03. Creation & Controversy
When God created the world it was perfect in all aspects. Unfortunately sin was then introduced and a great controversy was begun between Christ and Satan. The Bible reveals what sin is, how it entered the world and how humans became caught up in it. Once we understand how we came to be involved with sin, we can more fully understand God's solution to the sin problem .. the plan for our salvation.
01. What was the earth like when it was fresh from the hand of the Creator?
Genesis 1:27-31
27 So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
28 Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.”
29 Then God said, “Look! I have given you every seed-bearing plant throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food.
30 And I have given every green plant as food for all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, and the small animals that scurry along the ground—everything that has life.” And that is what happened.
31 Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good!
And evening passed and morning came, marking the sixth day.
02. Of all of God's creation, what was His crowning glory?
Genesis 1:26-27, 2:7, 15
1:26 Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.”
1:27 So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
2:7 Then the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person.
2:15 The LORD God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it.
03. What instruction did God give the man and the woman that He had made?
Genesis 2:16-17
16 But the LORD God warned him, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden--
17 except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.”
04. What event occurred at the tree of knowledge of good an evil that changed the world?
Genesis 3:1-7
1 The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the LORD God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?”
2 “Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied.
3 “It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’ ”
4 “You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman.
5 “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”
6 The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too.
7 At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves.
05. How did God respond when He realised the man and the woman He had created had been disobedient to him (sinned against Him)?
Genesis 3:8-15
8 When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the LORD God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the LORD God among the trees.
9 Then the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?”
10 He replied, “I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.”
11 “Who told you that you were naked?” the LORD God asked. “Have you eaten from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat?”
12 The man replied, “It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it.”
13 Then the LORD God asked the woman, “What have you done?”
“The serpent deceived me,” she replied. “That’s why I ate it.”
14 Then the LORD God said to the serpent,
“Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all animals, domestic and wild.
You will crawl on your belly, groveling in the dust as long as you live.
15 And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring.
He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel".
06. What else happened as a result of this disobedience (or sin) against God?
Genesis 3:16-19
16 Then he said to the woman, “I will sharpen the pain of your pregnancy, and in pain you will give birth. And you will desire to control your husband, but he will rule over you.”
17 And to the man he said, “Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat, the ground is cursed because of you. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it.
18 It will grow thorns and thistles for you, though you will eat of its grains.
19 By the sweat of your brow will you have food to eat until you return to the ground from which you were made. For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return.”
07. What was the true identity of the serpent that was in the tree?
Revelation 12:9
This great dragon—the ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world—was thrown down to the earth with all his angels.
08. How does Jesus describe this Ancient Serpent, Devil or Satan?
John 8:44
For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.
09. Satan tempted man into sin. What is the result of mankind sinning?
Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
10. (Part 1) What did God mean when he said to the serpent "He will strike your head, and you will strike His heel"?
Isaiah 9:6
For a child is born to us,
a son is given to us.
The government will rest on his shoulders.
And he will be called:
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
10. (Part 2) What did God mean when he said to the serpent "He will strike your head, and you will strike His heel"?
Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
John 3:16
“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
11. So what is God's solution to the sin problem, and the pathway for God to restore mankind to a perfect relationship with Himself?
Romans 6:10-11
10 When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. But now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God.
11 So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.
Hebrews 9:28
so also Christ was offered once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him.
John 3:16
“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
See also:
Jeremiah 31:3, Romans 5:8, 2 Corinthians 5:19-21, Ephesians 2:4-7, Titus 3:4-7, 1 John 4:9-10, 14, 19, Revelation 1:5
Conclusion
When Satan tempted man and woman to sin against God their fate was forever sealed. They would die with no hope for the future. But God sent a substitute to stand in our place and die on our behalf. All he requires on our part is that we believe in Him and follow him so that through His sacrifice we might regain the right to everlasting life as a free gift. Would you like to accept Jesus into your life right now, and receive His free gift of everlasting life?
03. Creation & Controversy
When God created the world it was perfect in all aspects. Unfortunately sin was then introduced and a great controversy was begun between Christ and Satan. The Bible reveals what sin is, how it entered the world and how humans became caught up in it. Once we understand how we came to be involved with sin, we can more fully understand God's solution to the sin problem .. the plan for our salvation.
01. What was the earth like when it was fresh from the hand of the Creator?
Genesis 1:27-31
27 So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
28 Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.”
29 Then God said, “Look! I have given you every seed-bearing plant throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food.
30 And I have given every green plant as food for all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, and the small animals that scurry along the ground—everything that has life.” And that is what happened.
31 Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good!
And evening passed and morning came, marking the sixth day.
02. Of all of God's creation, what was His crowning glory?
Genesis 1:26-27, 2:7, 15
1:26 Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.”
1:27 So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
2:7 Then the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person.
2:15 The LORD God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it.
03. What instruction did God give the man and the woman that He had made?
Genesis 2:16-17
16 But the LORD God warned him, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden--
17 except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.”
04. What event occurred at the tree of knowledge of good an evil that changed the world?
Genesis 3:1-7
1 The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the LORD God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?”
2 “Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied.
3 “It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’ ”
4 “You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman.
5 “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”
6 The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too.
7 At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves.
05. How did God respond when He realised the man and the woman He had created had been disobedient to him (sinned against Him)?
Genesis 3:8-15
8 When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the LORD God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the LORD God among the trees.
9 Then the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?”
10 He replied, “I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.”
11 “Who told you that you were naked?” the LORD God asked. “Have you eaten from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat?”
12 The man replied, “It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it.”
13 Then the LORD God asked the woman, “What have you done?”
“The serpent deceived me,” she replied. “That’s why I ate it.”
14 Then the LORD God said to the serpent,
“Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all animals, domestic and wild.
You will crawl on your belly, groveling in the dust as long as you live.
15 And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring.
He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel".
06. What else happened as a result of this disobedience (or sin) against God?
Genesis 3:16-19
16 Then he said to the woman, “I will sharpen the pain of your pregnancy, and in pain you will give birth. And you will desire to control your husband, but he will rule over you.”
17 And to the man he said, “Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat, the ground is cursed because of you. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it.
18 It will grow thorns and thistles for you, though you will eat of its grains.
19 By the sweat of your brow will you have food to eat until you return to the ground from which you were made. For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return.”
07. What was the true identity of the serpent that was in the tree?
Revelation 12:9
This great dragon—the ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world—was thrown down to the earth with all his angels.
08. How does Jesus describe this Ancient Serpent, Devil or Satan?
John 8:44
For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.
09. Satan tempted man into sin. What is the result of mankind sinning?
Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
10. (Part 1) What did God mean when he said to the serpent "He will strike your head, and you will strike His heel"?
Isaiah 9:6
For a child is born to us,
a son is given to us.
The government will rest on his shoulders.
And he will be called:
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
10. (Part 2) What did God mean when he said to the serpent "He will strike your head, and you will strike His heel"?
Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
John 3:16
“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
11. So what is God's solution to the sin problem, and the pathway for God to restore mankind to a perfect relationship with Himself?
Romans 6:10-11
10 When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. But now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God.
11 So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.
Hebrews 9:28
so also Christ was offered once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him.
John 3:16
“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
See also:
Jeremiah 31:3, Romans 5:8, 2 Corinthians 5:19-21, Ephesians 2:4-7, Titus 3:4-7, 1 John 4:9-10, 14, 19, Revelation 1:5
Conclusion
When Satan tempted man and woman to sin against God their fate was forever sealed. They would die with no hope for the future. But God sent a substitute to stand in our place and die on our behalf. All he requires on our part is that we believe in Him and follow him so that through His sacrifice we might regain the right to everlasting life as a free gift. Would you like to accept Jesus into your life right now, and receive His free gift of everlasting life?