THE L.I.F.E. PLAN MAN BEFORE THE FALL BLOCK 1. THEME 7 - MAN WITHOUT GOD LESSON 1 (25 of 216)

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1 THE L.I.F.E. PLAN MAN BEFORE THE FALL BLOCK 1 THEME 7 - MAN WITHOUT GOD LESSON 1 (25 of 216)

2 BLOCK 1 THEME 7: MAN WITHOUT GOD LESSON 1 (25 OF 216): MAN BEFORE THE FALL LESSON AIM: Look at the relationship between God and man before the fall. SCRIPTURE: (Genesis 2:8) And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. There are many subjects in the Bible which are hard to comprehend and understand. They are hard to grasp for a number of reasons. We have limited information on the subject. The information we have may be scattered all over the entire Bible and we have to gather it a piece at a time. We may not be exactly sure how to interpret the information we have. Sometimes we are left with two or more options on one particular subject and are not able to state definitively what the truth is regarding that subject. This can leave other subjects in doubt in our minds which may be linked to a previous subject which is unresolved. In short, Bible study can be tedious and difficult. It can be hard work. It requires prayer, research, and much thought to try to get the message God intended to communicate to us through his Word. One of these difficult subjects has to do with Adam s spiritual state and his relationship with God before the fall. Much has been written on the subject, but like every other subject in the Bible, we have to think through them on an individual basis. By studying them individually, we are not trying to come up with another option for interpreting the message, but we are trying to understand the information as God has given it to us. We are seeking to know and understand the truth so we can build our life upon it. When studying the Bible, especially those things which took place in the beginning, it will help us to remember that even at the beginning in Genesis, we are stepping into a story which has already been going on for quite a long time. Even though it is the beginning for man upon the earth, the story itself is in progress and has been for some time. We tend to think that everything began with man. The truth is, man came along well into the story, and that he only appears on earth for a brief portion of the story. Before and after man s time on earth, endless spans of eternal ages exist. The situation we have is much like the beginning of a movie when the camera spans a large territory, a city perhaps, with all the hustle and bustle going on. After a few moments of these scene setting views, we are set down at some point, already in progress, at a place to begin to tell the story. When we begin to think of Adam before the fall, our thoughts naturally have to be gathered into two groups. The first group has to do with Adam s relationship with God before the fall. This is important because it may shed some light on what we will be doing with God in eternity when life on earth is over. Two things are obvious when we consider Adam s relationship with God in the Garden of Eden before the fall. They enjoyed a relationship of communion. This is perhaps the chief aim of God creating man in the first place, that he might fellowship with God. God was already in a circle of fellowship in the trinity. He created the man in order to extend that circle by inviting the man that he had made in his own image to engage in and enjoy the fellowship as well. In this communion, the presence of God was continuous. No matter where Adam went in the Garden, he was in the Lord s presence. In the

3 presence of God, Adam walked, or lived in the Garden. God and Adam talked with each other as they communed in the Garden. God obviously showed Adam around, sharing with him about the various kinds of plants that he had made and how they were good for food. In so doing, God told Adam that he could freely eat of all the trees of the Garden except one tree. He was to avoid this tree because eating its fruit would bring death upon the man. No doubt, God and Adam talked about many things as they communed with each other in the Garden of Eden. The other thing we see about the relationship between God and Adam is that Adam cooperated with God in the work he was doing among his creation. Adam was brought into the Garden to till the ground and to guard, or keep the Garden. He also helped God by naming all of the animals which God had made. God created all the animals and birds of the earth and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. Whatever Adam called them that became the name of the creature. What a very generous thing for God to do. He allowed the man to join him in his work. He gave the man a significant part to play in the work. He gave the giving of names to the creatures of the earth to the man. This is a wonderful thing to turn over such an important task to another person. This would turn out to be the first of many things God would delegate the man to do in his work throughout the history of the world. Adam s relationship with God was characterized by communion and cooperation before the fall. A second group of thoughts concerning Adam before the fall has to do with his spiritual condition. What was he like in his original creation? Was he absolutely perfect? If so, why did he fall into sin? Adam was created without sin but he was not impeccable. To be impeccable would mean that he would not be able to sin at all. Adam was created without sin but he had the capacity to sin by the choices he could make. Before the fall, Adam had the ability to make choices in two realms: the realm of good and the realm of evil. This is implied by God s command to Adam that he not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Obviously, Adam made many choices in the realm of good which was pleasing to God. Unfortunately, he made one choice in the realm of evil and the one choice is all it took to change man s spiritual condition before God. Adam was created without sin but he was untested when it came to evil. There were two special trees in the Garden of Eden. The tree of life was in the middle of the Garden. Apparently, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was someplace else in the Garden. God told Adam that he could freely eat of every tree except the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Adam did not eat of the tree of life at all, even though it was included in the trees from which he could freely eat. If he had eaten from this tree, the story would have been much different. Instead, he ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil and reaped the terrible consequences of which God had told him would take place. Adam was created without sin but had the capacity to sin. When tested, he chose the realm of evil over good and sin and death were the results. When we think about how the story would have been different had Adam only eaten of the tree of life first, the possible story scenarios are endless. We can save ourselves a lot of trouble from endless questions and speculative answers if we will remember that God s story was already in progress long before Adam came on the scene. And, if we go back far enough, we find that Jesus was the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world. For reasons which are God s, it was not God s will for Adam to eat of the tree of life in the Garden of Eden. God has written a much greater story which includes the tree of life and the healing of the nations in eternity. When we get there, communing and cooperating with God ourselves, we will have a better understanding of the purpose of God.

4 LESSON OUTLINE BLOCK 1 THEME 7: MAN WITHOUT GOD LESSON 1 (25 OF 216): MAN BEFORE THE FALL I ADAM IN RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD A. Communion 1. Walking with God 2. Talking with God B. Cooperation 1. Till the ground 2. Keep the garden 3. Name the creatures II ADAM S SPIRITUAL CONDITION A. Sinless but untested B. The test 1. A choice between two trees 2. God s commandment concerning the trees 3. Tempted 4. Made the wrong choice SCRIPTURES TO BROADEN YOUR UNDERSTANDING 1. Sin came to the race through Adam Genesis 3 Romans 5: Corinthians 15: Righteousness came to the race through Christ Romans 5:17-19 LINES OF THEOLOGICAL CONNECTION 1. CHRISTOLOGY The righteousness of Christ imputed to man 2. ANTHROPOLOGY The race plunged into sin by Adam 3. THE DOCTRINE OF SATAN The temptation of Adam and Eve 4. THE DOCTRINE OF SIN The fall of man

5 QUESTIONS ANSWER KEY 1. What was Adam s spiritual condition before the fall? Sinless but untested 2. What were the two special trees in the Garden of Eden? Tree of life; tree of the knowledge of good and evil 3. From which tree did God forbid Adam to eat? Tree of knowledge of good and evil 4. What did God say would happen if Adam ate from the forbidden tree? He would die 5. After Adam ate from the tree of knowledge, what did God do concerning the tree of life? He drove Adam from the garden to keep him from eating from the tree of life 6. What would have happened if Adam had eaten from the tree of life after he had eaten from the tree of knowledge of good and evil? The human race would have been lost forever 7. Which choice do you make most often when given a choice between good and evil, right and wrong? Student response 8. What should you do when you choose evil over good? Confess it and repent of it to God

6 BLOCK 1 THEME 7: MAN WITHOUT GOD LESSON 1 (25 OF 216): MAN BEFORE THE FALL QUESTIONS TO INSPIRE THOUGHT 1. What was Adam s spiritual condition before the fall? 2. What were the two special trees in the Garden of Eden? 3. From which tree did God forbid Adam to eat? 4. What did God say would happen if Adam ate from the forbidden tree? 5. After Adam ate from the tree of knowledge, what did God do concerning the tree of life? 6. What would have happened if Adam had eaten from the tree of life after he had eaten from the tree of knowledge of good and evil? 7. Which choice do you make most often when given a choice between good and evil, right and wrong? 8. What should you do when you choose evil over good?

THE L.I.F.E. PLAN MAN AFTER THE FALL BLOCK 1. THEME 7 - MAN WITHOUT GOD LESSON 2 (26 of 216)

THE L.I.F.E. PLAN MAN AFTER THE FALL BLOCK 1 THEME 7 - MAN WITHOUT GOD LESSON 2 (26 of 216) BLOCK 1 THEME 7: MAN WITHOUT GOD LESSON 2 (26 OF 216): MAN AFTER THE FALL LESSON AIM: Look at the relationship