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CHRONOLOGICAL BIBLE  
.::.   TEACHING STUDIES   .::.

Lesson #2 - Man

Man: The Crown of God’s Creation Part 1

REVIEW

SELECTED VERSES

GENESIS 1:26; 2:7-25

TOPIC OVERVIEW

“The Bible does not leave an option for man  to be any less than the only being created in the image of God.  This distinct creation includes man’s unique relationship to God.  Man is not only God’s creation, made in god’s image; man is also God’s cherished possession- accountable to his Creator.”    

Man, being created in the image of God, receives incredible privileges from his Creator.  But as with all privileges he also receives responsibility.  This lesson will teach what the image of God means.

LESSON

MAN RECEIVES GOD’S IMAGE  GENESIS 1:26

A.   God’s image:  What it doesn’t mean.

1.   Not Physical.  It cannot be in physical appearance because God does not have a body like we have.  He is spirit.

2.   God’s image is referring to the part which cannot be seen.  Man’s body was created to be the house of this unseen part.  We call it the soul or spirit.

3.   Vance Havner has said, “Our eyes do not see, we see with our eyes.  Our ears do not hear, we hear with our ears.  Our tongues do not speak, we speak with our tongues.  There is someone inside there that uses all these gadgets the Almighty has outfitted us with.”

B.   God’s image:     What it does mean.

1.   Man’s mind:  Man can know God.  God has a mind and the ability to think and plan as displayed in the creation of the physical universe.  He created man with the capacity to think so that man could know God.  Man is able to talk and communicate in the realm of abstractions. 

2.   Man’s will:  Man can obey God.  God has a will and He clearly evidenced His will through the creation.  He chose to create over against choosing not to create.  Man is endowed with the capacity to make decisions.  Man has the ability to chose between obeying God or not.

3.   Man’s emotions:  Man can love and worship God.  God has emotion and we were able to witness His dislike and wrath against Lucifer’s rebellion.  God loves, hates, feels sadness and joy.  He has created man with the same capacity.  Man can love god and with His will chose to worship God.

In God’s creation of Adam “his reason was subject to God; his will was subject to his reason; and his [emotions] were subject to his will; the body was the obedient organ of the soul.”  Hodge vl. 2 pg.99

MAN RECEIVES PRIVILEGES

A.   Life.  Genesis 1:27; 2:7

1.   Adam, the name means “man.”  He was made from the dust of the ground.  But even after all the physical components were in place Adam did not have life.  God’s image was not yet imparted to Adam.

2.   God alone put life into Adam.  God is the source of life.

B.   Dwelling place.  Genesis 2:8-15

1.   The garden of delights.  Prepared by God for man.  In the garden all man’s needs were met.  He had food, activity, companionship and fellowship with the Creator.

2.   God placed the man in the garden.  Notice the sovereignty in this act.  He did not consult Adam for his opinion.

C.   Work.  Genesis 2:15

            This labor was not the toil that we know of today.  It was the refreshing activity of maintaining his environment.

D.   Woman.  Genesis 2:18-25

1.   God saw Adam’s need for a counter part like him.  Eve was created from Adam and for Adam.  God showed Adam that in all of creation there was not another that was suitable companion for him.  (Gen.2:18 Helpmeet= A helper suitable to Adam.)

2.   She was a divine provision.  Notice that it was God who made Eve and then brought her to Adam, thus supplying his need.  “...the man, the woman, the match, were all God’s own work; He, by his power, made them both, and now, by his ordinance, made them one...” (Matthew Henry, Vol.1, pg.20)

3.   She was a co-regent with Adam.  Read Genesis 1:27-28.  There was structure to the relationship but they shared in the responsibilities God gave them.

 

TOPIC WRAP UP

1.   What great difference was there between the creation of man and the creation of the animals?

2.   What does it mean that God created man in His own image?

3.   What were some of the privileges that God gave to man?

4.   Where did Eden come from?

5.   How did man get to the garden of Eden?

6.   Why did God create Eve?

7.   What were Eve’s responsibilities according to Genesis 1:28 and 2:18?

 

 

Creation: Man: The Crown of God’s Creation Part 2

REVIEW

SELECTED VERSES

GENESIS 2:7-9,15-17

TOPIC OVERVIEW

God granted some incredible privileges to man. He created him in His own image.  He breathed life into man and gave him work to do.  Then He gave him the gift of a helper suitable  for him.  God also prepared a perfect environment for them to live in.  But as with all privilege there is the attendant responsibility.  God also gave Adam and Eve one injunction which they were to obey or they would suffer the consequences.

LESSON

THE RESPONSIBILITY OF CHOICE  GENESIS 2:7-9

TWO TREES

1.   The meaning of the trees is the difference between life and death.

2.   Declaring His will God defines right from wrong for man.

3.   Man’s faculties are strengthened through use.  Body through work.  Mind through naming the animals.  Now his will through exercising it to obey God.

A MATTER OF TRUST

1.   The forbidden tree is not intrinsically evil.

2.   Knowledge of good and evil depicts knowing the whole moral spectrum.  (A phrase like “searching high and low” or “He knows my sitting down and my rising up.”)

3.   Prohibiting them means God would have supplied this knowledge in another way.  Spiritual maturity is being able to discern right from wrong.  Heb. 5:14

4.   What is forbidden is minimal and what is allowed reaches to the maximum.  They have liberty but it is liberty within predetermined confines and not liberty from all confines whatsoever. 

5.   God desires them to trust Him.  To trust that He will continue to give them what they need.  He will not withhold good from them.

6.   To disobey God’s revealed will is called sin.  The consequence of sin is death.

THE RESPONSIBILITY OF OBEDIENCE  GENESIS 2:16-17

A.   GOD HAS THE RIGHT TO DEMAND OBEDIENCE

1.   By His Creator-ship

2.   By His character of absolute holiness and righteousness.

3.   By His complete knowledge.  Adam needed God.

B.   GOD PUNISHES DISOBEDIENCE

1.   God is the source of life.  He told Adam that to disobey His word would bring death.

2.   Death is separation.  Adam would separate himself from God.  The punishment for disobeying God’s command would be separation from his source of life.

C.   THREE ASPECTS OF DEATH.

1.   Separation from spiritual life, ie. God.  Spiritual death.  Lucifer had already experienced it.  What happened there?

2.   Separation from physical life, Adam’s soul would separate from his physical body.  This aspect of death would not be instantaneous but would culminate at a future time for Adam. A branch broken from a tree looks like it still lives, but it has been separated from it’s source of life.  Soon it will become evident to all that it really is dead even though it looks alive.

3.   Separation from eternal life with God.  After Adam’s physical death he would continue to be separated from God for eternity.  His dwelling place would be the same as the dwelling place God had prepared for Lucifer and all who followed him.

SUMMARY:       READ PROV. 1:7, JER. 9:23

“This kind of fear is not the same kind of fear with which we fear evil; rather it is the sense of awe and overwhelming respect that comes from realizing who God is.” F.F. pg.166

God alone existed in eternity past and created all things from nothing.  He has all power and all knowledge and is everywhere all the time.  He created man and made him to be under His sovereign authority.  Would it not be foolish to not have a healthy fear and to hold in awe someone like this?  AND YET HE WANTS TO COMMUNICATE WITH US AND WANTS US TO KNOW, LOVE, AND OBEY HIM.

 

TOPIC WRAP UP

1.   Eden means delight.  In the garden of delights were there any restrictions?  If so what were they?

2.   Do you think the prohibition that God placed on Adam and Eve was reasonable?  Why?

3.   By what right did God give the man a command?

4.   What would cause Adam’s death?

5.   What are three aspects of death?

6.   Is it conceivable that we ourselves could presently be experiencing any of these three aspects of death?  Which?

 

 

Man’s Fall: Temptation in the Garden

REVIEW

SELECTED VERSES

GENESIS 3:1-8

TOPIC OVERVIEW

God prepared the world with man in view.  His love is displayed by the special garden He prepared specifically for Adam.  Eve was also a special gift from God.  In short, God had shown His love and concern for Adam and Eve’s well being from the very start.  He also warned them about one tree in the garden. He was clear in His will for them not to eat of it’s fruit as it would result in death.  This lesson will look into Adam and Eve’s response to God’s one injunction anad it’s results.

LESSON

A VISITOR IN THE GARDEN

A.   LUCIFER’S PRESENCE

1.   He is an angel and so is unseen by man.

2.   He was cast out of heaven and now occupies the atmosphere that surrounds our earth.

3.   He hates God and everyone that God loves as well as anything good God desires to do.

4.   His position of rule was stripped from him because of his pride and disobedience.  Adam had been given a position of dominion over God’s creation.

5.   Adam had a formidable enemy in Lucifer, as we also do.

B.   LUCIFER’S PRESENTATION  GENESIS 3:1-6

1.   Disguised himself as a snake.  Crafty = shrewd or sly. His name now is Satan, deceiver. Hidden, not obvious

2.   He initiates the conversation by posing a question stressing the negative of God’s injunction.  Implied injustice

3.   He also injects the thought that Eve may not have heard God correctly.  Did she really understand God’s Word?  Confusion with God’s Word

4.   Then he flatly contradicts God’s Word to Eve. A direct lie

5.   Finally Lucifer openly maligns God’s character and explains God is hiding good from them.  Questions God’s character

C.   EVE’S RESPONSE TO THE TEMPTATION

1.   Feeble attempt to reason with Lucifer. v. 2-3

2.   Already perceives God’s injunction in a more stringent manner than given.  “..or touch it.” v.3

3.   Reverses the original way of perceiving things in submission to God.  Intellect, will, and affections.

PRIOR TO FALL

MIND:               In submission to God and His will.

WILL:                In submission to the mind.

AFFECTIONS:  In submission to the will.

 

TEMPTATION IN THE GARDEN

AFFECTIONS:   Food and delight to the eyes.

MIND:               Desirable to make one wise.

WILL:                She took and ate and gave it to her husband.

 

IMMEDIATE RESULT OF ADAM AND EVE’S CHOICE  GENESIS 3:7

A.   SPIRITUAL DEATH

1.   Separated from God:  Isa. 59:2 God’s Word is true.  They experienced separation in their relationship with God, their source of life.

2.   Independent from God:  They did not trust God but instead desired to become independent from God, but instead became slaves of Satan.

3.   Under Satan’s rule:  (1 Jn. 5:19; Ephes. 2:2; They were now under new authority by their own choice.  Satan is their authority.  Satan had become the focus of their trust.  They had believed the lie and acted upon it.

B.   THE WHOLE MAN IS AFFECTED.  GENESIS 3:7-8 

1.   Outwardly:  They became embarrassed of their nakedness.  They immediately attempted to provide for themselves rather than depend on God.  God previously provided for all their needs.  Now they attempt to provide for themselves.

2.   Inwardly:  They became afraid of God and hid themselves from Him.  In their deliberate disobedience of God’s Word they turned away from Him.

 

TOPIC WRAP UP

1.   What was Lucifer’s attitude toward the man and why?

2.   Lucifer undergoes a name change.  What is the new name and its meaning?

3.   What are some tactics Satan used in tempting Eve?

4.   How did Eve respond to the temptation?  Where did she go wrong?

5.   What were some immediate results of Adam and Eve’s choice?

 

 

Man’s Fall: Results of the Fall

REVIEW

SELECTED VERSES

GENESIS  3:8-19

TOPIC OVERVIEW

Today as we look at our world we see a lot of disharmony and sadness.  Nation against nation and group against group.  On the other hand there are many giving all their energies to the environment.  The recent Earth Summit is an example. Their purpose; to save the planet from the abuse of man.  On a more personal level, the war of the sexes has reached an all time high.  Women against men and men against women, wife battering, sexual harassment and rape in marriage are daily news stories.  Where did all this trouble begin?  Why do we have this kind of pressure?  It did have a beginning and it was not always like this.  Our present sad situation is directly relatedto events that took place in the Garden of Eden.

LESSON

GOD’S CALL TO MAN  GENESIS 3:8-13

Adam, where are you?  Genesis 3:8-9

   Did God not know where Adam was?  Yes, He was right there the whole time.

   Did God not know what they had done?  Yes, He saw them when they sinned.

   Why did God call out to them?  He desired them to agree with Him that they had sinned.  Confession.

Man’s response to his problem.  Genesis 3:10-13

   He hid from God. v.8

                     He lied to God. v.12

                     He inferred that God had been unjust. v. 12

                     He maligned the character of God. v. 12

Compare these traits with Satan’s tactics.  Adam was already exhibiting the characteristics of his new authority.

 

GOD’S INTERROGATION AND HIS DECISION  GENESIS 3:9-19

God questioned man, his creation.

   He created both Adam and Eve, He has the right to question their actions.

   “And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.”  Hebrews 4:13

God held Adam and Eve personally responsible.

         Even though they had opportunity to confess, they blamed one another and the devil.  NO PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY!

         It did not matter what Adam and Eve thought, said, or did, God held them responsible for their sin.

         They did not confess and repent of their sin.

GOD CURSES THE OFFENDERS  GENESIS 3:14-19

God curses the serpent and Satan. 3:14-15

1.   Satan used the snake and the snake suffered for it.

2.   Satan himself is told that the very ones he thought he had won would be his enemies.

3.   God predicts Satan’s eventual destruction and states that it will be from the woman’s seed.

God curses the woman. 3:16

1.   The blessing bestowed on Eve to be fruitful and multiply is marred by her sin.  Now in order to fulfill this command she would experience pain.

2.   Tension in the authority-submission relationship. Submissiveness to Adam was part of God’s plan prior to the fall and so it is not the curse here. 

            “Genesis 3:16 refers to a new desire on the part of the woman to exercise control over her husband-but he will in fact rule or exert authority over her.  The result down through the ages has been an ongoing struggle between the sexes-with women seeking control and men ruling instead, often harshly.  Before the fall and the curse there was true harmony in the husband-wife relationship, but through the curse anew element of tension and dissension entered into the marriage relationship.

THE ROLE OF WOMEN 

God curses the man and the earth. 3:17-19

1.   The earth is cursed.  To live on the earth now will mean difficult work involving sweat and hurt.

2.   A return to the ground from which he was taken.  This is the physical aspect of death as a result of Adam’s sin.  God’s word is true.  What He says will happen, happens.

 

SUMMARY:

From the garden of delights to an existence of pain, suffering and finally death is a tragedy far beyond words.  Adam’s environment in the garden was lacking in nothing, every need that could be imagined was fulfilled by his loving Creator.  Yet when Adam had the choice of submitting himself to God or seeking his own gratification, he chose himself over God.  This rebellion against God was indeed the beginning of all the turmoil, suffering and pain we still experience today. We have asked, “Where did all this trouble begin?  Why do we face these kinds of pressures?”  The answer is that our ancestor Adam chose a path of rebellion and disobedience long ago, and we continue to feel the consequences to this day.  How would you have chosen?

 

TOPIC WRAP UP:

1.   Why did God seek Adam after he had sinned?

2.   Does God’s initiative Adam tell us anything about God?

3.   How did they respond to God’s initiative?

4.   Who did God hold responsible for the sin?

5.   What was God’s response to sin in the garden?

6.   Why did God curse Adam and Eve?

7.   What were the individual curses on Adam, Eve, and the serpent?