sermon20220911 What Adam Should Have Done but Couldn't Do Genesis 3
Notes
Transcript
1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” 4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. 8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” 11 He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” 12 The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” 13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” 14 The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. 15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” 16 To the woman he said, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be contrary to your husband, but he shall rule over you.” 17 And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; 18 thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. 19 By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” 20 The man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living. 21 And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them. 22 Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—” 23 therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. 24 He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.
What’s with the serpent?
14 And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.
If Eve ate first, why does scripture blame Adam?
14 and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.
There are several reasons why Adam is to blame for the fall of humanity. Adam was created first, and his wife was created to be a “suitable helper” (Genesis 2:18, BSB). God held Adam responsible for his family, as seen in the fact that God sought out Adam specifically (Genesis 3:9). Also, in His conversation with Adam and Eve, God questioned Adam first (Genesis 3:9-13), even though Eve sinned before Adam. Adam, as the leader of the family, was held responsible for what happened in his family.
Also, the original command to not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was given to Adam, before Eve was created (Genesis 2:17). Eve knew of the restriction (Genesis 3:2–3)—Adam had obviously informed her—but it was Adam who heard it straight from God’s mouth.
In 1 Timothy 2:14, Paul makes a subtle distinction between the sin of Adam from the sin of Eve: “Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner.” Eve fell into sin because of a deception; however, Adam was not deceived, which means he chose to sin. When Adam took the fruit from his wife, he knew full well what he was doing. He was not misinformed or misled; he simply decided to rebel against God’s command. He chose to listen to his wife instead of to God (Genesis 3:17).
The New Testament teaches that, as the first man, Adam represented all mankind. He was the head of the human race, and “everyone dies because we all belong to Adam” (1 Corinthians 15:22, NLT).
If God said they would die, how did they die?
Spiritual death, separation from God, now known as the curse
Why does an all knowing God asks questions?
The opportunity God gives to sinners, the revealing of our sinfulness by our actions
The first Adam, the last Adam
Jesus Christ, the second Adam
Adam chooses, Adam accuses, Adam refuses
(1) Adam chooses the words and wisdom of the world, the flesh, and the devil rather than the word of God
16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.
(2) Adam accuses the God who gives good of giving bad
12 The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.”
13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.
(3) Adam refuses
14 The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. 15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
Adam was a man, sinless but not divine
Eve was a woman - deceived by the serpent
Romans 5:12-21 - the effects of Adam’s sin
13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
12 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—
45 Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.
Omission Commission
Adam’s sin of Omission
The first Adam rejected the word of the Father
The first Adam rejected the will of the Father
The first Adam rejected the role given him by the Father - you shall have dominion
15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
What should Adam have done?
Adam should have slain the serpent
Adam should have bruised his heal and crushed the serpent
Adam should have provided salvation for his wife
Death should have entered the world through the obedience of Adam and not his disobedience
But he could not - only the second Adam could do this -
45 Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.
For God so loved the world that He gave
Take this cup from me - there was no other way, if there was God would have done it
The first Adam rejected the word of the Father - Jesus obeyed
The first Adam rejected the will of the Father - Jesus obeyed
The first Adam rejected the role given him by the Father - you shall have dominion - Jesus obeyed
Adam could not be his own Savior - he was a living being
Salvation and life come only through the divine Savior Jesus - the life giving Spirit who took on flesh and died for sinful men and women