Read Genesis 3:1-21
Our world seems a bit messed up, to say the least. People cannot get along. Poverty and starvation are rampant in many areas. People scratch their heads and wonder why things seem broken. Moses give us the answer for this in Genesis 3. In the Garden of Eden, a choice was made that caused peace and relationships to shatter. It was a choice whose consequences we still live with today.
In the Garden, our first human ancestors enjoyed fellowship with God and fruitful work. There was one prohibition for them: they could not partake from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. The serpent, a creature possessed by Satan, questioned the woman about the tree and God’s command. The tempter hit the woman at the right points. His words caused her to question both God’s command and provision. She took the decision to disobey God, eat of the tree’s fruit, and give some to her husband (who really acted in an oblivious manner). Both of them sinned against God.
It is interesting that God later called out to them. These first humans had hidden after discovering their nakedness. His call to them was a call to come and repent. However, they did not want to do it that way. They desired to blame each other, the serpent, and God Himself. Does this sound familiar?
Punishment for their sin was both swift and long-term for the man and woman. The woman would experience more pains in childbirth. The man’s toil to make the earth produce would be made harder by his sin nature. However, in the punishment and degradation of the serpent, there was a seed of hope. Someone was coming, a descendent of the woman, who would bring about the end of sin and evil. We know this to be the prophesy of the coming death and resurrection of the one and only Son of God, Jesus Christ.
Yes, our world is a mess. Sin is rampant. However, God did not leave us to our own devices. He gave us a way to come back to a relationship with Him through Jesus. We still deal with the effects of sin, but we now have a Savior.
Mark Riser - Apologist 