of sin.

How does sin damage the lives of people? (see suggested answers below)

Explain as needed the following five ways sin damages our lives.

First, sin leads to pain. Prior to the fall, there is no mention of pain. After the fall, life itself became marked by pain and suffering of every kind—physical, emotional, and relational.

Second, sin leads to relational conflict. Even before God declared the consequences of Adam and Eve’s sin, a rift had arisen between the first couple. When God arrived, Adam blamed Eve for the whole situation. Many see God’s words in Genesis 3:16 as expressing how women and men would live in conflict, an extension of the relational conflict that Adam and Eve had already inflicted upon themselves.

Third, sin leads to futility. The plants, trees, flowers, and even the animals of the world were under Adam and Eve’s stewardship and dominion. But when humanity fell, the world became cursed against them. And this extends beyond farming. Our lives are now characterized by a futility that sees “thorns and thistles” in everything we do. Apart from God, all we strive to achieve is meaningless (see Ecclesiastes).

Fourth, sin leads to death. God reiterated His initial warning about disobedience to the couple: because they had sinned, they would die. In God’s mercy, Adam and Eve did not drop dead in that moment, but the certainty of their death began that day, both physically and spiritually. As their children, we are all born spiritually dead (Ps. 51:5; Eph. 2:1).

Fifth, and by far the worst, sin leads to a loss of the presence of God. God drove Adam and Eve out of the garden, away from His presence, and barred the entrance with a flaming sword. The message was clear: to approach God again would mean death. God was now separated from His sinful image bearers.

Read the second paragraph in the DDG.

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.

Explain: God demonstrated grace in response to Adam and Eve’s sin, even as He punished them.

First, the all-knowing God came looking for sinful humanity. What Adam and Eve expected was God the Destroyer. What they heard was the voice of God the Seeker: “Where are you?” (Gen. 3:9).

Second, God sought Adam and Eve to confront them for their sin but also to declare hope. In His words to the serpent, God promised to raise up one of Eve’s offspring to crush the head of the serpent. That offspring is Jesus. Genesis 3:15 is the first promise of Christ in the entire Bible. Jesus is a truer and better Adam who resists temptation and sin and brings life into the world (Rom. 5:14; 1 Cor. 15:45).

Third, God made clothing from animal skins to cover Adam and Eve’s shameful nakedness (Gen. 3:21). In essence, God performed the first atoning sacrifice on behalf of His people, foreshadowing the future sacrifice of Christ on the cross to clothe us in His righteousness.

Interact: Read the “Voices from Church History” quote; then ask group members the following question.

Voices from Church History

“There is more mercy in Christ than sin in us.” 1 –Richard Sibbes (1577-1635)

Looking back at how sin has damaged your life or the lives of others you know, what truths about Jesus and the gospel give you hope? (be prepared to give an answer of your own to jump-start the conversation)

Point 3: Sin and death have spread to all humanity (Gen. 4:1-8).

Read: Ask a volunteer to read Genesis 4:1-8 (DDG p. 32).

Explain: Help your group members understand the difference between Cain’s and Abel’s offerings (refer to the first paragraph in the DDG).

Cain and Abel gave God the very first offerings of the entire Bible, but God only accepted one. Perhaps the key difference between the two was the way they were offered. Abel gave some of the firstborn of his flock, his “first and best”—an act of faith before any other animals were born. Cain may have waited to see what he had before committing it to God, giving only after he knew he could spare some.

Commentary: God accepted Abel’s offering of the “first and best” while rejecting Cain’s offering. The text says nothing about the quantity of the offering. For all we know, Cain may have given far more than Abel. But since he gave without faith, God wasn’t impressed. It’s possible Cain gave his first and best to his own security, and God only got the leftovers. But Abel gave to God with open hands, trusting that God would take care of what he needed; in other words, he gave his offering by faith (Heb. 11:4).

Say: Whomever or whatever gets our first and best reveals the true Lord of our lives. It reveals in whom we place our faith and what we treasure. If anything or anyone other than God receives our first and best, it ultimately demonstrates a heart of selfishness, which is at the center of sin.

Fill in the blanks: Provide group members with the answers for the call-out in their DDG (p. 32).

Sin as Selfishness: When we sin, we are acting out of a selfish attitude and mind-set that assumes our action will lead us to more happiness than if we were to obey God.

Essential Doctrine “Sin as Selfishness”: When we sin, we are acting out of a selfish attitude and mind-set that assumes our action will lead us to more happiness than if we were to obey God. Because sin is manifested in our tendency to be “curved inward” toward self, it is the opposite of love. Love looks outwardly to place others before oneself, operating from the mind-set that others are more important (Phil. 2:3). Where sin selfishly seeks personal gratification and happiness, love works for the joy of others in the hopes of making others happy in God.

Say: One of the most destructive lies whispered to us is that what we are doing is “our own business.” We harbor sinful thoughts and act on sinful motives because we think (or we hope) that no one will find out about it—we aren’t harming anyone but ourselves. What we fail to realize is that sin, by its very nature, multiplies in our lives and into the lives of those around us. On our own, our selfishness cannot be contained.

Explain: Show how Cain’s murder of Abel is proof of the multiplying effects of sin from Adam and Eve and from us as well.

Commentary: The relational conflict that began with Adam and Eve was passed on inevitably to the next generation. Cain and Abel should have inherited a legacy of worshiping God from their parents; instead, jealousy of worship consumed Cain, so he lashed out at his own brother in murder. From perfection to fratricide in a single generation.

We may find Cain’s offense abstract because very few of us have murdered. But let’s not let ourselves off the hook too quickly. What God said to Cain He says to all of us: sin is crouching at our door, desiring to overtake us. And if we are flippant toward sin, we will follow the same road Cain did. After all, which one of us has not looked upon someone with envy? The spirit of envy leads to hatred and conflict, and as Jesus pointed out, a heart of hatred is just as sinful before God as the act of murder (Matt. 5:21-22).

Read: Ask a volunteer to read the second paragraph in the DDG, clarifying our need for salvation from our selfish sin.

When we make our happiness, our pleasure, and our freedom paramount, we become capable of almost anything. But the true fruit of selfish sin is unhappiness, hatred, worry, and despair, for both ourselves and those around us.

++Our sin exposes our desperate need of salvation and our need of God’s grace. We all need Someone to come who can crush the sin crouching at our door so we can rule over it and do what is right.

Interact: Ask the group the following question.

What are some ways people demonstrate selfish sin today? (division, elitism, hatred, murder, envy, theft, gossip, rape, viewing pornography, adultery, laziness, abandonment)

My Mission

Explain: The Bible’s stories about the origin of sin and its deadly consequences and progression explain the state of the world in which we live. They also show us our need for and give us the hope of a Savior to save us from sin and death.

Commentary: Since the fall, sin has continued its sinister crescendo of rebellion against God and increased pain with ongoing death, but God’s grace and the hope of His promised rescue remain steadfast. Adam and Eve received mercy in Eden (Gen. 3:15,21). Cain was protected with a mark (4:15). Eve bore another son after Abel was murdered (4:25). And in the middle of the constant repetition of “he died” in Genesis 5, we read of Enoch, who was spared from death because “God took him” (5:22-24). Sin and death do not have the last word. God’s grace and His promise of a Savior (3:15) are sure and true. In His promised Savior—Jesus—we find forgiveness from sin and eternal life.

Read the following missional application statement in the DDG (p. 33), and encourage group members to choose at least one of the options below as a way to respond to the truth of God’s Word.

Because we have been forgiven through faith in Christ and given His righteousness, we trust in God and His grace as we fight against sin in our lives and proclaim the reason for our hope found in Christ Jesus.

What steps will you take to fight against sin this week?

++What can your group do for one another in your fight against sin and your remembrance of the gospel?

++What are some of the opportunities you might have this week to speak into the brokenness of others and share the hope you have found in Jesus?