Page 95 - Bible Doctrine Survey I- Student Textbook

Study Section 13: Doctrine of Sin - continued

13.1 Connect.

Notice that if you have a child, you don’t have to teach him to say, “NO!” You don’t have to
show him how to be bad or disobey what you ask him to do. That’s because every person,
even that sweet little baby, has a rebellious nature built into them inherited from their
father. Every man is a born a rebel against God. Today we are going to study the extent of
the effects of Adam’s fall on all of us.

13.2 Objectives:

1. The student should be able to describe the nature of man’s fall from God and the results of his
rebellion.

2. The student should be able to identify the nature of sin and its full ramifications.

3. The student should be able to explain the terrible price we pay as Christians for harboring sin in our
lives.

13.3 The Fall of Man

We do not know how much time passed from placing Adam and Even in the Garden of Eden, and
when they decided to disobey God’s command. But we do know that this was a historical event
with real people who disobeyed a real God (Matt.19:3-5). We also know that as a result of
Adam’s choice to disobey God, all mankind (all of his progeny) inherited a nature to sin
(Rom.5:12-21) and the entire creation began to die under the curse of death.

Adam and Eve were clearly told the privileges of their home in the Garden of Eden and the prohibition:
they were not to eat of one certain tree. There was no other temptation in the garden. There was simply
a single choice to obey or disobey God (Genesis 2:15-17).

Satan chose to appear in an animal form – a serpent. His approach was
to first question God’s goodness (“Has God said, you shall not eat…” –
3:1). Then he blatantly denied God’s justice – that there were
consequences for sin (“You surely shall not die” – 3:4). Satan told Eve
that God had not been truthful with her (Genesis 3:1-5).

When Eve had listened to the serpent and doubted God’s words, she
saw and desired the fruit and ate it. She then gave Adam, who was with
her at the time, the fruit. He also listened, doubted, saw, desired and
then ate. This sin was unique in that they sinned without having a sin
nature. They sinned only by choice. The rest of mankind is now sinful
by nature and by choice (Genesis 3:6).

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