Week 2: Genesis 3 – The Fall of Man
Week 2: Genesis 3 – The Fall of Man
As a family, read Genesis 3 together. Afterwards, share the following discussion.
What happened?
Genesis 2:8-14 says that God created a garden—an absolutely beautiful garden. There were rivers and gold all throughout the garden. God placed Adam and Eve in the garden to work and take care of it. But God said they “must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it, you will surely die” (Genesis 2:17).
In chapter 3, Satan tried his very best to destroy what God had created by tempting Eve to disobey God. In verse 1, he started causing Eve to doubt God’s instructions by asking, “Did God really say….?”
Satan continued to distract both Adam and Eve from the truth. Eve fell to Satan’s incessant persuading, and “…she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both were opened….” (Genesis 3:6-7a). Adam and Eve listened to Satan, believed his lies, and chose to disobey God’s command.
Why is this important to us, today?
Everything was perfect. Man and woman were created to have an eternal relationship with God. The world was pure…innocent of any and all forms of sin…and then Adam and Eve sinned. The result of their disobedience to God changed not only their lives, but the entire human race forever. Every person ever born would be a sinner whose relationship with God would have to be restored.
You were created to have a relationship with God. When you disobey God, it hurts the closeness you have with Him. Choosing to sin is not only selfish, it breaks God’s heart. The same is true even in your family. When children lie or disobey their parents, it causes the relationship to be strained. To make things right, the child has to genuinely apologize and ask for forgiveness. Likewise, we need to ask God for forgiveness when we disobey Him.
Spend a few minutes talking about what you just read by answering these questions together:
What are ways that you sometimes disobey God? What would help you obey God more?
How can we better follow God this week?
This week, practice these two things:
- Confess your sin to God as soon as you’re aware of it, and tell Him you’re sorry. He promises to always forgive when you ask (1 John 1:9). Practice asking for forgiveness in your family. Don’t let another day go by without apologizing (Ephesians 4:26). Ask God to give you strength to follow Him.
- Celebrate God sending His Son, Jesus into the world to die for your sin on the cross. He has an incredible plan and purpose for your life. Have you accepted Jesus’ payment for your sins? If not, will you become a follower of Christ today?