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Bible Study: June 10, 2018


NASHVILLE (BP) — This weekly Bible study appears in Baptist Press in a partnership with LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Through its Leadership and Adult Publishing team, LifeWay publishes Sunday School curricula and additional resources for all age groups.

This week’s Bible study is adopted from the Bible Studies for Life curriculum.

Bible Passage: Genesis 3:1-7, 14-19

Discussion Questions:
— Growing up, what were some rules you had trouble following?
— What can we learn from these verses about how the enemy operates?
— According to these verses, how should we understand our battle with sin and its consequences?

Food for Thought:

Do you have a favorite game you like to play? Mine is Monopoly®.

My wife objects to my strategy. I tuck away a few of the larger bills I’ve earned when she isn’t looking. She sells properties to me thinking I have no money to spend on houses or hotels. But as soon as she sells me her properties, I pull out my hidden money and it’s “game over.” She blames me for cheating. I blame her for not catching my stealth-like moves. We teasingly point fingers at each other.

You may have noticed the world we live in isn’t a perfect place. But it was in the beginning. God created a sinless, spectacular world for us to enjoy. In Genesis 3, we learn that Adam and Eve chose to ignore His instructions for living, and sin entered the world. Adam blamed Eve. Eve blamed the serpent. Adam even tried to blame God!

Sin entered God’s perfect world and wreaked havoc on relationships. God’s relationship with mankind had changed. Adam’s relationship with his wife had changed. Eve’s relationship with her husband had changed. Everything had changed, but not for the better. All the while, Satan knew he’d accomplished his goal. Paradise was lost. People had chosen to rebel against their Creator. Sin and death had been introduced into God’s perfect creation.

Why are we in the mess we’re in? We’re in it because of sin. When Adam and Eve sinned, we — the descendants of this first couple — were forever changed. We’re now born with a sin nature. That sinful nature leads us to naturally choose sin; it’s who we are.

We’re sinners who need a new nature. We are people who need new hearts — hearts that choose God’s Word and God’s ways. Thankfully, there is a solution to our sin problem. God loves us and He would not leave us in this helpless state. Although Satan slithered his way into the garden and led Adam and Eve astray, this did not catch God off guard. God knew this would happen, so He planned a response to our sin.

We’re in this mess because we put ourselves here. We chose to sin instead of following God’s way. Thankfully, God doesn’t leave us without hope. He sent His Son Jesus to pay our sin debt, forever changing our situation. In Christ, forgiveness is offered. Because of Jesus’ death on the cross, mercy is given.

Bible Studies for Life
Bible Studies for Life connects the Bible to life for adults, students and kids. Bible Studies for Life helps individuals and groups know God’s Word through trustworthy content, creates biblical community through engaging and conversational group studies, and helps people engage the culture missionally by unpacking what the Bible says about real-life issues. More information can be found on the Internet at www.biblestudiesforlife.com.

Other ongoing Bible study options for all ages offered by LifeWay can be found at LifeWay.com/SundaySchool or ordered at LifeWay Christian Stores.