Day 2 - What went wrong?

“On the sixth day of creation, when God made man and woman in His image and gave them the breath of life, He placed them in a beautiful garden that had four rivers running through it and filled it with His blessings. The garden was furnished with every variety of plants and trees that were good for food and beauty, In the middle of the garden, God placed the tree of life, and beside it, He placed another tree, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God gave Adam and Eve permission to eat from any tree in the garden including the tree of life. However there was one tree from which God commanded them not to eat; for if they ate from it they would die (Genesis 2)

In that command, God gave His beloved ones a choice of whether to obey Him, love Him, and live – or disobey Him, not love Him and die. It was never His will to force man to love Him - or serve Him. He wanted Adam and Eve to be free to choose to love Him from their heart. There was one more thing He did. Before the foundation of the world, outside of time, He provided a slain Lamb (the Messiah) to heal the breach that He knew would inevitably come (Revelation 13:8)

Has God Said?

All of sin and death grows from the lie that God himself was deceiving Adam and Eve rather than providing, protecting and empowering them. God is love and love always serves and seeks the benefit of others. (Genesis 3:1) (Rom 5:12-21).

Adam and Eve chose to not love and obey God, they chose to disobey. Adam and Eve’s sin is based on three things. (Genesis 3:6, 1 John 2:16)

The lust of the flesh (the tree was good for food)
The lust of the eyes (it was pleasing to look at)
The pride of life (it was desirable to make one wise)

Two great lies presented by the serpent were:

1. Genesis 3:1 "Did God actually say, 'You shall not eat of any tree in the garden'?" ESV

God told them they could eat of ANY tree in the garden EXCEPT for one tree – the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The provisions of God are exceeding and abundant beyond anything we can think or ask, but with this one challenge- doubt, fear of lack and deprivation entered the heart of man. Our lust to provide for ourselves outside of the love of God was introduced and accepted.

2. Genesis 3:4-6

"You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." ESV

This death was not a punishment as in the sense of a capital offense for some trivial dietary restriction; it was a warning to Adam and Eve that death is the unavoidable consequence of separation from the love, provision and protection of God. God created Adam and Eve and He gave them life. The life given to them included an ongoing moment by moment connection to God. He is not as a ruthless controller; rather He desires intimate connection to us. Eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was a deadly toxin for Adam and Eve. Mankind was not built to carry the love of God and the lying accusations against God in the same body. In James 1:5-8 the Bible warns us that a double minded man can receive nothing from God.

In Revelation, the very last book of the Bible, John speaks of the restoration of access to the” tree of life”. This “life” is the restoration of intimate and unfettered loving relationship to our creator, provider, and protector.

Revelation 22:14-15

Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates. Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood. ESV

The concept of separation is foreign to our creator. God sent His only begotten son to restore relationship through covenant.

Jesus characterized it this way in John 15:5-8

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ESV

God’s original intent was to do the very thing that the serpent told Adam and Eve was being withheld from them. The serpent promised them “You will be like God “if they did the one thing that God warned them not to do.. They decided to pursue wisdom outside of the wisdom of God. This is the arrogance of “the pride of life” and it always leads to destruction.

Separation from the vine withers the branches and they died.

1 John 2:15-17

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world— the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. ESV

Accusing God in the world today

The arguments continue today through questions like, “How can a supposedly loving God allow evil and suffering in this world?” How can He tolerate and perhaps even condone starvation, murders, rape, childhood diseases and the like if He is the God that He claims to be?

The parable of the weeds illustrates that not everything we see on earth is the will of God. There are many things both large and small that have grown and are coming to fruition that were sown (birthed) out of the original deceptions accepted by Adam and Eve.

Matthew 13:24-30 The Parable of the Weeds

He put another parable before them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, 'Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?' He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.' So the servants said to him, 'Then do you want us to go and gather them?' But he said, 'No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.'" ESV

As a result of Adam’s rebellion, this became the condition of man.

Romans 3:10-18

None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God.

All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.

Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive. The venom of asps is under their lips."

Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.

Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known.

There is no fear of God before their eyes. ESV

Outside of the restoration offered to us through the atoning blood of Jesus Christ, this is the state of mankind.

Discussion Questions:

Day 2 - What went wrong?