A Lamp Unto My Feet Bible Study Website
GENESIS 3:17-24
Lesson #12
THE BELIEVER’S VICTORY OVER THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE FIRST SIN
- Memory verse: Psa 103:14
- In this lesson we continue to see the consequences of the first sin. We have discussed the consequences regarding the serpent and Satan. We have discussed the consequences regarding the woman. Now, we consider the consequences regarding man.
- Read Gen 3:17-24
- God speaking to Adam:
- He is judged in regards to his nature.
- The physical earth is cursed. It now grows thorns and thistles, which will cause man to work hard.
- Man will have sorrow in life.
- There will be hard labor for daily bread.
- But notice God’s grace because he tells Adam 3 times (vs. 17,18,19) that they would eat.
- They will continue to have a vegetarian diet.
- The consequence of death:
- In Gen 3:7-11 we saw the consequence of spiritual death because of sin.
- Spiritual death is the absence of a personal relationship with God.
- In Gen 3:19 we see the consequence of physical death because of sin. Adam did not die physically that day, but his body began to age (aging is the process that ends in physical death).
- The physical earth is cursed. It now grows thorns and thistles, which will cause man to work hard.
- Adam named the woman Eve. (20)
- The Hebrew word for “Eve” looks very much like the word for snake.
- Prior to the fall, Adam and the woman were known by one name, Adam, indicating their unity. Now the woman is given a separate name indicating a break in their unity as well as a new faith in God.
- The name, Eve, means = “mother of all living”.
- In other words, a child of hers will be the one who reverses the curse of death to produce life for all who believe.
- By faith, they were to look for the fulfillment of the promise in Gen 3:15.
- Adam and Eve were now to look for a Messiah, a redeemer. This they did with the birth of each child.
- By this verse we know that Adam was saved. By naming her Eve, he indicated his faith in a coming Messiah, and he began to look for that Messiah.
- The “coats of skins” (21)
- The word “coats” means = covering.
- God provided the first animal sacrifice after he saw the faith that Adam had in a promised Messiah.
- This is the first shedding of blood. God initiated animal sacrifice to cover sin.
- Remember Adam and Eve had made a covering of fig leaves that did not relieve their sinful condition.
- The shedding of blood: (Heb 9:22)
- Why did God initiate such an obnoxious covering for sin?
- God wants to indicate the obnoxious nature of sin.
- The animal sacrifice was a type (an illustration) to point to the shed blood of Christ as the final sacrifice on the cross. (Heb 9:12-14)
- “become as one of us” (22)
- “us” refers to the Holy Trinity.
- God is a triune being: God, the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
- The removal of the tree of life from man’s experience:
- Man would no longer physically live forever.
- Here we see the mercy of God that did not leave man in his sinful condition for all of eternity.
- The cherubim and the flaming sword: (24)
- Cherubim are a type of angels that symbolize God’s mercy.
- Remember Lucifer was a cherub angel before he became Satan. (Eze 28:14)
- Cherubim surround the throne of God.
- Two cherub angels were positioned to cover the Ark of the Covenant in the Old Testament tabernacle.
- The flaming sword separates man from the tree of life until we see this tree again in eternity future in Rev 22:1-3.
- Cherubim are a type of angels that symbolize God’s mercy.
- Summary:
The Consequences of the Original Sin
| Reaped by Adam | Carried by Christ on the cross |
| A cursed earth | He was made a curse for us. Gal 3:13 |
| Sorrow in life | He was the man of sorrows. Isa 53:3 |
| Thorns and thistles | He wore the crown of thorns. Joh 19:5 |
| Sweat with physical labor | His sweat was blood. Luk 22:44 |
| A return to dust | He was brought into the dust of death. Psa 22:15 |
| A sword guarded the tree of life | A sword pierced his side. Joh 19:34 |
| Experienced spiritual death | God forsook Jesus when He took our sins on His body. Mat 27:46 |
- The Believer’s Gains Through Christ:
- We have an exalted position through Christ better than what Adam had before the fall.
| Adam | Believers in Jesus Christ |
| He lived in a garden paradise | We sit in heavenly places. Eph 1:3 |
| He possessed a natural life | We are partakers of a divine nature. 2Pet 1:4 |
| Before the fall, he was merely innocent | We are made righteous. Rom 5:19 |
| He had authority over a garden | We are heirs of all things. Rom 8:17 |
| He was a living creature | We are members of his body. 1Cor 12:12 |
Read Gal 3:13
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- Through Jesus Christ, the believer is redeemed from the curse of the law.
- The curses of consequences for breaking the first law of not eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil are made less for the believer through faith in Jesus Christ.
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| The Genesis Curse | The New Testament Promise |
| Hard labor and pain in childbirth | Through childbirth, salvation came into this world when Jesus was born through Mary. 1Tim 2:15
All our sufferings will result in greater glory one day. Rom 8:18 |
| Suffering in raising children | God shall turn the hearts of parents to children and the rebellious to righteousness. Luk 1:17 |
| The struggle for power between men and women | All believers are to humble themselves to one another. 1Pet 5:5 |
| Hard work to earn a living | God promises to supply all our needs. Phi 4:19 |
| Physical death | The prayer of faith shall heal the sick. Jam 5:14-15
One day we shall be raised from the dead. 1Cor 15:54 |
| Spiritual death | We are promised a face to face relationship with God. 1Cor 13:12
We are promised eternal life through Jesus Christ. 1Joh 5:20 |
Homework
Genesis 4
- Application of Gen 3:
- If “fig leaves” represent man’s attempt to cover his own sin by doing good deeds, relate one way you have attempted to cover up guilt and sin by your own efforts.
- If “coats of skins” represent Jesus Christ, God’s way of dealing with sin, relate how God’s way is a better way than fig leaves.
- Preparation for Gen 4:
- Adam and Eve are a type or prefigure of the New Testament church.
- Read Eph 5:22-33
- Find as many ways as you can that illustrate Adam and Eve as prefigure of the church.
- Read Eph 5:22-33
- Adam and Eve are a type or prefigure of the New Testament church.
| Adam and Eve | Christ and the Church |
Read Gen 4:1-15 Cain and Abel
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- Give as many reasons as you can why Cain’s sacrifice to God was unacceptable.
- If God is no respecter of persons (shows no partiality toward) according to Rom 2:11, why does Gen 4:4-5 say that God did not have respect for Cain but He did have respect for Abel?
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- Memory verse: Heb 9:22
