Page 54 - Advanced Genesis - Creationism - Student Textbook

Study Section 8: God’s Creation Rejects Him

8.1 Connect

Suppose you had a child who got mad at you and supposed he yelled at you, “I don’t love
you anymore? I don’t want to be your son (or daughter) anymore!” How would that make
you feel? It would certainly hurt deep in your heart! Think about it. Today we will see
God’s specially created humans, whom He intimately loved and cared for, reject Him in
disobedience. How sad God must have felt! Let’s examine the origin of SIN….

8.2 Objectives

1. The student should be able to discuss the three main suggestions for who authored the book
of Genesis.

2. The student should be able to list all the various “origins” found in the Book of Genesis.

3. The student should be able to show how other Old Testament and New Testament books validate the
authenticity of the book of Genesis

8.3 Genesis 3:1-6 – The fall into sin

Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made.
He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the
2
garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the
3
garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the
4
garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” But the serpent said to the woman, “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,
5
knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a
6
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. (ESV)

Before we consider this as a story of just a crafty talking snake, we must consider
the context in which it is told. First, a talking snake while today would be
amazing, in the pre-sin world of creation there might have been many animals
that could speak to each other and to man. Man after all was to have dominion
over the animals and to manage them and wouldn’t it make sense that there
would be a reasonable means of communication between them? The best
evidence for this is that Eve is not the least shocked that the serpent is talking to
her. Second, we need to consider the spiritual agent behind the serpent. The Bible later (Rev. 12:9;
20:2) identifies the “old serpent” as none other than the devil himself who has led an age-long rebellion
against God and His plan for mankind. We need to understand that the serpent is not the devil as there
were probably many serpents alive on earth at the time. However, it was the devil that was using the
serpent’s body for his own purposes. His purpose then and now is to turn people from the truth and
believe a lie. His tactics are the same! Notice his methods and learn them well. He has and will use
them on you.

53