BULLETIN ARTICLE
20 January 2019
AND SIN CAME IN
In Genesis 3, the Bible records for us that God’s perfect world which he created “very good” was marred when Adam and Eve disobeyed and sinned in the Garden of Eden. This happened when the serpent raised doubt about God’s word and goodness in giving his command “you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die”. Moreover, the forbidden fruit looked attractive in every way – it was “good for food, pleasing to the eye and also desirable for gaining wisdom”.
From this beginning when sin came in because of disobedience to God, mankind still struggles with sin. Often, sin appears attractive and we are enticed. Like Adam and Eve, we choose to disobey God because we do not believe his word to us. We also doubt his goodness in giving us his command when we think we know better and that we deserve better. In this light, every sin we commit is a sin against God. Thus King David’s cry to God when he was confronted by the prophet Nathan about his adultery with Bathsheba: “Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight” (Psalm 51:4).
Reflect on a time we sinned against God. In what way did we doubt God’s Word? In what way did we doubt his goodness? In our sin we become ashamed and hide away from God. Yet God calls out to us, “Where are you?”
The Biblical account in Genesis 3 does not stop with the sin of Adam and Eve or the curses he imposed as a consequence of their disobedience. Indeed God had to punish Adam and Eve and expel them from the garden of Eden because he is a holy God who cannot tolerate sin.
Even in the midst of his punishment, we catch a glimpse of God’s grace to mankind. In Genesis 3:15, God speaks of one in the future who will “crush the head of the serpent.” Though mankind was disobedient, God still gave them hope for the future. This demonstrates God’s love for his creation. Reading Genesis 3:15 in light of the New Testament, we recognise this to be a prophecy about our Lord Jesus Christ and his victory over the serpent (satan). God’s grace is further shown as he himself made garments of skin for Adam and Eve and clothed them, covering their shamefulness (Genesis 3:21).
n his grace, God has granted us salvation from sin and eternal life and restored us to himself though we have disobeyed and sinned against him. In his grace, he has taken away our guilt and shame. Because of his amazing grace, we no longer have to hide from him, for when we confess our sins and repent of our sins, “he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
