Bible Red Thread 3: A Broken Relationship (Genesis 3 & 4)
sermon Genesis 3 : Patrice Berger, 2022_12_18, AB Lausanne church
title : Bible Red Thread 3: A Broken Relationship (Genesis 3 & 4)
Bible Red Thread 3: A Broken Relationship (Genesis 3 & 4)
An intruder enters the scene: In this perfect world, a third actor enters the scene. This character does not present himself, he hides behind a creature, hence, forming a strange being: a snake endowed with speech, of all the animals Adam had to name in Eden, he never saw anything like it. This suspicious being has all the trappings of an intruder, and to avoid being unmasked on the spot, he strikes up a conversation with the least experienced person in all of creation, Eve. Indeed, as the last person created, Eve received instructions not from the Creator Himself, but through Adam.
Who is trustworthy?
With striking confidence, the intruder intended to make this meeting pass as the happiest for him; thus, seeking to sow doubt in Eve regarding the goodness, justice, and veracity of God! He does not invent his own speech, but distorts the statements of the Creator, asserting half-truths. The deadly fruit strongly discouraged by the Creator seems marvellous and indispensable following the exchange with the snake. Who is trustworthy? The Creator or an unknown creature.
Sin starts from a state of mind then it manifests in actions. Created free, Adam and Eve are placed before a choice for which they will have to assume responsibility. Together, they opt to deliberately place their trust in the snake’s words. This state of mind of Man’s independence from his Creator is called sin. It gives birth to negative feelings in the heart of man, it’s the source of his discomfort: fear, shame and guilt. These feelings translate into negative actions: concealment, contempt, and rejection. The ideal world has just suddenly changed to become a hostile environment.
Death is certain for man! However, why does man now seek to save his own skin when he was initially created to be eternal? In accordance with the benevolent warnings of God, man now knows the high price of his choice of independence: the degradation of his environment, the difficulty in fulfilling his mission and above all an inevitable end: death. Despite God’s warning, Adam and Eve did not die immediately. Yes, God is just! The Man played, he lost, and should die on the spot! However, God is also full of love towards His creatures.
An Undeserved Rescue Plan: God responds to the affront of the first couple with an undeserved initiative. He goes ahead of them. Adam and Eve – who had become ashamed – whereas a few minutes earlier “they were both naked, and were not ashamed of it”. He curses the snake, knowing that the source of all these evils comes from him. It is the first creature to suffer the curse of the Creator. Finally, God utters a promise of unparalleled significance: the serpent’s dominion over mankind will be annihilated by the offspring of the woman.
A New Opportunity: Therefore, God casts Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden, away from the tree of life. A judgement? Nope! Indeed, if these humans separated from him lived forever, the drama would be endless! Man will die because God is just, what He said, He must do. God offers a new chance for humanity to restore its confidence in Him. While still alive, Man has the choice to be reconciled with God. At the end, who was trustworthy: the Creator or the creature?
REFLECTION Independence from God leads to utter disaster. Passively or actively, am I cultivating this independence, or am I listening to reconciliation?
Posted by the evangelical church Action Biblique Renens-Lausanne
Related Links / Notes
Bible Study: Red Thread through the Bible
Study Notes are translated from the original French and available in the online magazine TaJeunesse (literlly “Your Youth”). The orginal texts are magazine articles. The texts provided here follow that form and include some of the images from the magazine, and help provide a deep understanding of the main themes of the Bible.
Services at the church AB Renens-Lausanne as well as some of the bible studies are streamed on the channel YouTube église AB Renens-Lausanne. Also visit the You Tube channel of the Swiss Action Biblique Youth Groups (JAB Suisse Romande.
Bible verses in the study link to the Darby bible. In addition to the Darby Bible , other versions of the Bible are also available on our website (KJV, Basic English as well as the Webster version and Young’s Bible on the Action Biblique Suisse website.
The King James Version is available as an audio bible Podcast which can be accessed below.
