Read Genesis 3:1-24

If you read the news headlines, you are likely reminded of more that is wrong in the world than what is right. There are tensions between political parties, between races, and between nations. You might hear news of wars, of ecological challenges, of addiction, or of the latest leader who has fallen victim to sexual impropriety or lack of financial integrity.

How did we get here, anyway? In answering that question, we discover just how important the Old Testament is. Specifically, today’s reading offers us incredible insight.

At first glance, you may think that Genesis 3 is just the story of Adam and Eve. And, in some ways, it is that. God had clearly instructed them not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Unfortunately, they caved to the temptation. There were consequences for their disobedience, and they were forced from the Garden of Eden. End of story, right?

Not so fast there! The consequences of their eating reach to us in the twenty–first century.

• Enmity with Satan – Still today, he is like a roaring lion, seeking to devour and destroy people (Gen 3:15; John 10:10; 1 Peter 5:8).
• Pain of Childbirth – The development of special pain medications and epidural blocks serve as good reminders that giving birth is still painful today (Gen 3:16).
• Creation’s Curse – Romans 8 personifies creation, describing it as frustrated and groaning in its longing for its ultimate, future liberation from the consequences of Adam’s choice (Gen 3:17, 18; Rom 8:18–22).
• Work Challenges – Ask any person who seeks to accomplish a personal task or who works for an employer, and you will likely hear frustration (Gen 3:19.
• Separation from God – The consequences of Adam’s choice demonstrated in exile from the Garden are also depicted in our alienation from God as well (Gen 3:22–24; Rom 5:8-10).
• More than being handed the consequences for Adam’s sin, as his descendants, we have become guilty of and accountable for our own sin (Rom 5:12-21). That is how we got to where we are today!

But, thankfully, God provided a solution to all of the pain, suffering, frustration, and even to the separation from Him. He sent the descendant of the woman, Jesus, who crushed the serpent’s head through His death, burial, and resurrection (Gen 3:15; Heb 2:14). That is how we move beyond where we are today!

Steve Kern