God's Eternal Plan - Lesson 2

By Stafford North

The Sin

Background for the Teacher

Objectives:

  1. The student can describe the encounter between Eve and Satan over the question of eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
  2. The student can describe what Eve and Adam did and the consequences that befell them because of what they did.
  3. The student can describe what God said in Genesis 3:15 that would happen to the offspring of Eve what that offspring would do to Satan.
  4. The student can explain the difference between "guilt" from the sin of Adam and "consequences" from the sin of Adam.
  5. The student can draw the two additional pictures-sin and the consequence of sin.

Preparation:

  1. Students should have Bibles to look up verses.
  2. Students need a sheet of paper and a pen or pencil.
  3. Teacher needs access to a board on which to draw the pictures, write the sentence accompanying, and the verses that go with the pictures.
  4. Have ready the written review for last week's lesson and the worksheet for this lesson. Be sure to have gone through the written review and be ready to ask the class for the answers and be prepared to give the answer if no one in the class gets it.

Theme:

Eve fell for the lies of Satan and ate the forbidden fruit and gave to Adam and he ate. This choice caused them to be put out of the garden and brought God's first comment to humans about the mystery He will unfold.

Lesson Plan for Conducting the Class

Introduction: (8 to 10 minutes)

  1. Have written review sheets available at the door as people enter the class. They can be completing the answers before the time for class to start.
  2. Introduce visitors. Make any necessary announcements about class members and class activities.
  3. Have an opening prayer about class members and about learning the mystery ofGod.
  4. Go through the written review asking the class for the answers including the pictures. You can draw the pictures on the board to show the class what they should look like.
  5. Sing the song "How Great Thou Art" from the last class meeting if you have time.

Learning Activities: (30 minutes)

  1. Read Genesis 2:16. Q: What command did God give Adam and Eve to follow? 1: Not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Q: What consequences will follow if they do? A: They will surely die. Q: Did this mean that they would immediately drop dead? A: No. Q: Then in what sense would they die? A: They would be separated from God by sin. They would be spiritually dead. Read Romans 6:23. Q: With what does Paul contrast "death" in this passage? A: Eternal life. So the "death" from sin is speaking of "eternal death."
  2. One day when Eve is in the garden, Satan appears to her embodied as a snake.Q: Is Satan always in this form? A: No. He is pictured as going about like a roaring lion and as an angel of light and in other forms. Read 2 Peter 2:4 and 1John 3:8. Q: Where did Satan come from?
  3. Read Genesis 3:1_7. Q: What is Satan's appeal to the woman to disobey God? A: You will not die. You will be like God knowing good and evil. Q: What thoughts now go through Eve's mind? A: Good to look at; good for food; make one wise. Read 1 John 2:16_17. Q: What connections do you see? A: Lust of the eyes-good to look at; cravings of sinful man ("lust of the flesh" in some translations)-good for food; boasting-wise as God. Q: Are we subject to these same three temptations? A: Yes. Q: Tell of a temptation Satan might use on us today that would be in each of these categories. A: Lust of the eyes-looking at pornography or movies or TV that is suggestive and might lead us into sexual sin. Lust of the flesh-giving a good house or car or job a higher priority than serving God and having no time for Him. Pride or boasting-temptations to put ourselves ahead of others and not serving them. This is the problem in many marriages when each partner wants to do his/her own thing without wishing to submit to the good of the other. Satan's temptations always sound like they will bring something very desirable but in the end they bring spiritual death, just as in the case of Adam and Eve being separated from God.
  4. Read Genesis 3:11_13. Q: What do Eve and Adam both try to do about their disobedience? A: Blame someone else. Q: Is this something we are prone to do? A: Yes. Q: But who is to blame if I sin? A: Myself. I must learn to take responsibility for my own actions. This is a good way for me to learn not to sin.
  5. Read Genesis 3:14_19. Q: What punishment does God give Satan who is posing as a serpent? A: Serpent will go on belly. But more importantly, God puts enmity between Satan and people and the offspring of woman will bruise the head of Satan, even though Satan will bite the heel of that offspring of the woman. God here uses the presence of Satan in the serpent in explaining the consequences. Q: Who is the offspring of woman to whom God here refers? A: Christ. Q: And how are these statements going to be fulfilled in Christ? A: Satan gets Christ punished and killed, but God raises Christ from the dead and makes salvation possible. This is the blow to Satan. Here God gives the first hint of the mystery He will unfold through many centuries. No details yet,however.
  6. Read 1 Corinthians 15:22. Q: What does Paul mean by saying "as in Adam all die?" A: That because of Adam, death for people was brought into the world and so everyone eventually dies because of what Adam did. Some say that whatAdam did was to bring "guilt" to everyone so that all are born "guilty" of sin. Q:What is the difference here between "guilt" and "consequences?" A: The consequences of Adam's sin is that everyone dies a physical death. That Adam did not bring "guilt" to everyone is evident from Ezekiel 18:20 which states that"the soul who sins is the one who will die." So, "guilt," comes from our own sins. Physical death comes to all as a physical consequence of Adam's sin.
  7. So we make our own choices. Q: What have all humans chosen to do? A: Sin. Romans 3:23-"all have sinned." Read Isaiah 59:2. Q: So what does sin cause? A: "Your sins separate you from God." So all have sinned and sin separates us from God.
  8. Two pictures will help us remember the main points of this lesson.A human hand-Eve's, Adam's, mine, yours-pointing to sin. All have chosen sin. The first suggests that ALL HAVE CHOSEN TO SIN. Romans 3:23 is the passage to remember with this drawing. Draw it with an arrow pointing to sin if that is easier than a human hand. Sin The next picture shows us the results of our sinning against God. OUR SINS SEPARATE US FROM GOD. Isaiah 59:2 is a good passage to use with this drawing because it says exactly that: "your sins have separated you from God." God-Sin-Sad Face Practice doing these drawings and writing with them the statements and verses that go with them.

Application: (2 minutes)

  1. It is not pleasant to think about but each of us is included in the statement that" all have sinned." That means that we must keep listening for the conclusion of the mystery. At this point we know we are in trouble, but don't know (at least from this class), how God is going to remedy the problem. We do, however, at this point, need to feel the sense of what it means to be separated eternally from God. And, so far as the story goes to this point, we are separated from God and we cannot do anything to change it. If anything is to be done about this situation, God must do it.

Assignment and Evaluation:

  1. Using your worksheet, prepare for the written review coming next week. You should be prepared to draw all four pictures with their statements and verses.
  2. Next class will also have a written review in which you can show how muchyou have learned about this lesson. Make it good.

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