NASHVILLE (BP) — This weekly Bible study appears in Baptist Press in a partnership with Lifeway Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Through its Leadership and Adult Publishing team, Lifeway publishes Sunday School curricula and additional resources for all age groups.
This week’s Bible study is adapted from the Explore the Bible curriculum.
Bible Passage: Gen. 3:1-7, 21-24
Discussion questions:
- When you think of “grace,” what images come to mind?
- How are Satan’s tactics today similar to his tactics in Eden?
- What practical steps can we take to resist the temptation to sin?
Food for thought:
Imagine preparing for a formal occasion, such as a wedding, a funeral, or a prestigious awards banquet. You pick out your finest attire, put it on, and admire how good it looks on you. As you first arrive at the event, someone bumps you and you spill coffee all over your fine clothes. Genesis 3 reveals an infinitely greater tragedy. God created the totality of this wondrous universe and observed that it was very good, but when humanity sinned against God, His good creation was marred.
In Genesis 3, we read of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Satan, in the form of a crafty serpent, approached Eve to inquire about eating from any tree in the garden. She responded by identifying the tree in the middle of the garden as being forbidden from eating and touching. The serpent questioned the consequences of partaking from the tree, explaining that she would not die but rather would become like God. The serpent also cast doubt on God’s motives for not allowing Adam and Eve to eat from the tree.
When Eve examined the fruit on the forbidden tree, she “took some of its fruit and ate it; she also gave some to her husband” (Gen. 1:6). They immediately became aware of their nakedness and sewed fig leaves together to make clothing. After confronting Adam and Eve about their disobedience, God made suitable clothing for them from animal skin. Knowing that they might also eat from the tree of life and live forever, God sent Adam and Eve out of the garden of Eden where they could cultivate the area outside it.
As believers, we should not underestimate Satan’s craftiness. He is actively looking for ways to deceive us. We learn in Genesis 3 that the promises that accompany the temptation to sin lead to brokenness. Thankfully, God offers grace in the middle of our rebellion against Him. When we repent, we turn from sin and to Him. This is the good news: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
Explore the Bible is an ongoing Bible study curriculum that helps groups dig into the key truths of each Bible book, while keeping the group on pace to study through the Bible books in a systematic way. More information can be found at Lifeway.com/ExploreTheBible.
