Gospel Outreach International

What happens when humanity chooses to follow deception rather than divine truth? This Bible study explores Genesis Chapter 3, examining the catastrophic fall of mankind and its enduring consequences. Through seven key themes beginning with the letter “I,” we discover how the serpent’s invasion of Eden led to humanity’s separation from God, while also finding hope in the promise of redemption through the innocent dying for the guilty.

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’?” Genesis 3:1

• The serpent (Satan) invaded the Garden of Eden, a perfect place God had created to supply all of humanity’s needs abundantly and appropriately
• Satan questioned God’s authority and instructions, tempting Eve by suggesting she could become like God
• The study examines seven themes: Invasion, Inquisition, Ideology, Iniquity, Indifference, Insidious, and Induction
• Eve’s sin involved looking, taking, eating, and then giving the forbidden fruit to Adam, adding her own restriction about not touching it
• Adam showed indifference by passively accepting the fruit from Eve rather than exercising his God-given leadership
• Biblical death is not ceasing to exist but ceasing to have a relationship with God
• Both Adam and Eve blamed others for their sin rather than taking responsibility
• God drove Adam and Eve from the Garden because disobedience broke their relationship with Him
• The innocent dying for the guilty is introduced when God made garments of skin for them, foreshadowing Christ’s sacrifice
• Humanity faces a choice between two ideologies: following God’s will or Satan’s will, with no middle ground
• Christians are “a work in progress” who won’t be perfect until they see the Lord face to face

But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” Genesis 3:9

This study reminds us that we all face the same choice Adam and Eve faced in the garden: whose will shall we follow? The good news woven throughout this teaching is that Jesus Christ became the ultimate fulfillment of that early picture in Eden—the innocent dying for the guilty. Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness and those who looked upon it were healed, Jesus was “made sin” for us on the cross, and when we look to Him, we are healed spiritually. Though we’re not perfect and we’re all sinners, we can be sinners saved by grace, walking on that narrow highway of holiness. The relationship broken in Genesis 3 can be restored through Christ, and one day when we see His face, we shall finally be like Him—complete and perfect in every way.

Bible References

• Genesis 3:
• Isaiah 14:12-14
• Ezekiel 28:11-15
• John 3:13-14
• Numbers 21
• 1 John 2:16
• 1 John 3
• John 14