LESSON ONE
The Drama Begins
Lesson Objective: To recognize how the book of Genesis relates to us today
Handbook for Christian Maturity written by Bill Bright © 2003, 2009, 2016 Bright Media Foundation. All rights reserved. Previously©1965- 2003 Campus Crusade for Christ, Inc. Bright Media Foundation® is a registered trademark of Bright Media Foundation, Inc. Campus Crusade for Christ International® and Cru® are registered trademarks of Campus Crusade for Christ, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, except in the case of brief quotations printed in articles or reviews, without prior permission in writing from the publisher.
BIBLE STUDY
Read Genesis 1-3
Before you consider the many verses below, be sure to read the Bible passage listed above.
If you click on the verses in the study below you can see the entire verse! If you are not on-the-go, consider opening a physical Bible and looking up the passages.
Origin of Man
- How did our world come into existence (Genesis 1)?
- What was the condition of the world and everything that was in it at this time (Genesis 1:10, 12, 18, 21, 25)?
- How did the first man come into existence (Genesis 1:27)?
- Was he an intelligent being at this time (Genesis 2:20)? How do you know?
- How was the first woman brought into existence (Genesis 2:21, 22)?
Origin of Sin
- What was man’s commission from God (Genesis 1:28–30)?
What was man’s relationship with God at this time (Genesis 1:28)? - How would you describe Satan’s personality characteristics when he appeared as a serpent, confronting Eve (Genesis 3:1–5)?
How has he used these same personality characteristics in confronting you? - Whose word did Satan question (Genesis 3:1)?
Did Eve answer truthfully (Genesis 3:2, 3—look particularly at the last phrase of verse 3, then at 2:17)? - In light of 1 John 2:16, analyze the temptation and list the three parts of it (Genesis 3:6).
- Why was it wrong for Adam and Eve to eat of this tree (Genesis 2:16, 17)?
Sin’s Result
- What was the result of the sin of the man and the woman (Genesis 3:7, 8)?
- What was the penalty for sin for each of the following (Genesis 3:14–19):
The serpent?
The woman?
The man?
How was man’s relationship with God altered (Genesis 3:8–10)? - What did God’s promise regarding Satan’s destiny (Genesis 3:15)?
The “seed of the woman” is the way the Bible describes the entrance of Christ into the world—conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of a woman, without a human father.
(Compare Matthew 1:18–23.) - In light of this, explain the correlation between Christ’s first and second coming and this verse.
LIFE APPLICATION
Questions
- How does Adam’s and Eve’s sin affect you today (Romans 5:12)?
- Starting with Genesis 3:15, God begins to point to the time when the penalty for sin would be paid on man’s behalf by the seed of the woman. In the chart on the next page, notice the prophecies pointing to Christ and their fulfillment in him.
These are only a few of the more than three hundred Old Testament references to the coming of the Messiah that were fulfilled in the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
Look up all the references listed there regarding the promises and their fulfillment and read them.
What is the overall picture they present to you? - Read Romans 3:23 and 6:23. Describe what Jesus’ death and resurrection mean to you.
God’s Promised Messiah
Memory Verse: “When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned.” (Romans 5:12 NLT)