Fall of Man Two trees Genesis 2:9 And out of the ground the Lord God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Genesis 2:16-17 God says: You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die. Genesis 3:22 (Post Fall Adam and Eve get the boot) God says: [Man] must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take from the tree of life and eat, and live forever. Set the stage: Review: God is all powerful, all knowing, and ever present, 3 Omnis God created everything and it was good. God created man and it was very good. God gave Adam a helper wife/eve. Two trees. Most people think of one tree. I had a crisis of faith when I didn t realize that there was two trees preparing for today. It is a good thing we are doing this survey of the OT. I can immagine my exit interview at the seminary they ask me the make or break question: What is the difference between the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil? Before this week I would have been like: Aha a trick question they are the same FAIL! We will find out the difference today. Let s look at scripture. Genesis makes it clear that there were two Special trees in the Garden. God gave them trees. And He gave them the Special trees The trees of Life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The only tree that was off limits was the tree of knowledge of good and evil. This means that the tree of life was fair game. We see in Genesis 3:22 that the tree of life grants eternal life. A God given fountain of youth! Before Adam and Eve screwed it up, they were able to eat from the fountain of youth tree. But that didn t last for long, or maybe it did, there is really no time reference for this stage in Genesis. It could have been eons before Satan got up the gumption to tempt Eve. 10
Temptation Eve tempted by serpent Genesis 3:1; 4 (The tempter says:) Did God really say, You must not eat from any tree in the garden? 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. How is this like temptation in our life? The first temptation was a glimpse of all the temptations that were to come. The serpent approached eve and Satan, the tempter, spoke through the serpent inserting doubt into Eve s mind and then offering her persuasion to commit the first sin. Temptation creeps up on us. First a thouhgt, then a reassurance that nothing bad will happen. We are tempted over and over again and we fall into the trap of sin. 11
Temptation Christ overcame temptation Luke 4:12-13 And Jesus answered him, It is said, You shall not put the Lord your God to the test. And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time. We know that we are not able to over come temptation ever since eve gave in, there has been no hiding from sin. We can resist temptation but there are times that we fail. We do have hope though and that hope comes from the one who perfectly resisted temptation. 40 days of solid temptation in the wilderness. Can you imagine battling temptation for 40 days straight and coming out on top? I think most of us struggle to survive 40 seconds of temptations without success. Christ lived his whole life though never giving into temptation. More on that later. 12
Fall Genesis 3:6-7 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. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. 13
Fall Affects on Man Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 1 John 1:8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. 14
Fall Affects on Creation Romans 8:22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. Romans 5:12; 18 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 so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. The fall brought sin into the world and sin doesn t just affect man, sin affected all of creation. Nature would never be the same. Natural disasters were never part of God s plan for his perfect creation, but sin entered the World. God never gave up though. Man through a wrench in God s plan of love for man, but God did not give up. Romans 5:12 reminds us: Sin 15
Promise Protoevangellium (First Gospel) Genesis 3:15 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
Redemption 17
Redemption Christ redeems us! Galatians 3:13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us for it is written, Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree Romans 8:3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 18
New Creation We are a new creation in Baptism Romans 6:4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. In the final resurrection when all things will be made new Revelation 21:5 Behold, I am making all things new. Revelation 2:7 To the one who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. End where we started with the tree of life 19