Sin: Our Own Fault

Minister:
Date: AM
Text: Genesis 3; Lord's Day 3
Psalters: 318, 328, 146, 23
  1. The issue.
    1. In the Garden of Eden mankind knew blessed communion with His Creator.
      1. The Garden was a picture of heaven, having as its center the Tree of Life.
      2. The antithesis was in the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
    2. The issue in the Garden was the Word of God.
      1. The only reason Adam and Eve could not eat of that one Tree was because of God’s Word.
      2. Adam fell because he disobeyed God, not because of the fruit itself.
  2. The sorry history.
    1. Sin had its origin in the realm of the heavenly angels (Isa. 14; Ezek. 28; I Tim. 3: 6).
    2. Satan came in the form of a serpent in order to deceive (Rev.12:9; 20:2).
      1. In their original integrity Adam and Eve could not be approached from within - had to be from without.
      2. Satan needed a visible instrument to point man to a visible tree.
    3. Satan came to Eve first, in order to use her help to get at his primary object: Adam.
      1. First, he sowed the seed of doubt by suggesting there was no sense in God's command re. the tree.
      2. Devil then charged God to be a liar, "Ye shall not surely die."
    4. Eve then tempted Adam (cf. I Tim. 2:14a).
  3. The bitter consequences.
    1. For Adam and Eve.
      1. Shame (3:7) was God’s means to show them their guilt before God.
      2. Man died as the wages of sin (Rom. 6:23).
    2. Secondly, the whole creation fell with its king and was cursed for man's sake (Rom.8:20; Gen.3:17b,18).
    3. Thirdly, there were and are bitter consequences for all mankind.
      1. All men die because death passed upon all, for all sinned in Adam (Romans 5:12).
      2. Further, Adam's nature is our nature, which became so corrupt that we are all born dead in sin.