Scriptural Background
What was life like before the fall of man? Can we even imagine it? Probably not. However, there are some clues in Scripture that help us understand a bit about life in a perfect world.
First of all, there was no death. Death came as a result of Adam’s sin (Romans 5:12) and is called an enemy that God will one day destroy (1 Corinthians 15:25–26). Second, the earth that God created was “very good” (Genesis 1:31; Deuteronomy 32:4). There were no hurricanes, tsunamis, earthquakes, or other destructive events. God upheld his creation perfectly. Third, man and the animals were vegetarian (Genesis 1:29–30). No animals ate other animals, and Adam and Eve did not eat meat. In fact, permission to eat meat did not come until after the Genesis flood (Genesis 9:1–3). Finally, Adam and Eve had a perfect relationship with their Creator. He spoke with them, and they experienced unbroken fellowship with God.
The day that Adam and Eve disobeyed their Creator has been called the saddest day in the history of the universe. God had given them a perfect creation— no death, disease, or suffering. They had been given dominion over the animals and were told to be fruitful and multiply (Genesis 1:28). However, Eve was tempted by the serpent (Satan) and ate the fruit that God had forbidden them to eat. Adam joined her in her rebellion, and the world has never been the same.
As a result of their disobedience, God punished the serpent (Genesis 3:14), the woman (Genesis 3:16), and the man (Genesis 3:17). The serpent was cursed more than all the beasts; he would crawl on his belly and eat dust. And, in a spiritual sense, one day Satan’s head would be crushed by the Seed of the woman—Jesus (Genesis 3:15)! The woman was subjected to increased pain in childbirth and the desire to rule over her husband (Genesis 3:16). The ground was cursed on account of the man; it would now bring forth thorns and thistles, and with difficulty man would eat of its fruit (Genesis 3:17–18). Man would now die: “By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out
of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return” (Genesis 3:19).
The fall and the subsequent curse brought disaster to God’s very good creation. We are now experiencing the futility, the groans, and the pains of a universe subject to darkness because of sin (Romans 8:19–20).
We are all affected by the fall, not only by the curse God placed on the universe but also by sin. Because every human is a descendant of Adam and Eve, we are born with the same sin nature found in Adam (Romans 3:23). Consequently, we are all bound by the curse and must endure the distress, pain, suffering, disease, and natural disasters that accompany it. But that is not the end of the story. For we know that Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, has overcome death (1 Corinthians 15:54–55). And all who repent of their sins and turn to Jesus Christ alone for forgiveness will be redeemed to enjoy eternity in the perfectly restored universe—a universe that promises the end of death, mourning, crying, and pain
(Revelation 21:4). We eagerly await this with hopeand expectation of finally seeing our Savior face to face (Job 19:26–27).
Historical/Apologetics Background
The account of the fall often presents controversy. One controversial issue involves animals. If everything was perfectly peaceful in the garden, as Genesis 1 and 2 indicate, then why are so many animals today equipped with features and structures that seem suited for attacking, tearing, killing, and eating? Scripture tells us that animals were originally vegetarian (Genesis 1:29–30). So, how did they acquire their ability to kill? Where did these defense/ attack structures come from?
Creationists have suggested several answers that make sense and fit within the biblical text:
• Originally, these features had a good purpose, but as the environment changed, the purpose for these features had to change as well.
• God added new features to creatures at the curse so they would be able to withstand the onslaught of violence provoked by sin.
• Although not necessary in a perfect world, God designed the original creatures with the features they would need to live in the fallen world God knew was coming.
God placed designs for these features in the genes of the original creatures, but they did not become active until after the curse.
While we do not know exactly how the animals acquired these defense/attack structures, we do know this: according to God’s Word, animals will once again get along with each other and with man (Isaiah 11:6–7). This will happen at a time called the consummation.
The history of the Bible can be divided into three great periods: the pre-fall world, the post-fall world, and the consummation.
The pre-fall world: God’s original creation was perfect—no sin, no disease, no death. And Adam and Eve enjoyed a perfect relationship with one another and with their Creator. Because our present sin cursed world is riddled with decay and death, it is hard to even imagine the pre-fall world!
The post-fall world: The fall of man and subsequent curse of Genesis 3 affected the entire creation. This is why the Apostle Paul describes our present world as “groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now” (Romans 8:22). The creation is broken; it is in “bondage to corruption” (Romans 8:21). Sin, disease, carnivory, natural disasters, and death are the course of this present world—“red in tooth and claw,” as Tennyson wrote. The sin in the garden of Eden affected the whole cosmos.
The consummation: At the consummation, when Christ shall return as Judge and King, the curse will be removed. God will sum up all things in Christ, putting all enemies under his feet, and death itself will be destroyed. The new heaven and new earth will be a return to Eden-like agricultural fruitfulness (Ezekiel 47:12; Revelation 22:1–3) and to perfect harmony in human relationships (1 Corinthians 13:8-12), in animal life (Isaiah 11:6–8), and in everything under the rule of the Son of Man, the Lord Jesus. Earth will receive her King, and all will be restored. What a glorious hope we have!
Studying God’s Word
Introduction
In our last lesson, we began our look at the corruption that entered into God’s perfect creation. We saw that Adam rebelled against God’s command and ate the fruit after Satan deceived Eve. Because God is just, he must punish sin. However, he showed mercy to Adam and Eve by covering their sin with the skins of an animal. This was a foreshadowing of the blood sacrifice which was used to cover mankind’s sin until the Perfect Lamb who would come to take away the sins of the world offered himself on the cross.
Adam and Eve had tried to cover up their sin and shame with some leaves, but their efforts were insufficient, and God stepped in to cover their sin. We often act the same way, trying to make up for our sins by praying more or serving more in order to please God, or by doing other good works. We have to remember that Christ was the perfect sacrifice for sin—once and for all—and that we cannot add to that work. God’s grace and mercy are the basis of our standing before him. He planned to redeem us before he even created us, and we can find great comfort in knowing that Christ has covered our sins.
We are going to look at the effects of Adam’s fall and the curse which God pronounced on his creation as the result of sin, as well as the future hope of those effects being reversed when God restores the creation.
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A Cursed Creation Activity
Connect to the Truth
Study the various aspects of the curse from the following list:
• The curse on the serpent included parts aimed at the serpent (crawling on belly
and eating dust) and parts aimed at Satan (enmity/hatred between the offspring
of Satan and the woman, and a Savior who would eventually bruise/crush
Satan’s head). The curse is split into two different aspects directed at two different
creatures. We will see similar layering of prophecy as we move through the Bible.
• Eve’s punishment included increased pain in childbirth and a desire to rule over
her husband.
• Adam’s sentence included hard labor to produce food from the ground and his
eventual death (returning to dust).
• The ground was cursed and would now bear thorns and thistles.
• Since the serpent was cursed “above” the other animals, we can infer some sort
of curse on all animals, even though the details are not spelled out.
Understanding the effects and extent of the fall is essential if we are
to understand the nature of the world that we live in and the nature of
mankind and the relationships between people and God.
One major effect of the fall and God’s curse is the tension in the
relationship between husband and wife. In Genesis 3:16, Eve is told that
her desire will be contrary to her husband and that he will rule over her.
? What authority structure did God establish at the creation of Adam and
Eve?
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Since the fall, women have the desire to be in control in the marriage, and husbands have a tendency to not be the leaders that God has called them to be. Only the gospel can reverse this condition. With the power of the Holy Spirit working in us, we can overcome these sinful tendencies and live a life worthy of the calling of Christ. When we try to
do this apart from Christ, we fail.
God cast the couple out of the garden. He did this to prevent them from continuing to eat the fruit of the tree of life; it was also a sign of their broken fellowship with God.
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No Death before Sin
Another impact of the fall was on the food supply. This might seem like
a trivial issue, but it ties into a very important concept—the connection
between death and sin.
Genesis 1:29–31
? What did God command Adam and Eve to eat after he had created them
and called them to rule over the earth?
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? What did God command the animals to eat?
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? How did God describe the condition of his creation immediately after
giving this command?
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? Let’s look at a cross-reference as we seek to let Scripture interpret
Scripture. What does Deuteronomy 32:4 tell us about God’s works?
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? How would you summarize the diet of everything God had created?
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? If we accept evolutionary thinking—that animals evolved—were animals
and man vegetarian as they were evolving?
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? Assuming that God used evolution to create the world, and that animals
were eating one another and man eating animals, would they have been
obeying God’s command to eat only plants?
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? If the animals and man were disobeying his command to eat only a
vegetarian diet, would God have called this “very good”?
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? The fossil record contains much evidence of death, suffering, disease,
and destruction such as cancer and animals eating one another. Would
God call these things “very good”?
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Discover the Truth
This idea of a vegetarian diet is confirmed in Genesis 3 when God told Adam that he was to eat the “plants of the field” in the sweat of his labor (Genesis 3:17–19). Adam would also be fighting against the thorns and thistles that were a part of the curse on the ground. God had provided food from the garden, but he was, in essence, saying, “Go plant your own
garden, you rebel!”
Genesis 9:1–3
Another important passage that confirms this idea is found when God
addressed Noah after the flood. This is the first time that man was allowed to eat animals (but probably not the beginning of rebellious people eating meat). God says very clearly that he had given them herbs before. If there was not an earlier command to eat only herbs, then this allowance to eat meat is nonsensical.
This raises some interesting questions from skeptics of the biblical view—why did T. rex have giant teeth? Why do snakes have venom? Why do armadillos need protective plates?
Creationists have suggested several answers to explain these defense/ attack structures that make sense and fit within the biblical text:
• Originally, these features had a good purpose, but as the environment changed, the purpose for these features changed as well.
• God added new features to creatures at the curse so that they would be able to withstand the onslaught of violence provoked by sin.
• Although unnecessary in a perfect world, God designed the original creatures with the features they would need to live in the fallen world that God knew was coming.
• God placed designs for these features in the genes of the original creatures, but they did not become active until after the curse.
Isaiah 11:6–7
While we do not know exactly how the animals acquired these defense/ attack structures, this we do know: according to God’s Word—our final authority—animals were originally vegetarian, and one day they will once again get along with each other and with man as it states in Isaiah 11:6–7. Read the passage which talks about a future state of restoration.
A Groaning Creation
Romans 8:19–22
? What does “the creation” refer to?
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? What is the creation waiting for?
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? Why is it waiting for this event?
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? How did the creation come to be futile?
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? How is the creation acting in light of its curse?
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? In light of this passage, how much of the creation is suffering under the
curse?
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? If the whole creation has been impacted by the curse, how much of the
creation needs to be redeemed?
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Revelation 21:1–5
? What does this passage tell us about the extent of the reversal of the
curse?
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? What parts of the curse are specifically mentioned in this passage?
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? If death, disease, and suffering have always been part of God’s creation,
from an evolutionary perspective, does it make sense that this would
be reversed as part of the result of Adam’s sin?
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Discover the Truth
If death, disease, and suffering were part of God’s “very good” creation from the beginning, the reversal of those aspects of the creation seems to be a bit backward. Why would God reverse something that was very good?
The fact that there was a fall of mankind shows that there was a previously perfect creation and the need to restore it to that perfect state. If the creation is to be restored to its original condition, that original condition could not have included the death of animals or the suffering we see from diseases and natural disasters.
When we talked about the Seven C’s of History, we called the final C—which is actually a future event—the Consummation. God has promised to reverse the curse that mankind brought into the world through sin. That future state—a new heaven and new earth—is compared to the past condition. If that past state included death and suffering and earthquakes and tsunamis, we can expect the future state to include those things, too.
Paul tells us that death is an enemy who will finally be destroyed in the consummation (1 Corinthians 15:26). If death was God’s tool to bring about the different kinds of life on the Earth, it cannot be called an enemy.
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Application
To recap, Adam’s fall impacted everything in creation. From the death that would come to Adam—and every person—to the death of animals, beginning with those that were used to cover Adam and Eve’s sin, the entire creation is now groaning under the effects of sin.
We must remember that the judgment of the curse reflects God’s character. Because he is a holy and just God, he must punish sin. If he did not, he could not claim to be just. A just judge (Psalm 7:11) cannot turn a blind eye to sin.
? How does God demonstrate his mercy toward sinners?
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? We have been using the phrases “the fall” and “the curse” throughout
this lesson and others to refer to the events of Genesis 3. What things
do we need to watch out for as we speak to one another and others
with this type of biblical jargon?
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? To be fair, many people who claim to be followers of Christ and accept
evolutionary teachings have never thought through these issues. What
approach might you use to demonstrate the inconsistency in this type of
thinking?
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? What assurance do you find in thinking about the future consummation,
knowing that the original creation of God was perfect and included no
death or suffering?
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? How can an understanding of the nature and extent of the fall help you
to understand the evil that exists in the world?
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? How can understanding the fall help you find comfort when you face
a situation like cancer, the death of a child, or the chaos of a tornado
striking your town?
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? How could you use that knowledge to proclaim the gospel to someone
you know who is facing those trials without Christ as their Savior?
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Prayer Time
• Praise God for providing a way to restore the brokenness that came
through our sin.
• Ask the Holy Spirit to convict the students of sin in their lives and give
them boldness to share the hope of Christ with those who are lost.
• Thank Jesus for offering himself as a sacrifice on our behalf.
Additional request:
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