Chapters 2 and 3 Pt 1

Please read chapters 2 and 3 of Genesis. It begins by going into detail on the creation of man. We now see God referred to as the "Lord God". "Lord" has been added. The word "Lord" in Hebrew is "YHWH" or "Yahweh". This name is God's covenant name. It represents His love and closeness to man. Here we see that God is not a god who just creates something and walks away, but He is THE God who is wanting to be deeply involved in the life of those He has created. Man became a living being. This was different from all of the other creation He created. Into man He breathed His very life. This was more than just a breath. This breath concludes the creation being formed in the image of God. This breath moves man into intimate relationship with God. This breath gives man the very breath of God. Selah (means pause and think on that for a while!). This is what God wants for all people.The environment He created for man to live in was called Eden. The state man was in at the time was completely free from sin. No murders, lies, hate, pollution, death. Nothing ugly and hateful. It was the perfect environment spiritually and physically. Many believe this garden is located in Southern Iraq. In the garden there were planted two trees. The Tree of Life indicates an eternal life (Gen. 3:22). In the book of Revelation, chapter 2:7, the Tree of Life will be in the new heaven and earth. The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil became a testing ground for Adam and Eve. God warns Adam and Eve about the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Do not eat. Wouldn't life be great if there was no evil? Can you imagine? God did not want man to live in an eternal state of the knowledge of evil. That means there is evil out there. I asked earlier about whether you believe in the existence of God. Now I ask you this, do you believe there is a devil? AKA Satan. We know his mode of operation is temptation. What was the temptation for Adam? It was the temptation to be "like God". He convinced Eve that God was worried that if they ate from the tree, they would be like Him - knowing good from evil. But that wasn't the case. God didn't want mankind to live in a state of sin. Man had a choice. Man still has a choice. Either receive God and follow His instructions (always a good idea to follow the manufacturer's instructions) or don't. God didn't create robots, He created children. Made in His image but with a will of their own. In 3:6, Eve saw and ate. She didn't die...physically. But a spiritual death occurred. Physical death came later. From this event, all of makind is born of these spiritual parents. All people are born into sin. All people are in need of a savior. That savior is the seed God refers to in 3:15. The "he" God is referring to is Jesus. The promise of redemption begins here. Adam and Eve are removed from the garden. Why? To protect them. If they had eaten from the Tree of (eternal) Life, then they would be in the forever state of sin. This was a special garden. No sin allowed. Man would now survive from the sweat of his brow. But a second Adam was on His way.

Romans 5:12-19

¹²Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned— ¹³for before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law.¹⁴Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come.

¹⁵But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! ¹⁶Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man's sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. ¹⁷For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.

¹⁸Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men. ¹⁹For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous."