The First sin: How Can We Deal with Temptation?

Genesis 3

If God is good and powerful, why does he allow so much evil and pain? Although the Bible doesn't answer this question directly, it shows how sin and its consequences entered the world.

GROUP DISCUSSION. How would you explain the difference between temptation and sin?

PERSONAL REFLECTION. What areas of temptation cause you the greatest concern?

The last chapter left Adam and Eve at peace with God, themselves and the natural world over which they had been given stewardship. They were free to eat any fruit of the garden - with one exception. In this chapter we will see how they handled that test and what lessons we can learn from their experience.

Read Genesis 3.

1. As you heard the drama unfold, what impressed you about the serpent's strategy and his representation of God's command?

2. What do you think of Eve's response (vv. 2-3)?

3. In what ways do we tend to make God's commands more restrictive than he intends?

How does this affect our view of his requirements?

4. As the serpent interprets God's instructions, what does he promise (vv.4-5)?

5. From your experience how does Satan try to deceive us about the consequences and supposed benefits of sin?

6. How have the serpent's words distorted Eve's thinking (v. 6), and what action does she take as a result?

7. In verses 7-13 describe the effect of Adam and Eve's disobedience on their attitude toward themselves and God.

8. What mistakes do Adam and Eve make?

Have any of these kinds of mistakes led you to disobey God?

9. Describe in your own words the punishments the Lord pronounces on the serpent, the woman and the man (vv. 14-19).

10. In what ways is life now different from God's original plan?

11. How does God finally end this era in Eden?

What shows his continuing concern for Adam and Eve (vv. 21-24)?

12. What lessons have you learned in this study that can help you recognize and resist a temptation you are facing?

Pray for the Lord's strength to take this action.

Now or Later

Reread the three divine punishments and consider what relevance they may have for you today.

Adam & Eve: Life as God Intended It

Genesis 2:4 - 25

For of all sad words of tongue or pen,
The saddest are these: "It might have been!"

These words take on special meaning when we look at life as the Creator originally intended it.

GROUP DISCUSSION. In what ways have we failed to be good stewards of God's earth?

PERSONAL REFLECTION. In your own life, what "might have been" situations do you recall?

Genesis 2 moves from the earth at large to the smalleer stage of "a garden of the east." Here there is a collorful picture of plant and animal life. This narrative is different from the first in both content and style. Yet it continues to be historical rather than parable or myth. Its focus is on Adam and Eve. This record is a basis for understanding who we were meant to be in relation to God, nature and each other.

Read Genesis 2:4-25.

1. In verses 4-6 how is the condition of the earth different from the picture we saw in the first chapter?

2. How is the creation of the man in verse 7 unique in comparison with the rest of God's creation?

3. What more do we learn about God's creativity from verses 8-14?

4. Note the responsibility and instructions given to Adam in verses 15-17. What do they reveal about the life God originally intended for us?

5. What does verse 18 show about the depth of God's concern for his human creation?

6. Note the social dimension of being created in the image of God. What implications does this have for our relationship with others?

7. In verses 19-20 how is the man's relationship to the beasts and the birds demonstrated?

8. What do we learn about the woman from this account of her creation in verses 20-23?

9. How does Adam's statement in verse 23 reflect his appreciation of his new partner?

10. In your own words explain what you think verse 24 teaches about marriage.

11. What light does verse 25 throw on the relationship between the man and the woman?

12. How does this passage help you understand who you were created to be?

Pray for guidance in strenghtening a relationship that has been weakened.

Now or Later

Bring any "might have been" situations in your life to the Lord for his healing.

The Creation: Our Special Place in the World

The Creation: Our Special Place in the World

Genesis 1:1-2:3

Have you ever been involved in a discussion about creation? Do you wonder why it generates so much controversy? This study will help you understand the author's original purpose and what it can mean for us today.

GROUP DISCUSSION. Briefly tell about the most beautiful place you have ever seen. How has that experience increased your appreciation for the Creator?

PERSONAL REFLECTION. Spend some time praising God for his creation.

Like other books in the Bible, Genesis 1 describes natural events in popular and nontechnical language. It reports them as they appear to the average person without explaining exactly how they take place. The emphasis is on the who and why, the Creator and his purposes in creation.

Read Genesis 1:1 - 2:3.

Discussion Questions:

1. As the passage is read, what words and phrases do you find repeated?

2. Describe in your own words how the earth appears at the outset.

3. In what ways do God's creative commands during the first three days add form to the formless earth (1:3-13)?

4. How do God's commands during the next three days add fullness to the empty earth (1:14-25)?

5. In what ways does God view his creation as being good (1;4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25)?

6. The creation account reveals that God brings order, beauty and harmony out of an originally chaotic situation. In what areas do you need to trust God to produce these qualities in your life?

7. What does it mean to be made in the image of God (1:26-27)?

8. What special commands and provisions does God give to the man and woman in his creation (1:28-31)?

9. How is the seventh day uniquely different from the other six (2:1-3)?

10. In our culture how can we experience the "rest" described here?

11. In light of what you have learned about God in this study, how can you reflect his image in practical ways during the next seven days?
Ask God to continue to teach you what it means to live as one made in his image.

Now or Later
List the various kinds of human creativity - including your own- that reflect God's creativity. What does this reveal to you about God?