The Fall of Man
Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”
The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’ ”
“You will not surely die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, 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 of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
Genesis 3:1-7
“Good News, Bad News” jokes abound. They are ordinarily brief, easily understood and with a readily comprehended punch line. We are all aware of the “Bearden Clan” that fills the pews of this church. On occasion they invite others of their number to meet with them here for a party or get-to-gather. These are friends of, dare I say, fifty years. It has been my experience that the closest of friends in any educational environment are those that you make in high school.
They had been friends and teammates since high school. They no longer suited up for football or basketball but over the years they had found age group softball leagues and teams on which they could compete as members. Jim lost his best friend Bill. Jim was usually the pitcher and Bill the sure-handed shortstop. The two friends had often wondered if and hoped that there would be softball in heaven. A few nights after Bills’ death, Jim had a very vivid dream in which Bill comforted him. Bill was obviously in heaven and Jim asked of its beauty. “Unimaginable” replied Bill. Jim then asked “Is there softball in heaven?” Bill said, “I have good news and bad news. The good news is yes, there is softball in heaven.” Jim was elated but then he asked, “What is the bad news?” Bill answered, “You are slated to pitch next Tuesday.”
The Bible begins with the good news of creation. All that God creates is good. There is no mention that He shares this effort with chance and time. God declares that the state of man’s loneness is not good so God creates woman from man and establishes the basis for the whole of society and human life. The sacred God blessed union of woman and man serves as the foundation of society. Opposition to this basic concept places all who attempt to undermine marriage as being opposed to the wishes of God.
The bad news arrives in Genesis 3 with the disobedience of God’s created. As a result, we are introduced to and become a part of sin. The concept is that of Original Sin. Some chafe at this but I believe the concept is easy to follow. From this point forward, all born of the union of all Adams and Eves come as sinners. The explanations offered are two. First, their sinful natures are passed to us since they serve as the representatives of mankind. Or secondly, the concept has a seminal basis relying on our descendance from common ancestors.
This is the doctrine of sin that emerges from the Bible. This separates Creator from created.
Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. But the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?”
He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”
And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”
Genesis 3:8-11
More bad news is revealed as God requires an explanation. Implied is the revelation that God was in fellowship with man and woman and spent time with them in Eden’s Garden. This willful disobedience broke the fellowship between them and as a result, God expelled them from the garden and a death sentence became operative from that point forward. An important concept arises. God is the teller of truth and Satan is a liar.
Although not explained at this time but implied is the concept that God desired to teach them of His character to provide the proper basis for their fellowship. They would have known the true nature of God from personal experience but their disobedience caused a separation. So thwarted, God chooses to reveal His true nature through inspired individuals and as a result we have this revelation as the Bible. Contained therein are the laws of God that begin the revelation of the character of God.
Mankind’s trek through time is a rather sordid story and left to our own devises, there is no good news. And the Bible exposes all our warts and blemishes. Murder, hatred, incest, adultery, greed and the list of sins goes on and on. Left to our own efforts we have no way to resume fellowship with God and are separated from Him for eternity.
Now for some welcomed good news.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
John 3:16-18
God provides a way for mankind’s’ restoration of fellowship by the incarnation of His Son in human flesh to meet the requirements of justice and deemed by God. This activity encompasses the Doctrine of Salvation. The need for being saved (salvation) must be preceded by an understanding of the Doctrine of Sin. Simply, you must grasp that sin, defined by God and not man, causes a separation of God and man. Only God can rectify this. This is the Good News, the Gospel.