Thursday, October 6
Read Genesis 3:15, 21. What hope can be found in these passages for all humanity?
Genesis 3 describes the dreadful tragedy that took over the world after the Fall. Everything changed, and Adam and Eve could see the contrast between what the world used to be and what it had become.
But in the midst of their frustration and despair, God gave them assurance for the present and a hope for the future. First, He cursed the serpent with a word of Messianic hope. He declared, “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel” (Genesis 3:15).
The word “enmity” (Heb. ’eybah) implies not only a long-lasting cosmic controversy between good and evil, but also a personal repulsion to sin, which has been implanted by God’s grace in the human mind. By nature, we are completely fallen (Ephesians 2:1, 5) and “servants of sin” (Romans 6:20). However, the grace that Christ implants in every human life creates in us enmity against Satan. And it is this “enmity,” a divine gift from Eden, that allows us to accept His saving grace. Without this converting grace and renewing power, humanity would continue to be the captive of Satan, a servant ever ready to do his bidding.
The Lord next used an animal sacrifice to illustrate this Messianic promise (see Genesis 3:21). “When Adam, according to God’s special directions, made an offering for sin, it was to him a most painful ceremony. His hand must be raised to take life, which God alone could give, and make an offering for sin. It was the first time he had witnessed death. As he looked upon the bleeding victim, writhing in the agonies of death, he was to look forward by faith to the Son of God, whom the victim prefigured, who was to die man’s sacrifice.” — Ellen G. White, The Story of Redemption, p. 50.
Read 2 Corinthians 5:21 and Hebrews 9:28. What do these texts teach about what was first revealed in Eden?
Knowing that they would eventually die (Genesis 3:19, 22-24), Adam and Eve left the Garden of Eden. But they did not leave naked or with their own fig-leaf coverings (Genesis 3:7). God Himself “coats of skins” for them, and He even clothed them (Genesis 3:21), a symbol of His covering righteousness (see Zechariah 3:1-5, Luke 15:22). Hence, even back then, right from the start, in Eden, the gospel had been revealed to humanity.
Friday, October 7
Read Ellen G. White, “The Temptation and Fall,” pp. 52-62 and “The Plan of Redemption,” pp. 63-70, in Patriarchs and Prophets; “The Knowledge of Good and Evil,” pp. 23-27, in Education.
In recent years, studies have been done on what is called Near Death Experiences (NDEs). What happens is that people “die,” in that their hearts stop beating, and they stop breathing. However, they then come back to life, but with fantastic stories of floating into another realm of existence and meeting a being of light. Some even talk about meeting long-dead relatives. Many people, even Christians, who don’t understand the truth about death, believe that these stories are more proof of the immortality of the soul. However (and this should be the clearest warning that something is amiss), most who have these experiences claim that the spiritual beings whom they had met during the NDEs gave them comforting words, nice statements about love, peace, and goodness. But they hear nothing about salvation in Christ, nothing about sin, and nothing about judgment. While getting a taste of the Christian afterlife, shouldn’t they have gotten at least a smidgen of the most basic Christian teachings along with it? Yet, what they’re taught sounds mostly like New Age dogma, which could explain why, in many cases, they come away less inclined toward Christianity than they were before having “died.” Also, why did none of the Christians, convinced that their NDEs were a preview of the Christian heaven, ever get any Christian theology while there, as opposed to a big dose of New Age sentimentalism? The answer is that they were being deceived by the same one who deceived Eve in Eden, and with the same lie, too. (See lesson 11.)
Discussion Questions:
1. How does the experience of Adam and Eve demonstrate that God’s forgiveness does not necessarily reverse all consequences of sin? Why is this such an important truth to remember always?
2. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil was the “enchanted ground” of the enemy for Adam and Eve. What are some “enchanted grounds” that we might find ourselves tempted to enter?
3. Satan is trying to lead God’s people to believe that “the requirements of Christ are less strict than they once believed, and that by conformity to the world they would exert a greater influence with worldlings.” — Ellen G. White, Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, p. 474. What should we do in order not to fall into this subtle trap?
