Lesson 3:
Fellowship...broken

Lesson 3: Fellowship...broken

Supplementary verse: Genesis 1:28

“And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.””

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Begin with prayer. Today’s lesson speaks of deception, and tragedy, and loss. Ask the Lord to guide you, speaking to you from his word, and leading you into truth.

Read the primary text. Follow the link to the book of Genesis at the very beginning of the Bible, and read chapters 2-3. This is a much longer reading than we will typically do throughout this course, but for our purposes this story is best understood in its entirety. You and your guide may opt to break this into two lessons if you wish. You can also find the text here

Discuss the scripture with a trusted guide, using the discussion points below:

Fellowship…broken

In Chapter 1 of the book of Genesis, we explored how God created all things with order and intentionality. He ensured that his creation was good, and this includes you. Included in that order and intention is purpose. God created you for purpose; your life has meaning. You matter. We can see in this reading that at the very beginning, God bestowed purpose on humanity: to walk with him in fellowship, and to care for and to enjoy wonders of his creation (see Genesis 1:28 and 3:8).

Unfortunately, we see in this reading where that purpose was lost, that fellowship was broken. We who were made to walk in fellowship with God himself now found ourselves walking in brokenness, seeking purpose and meaning. Down deep, at some level, we know there is something that was lost, something that needs to be recovered. The history of humanity is the history of a people trying to fulfill what only God can fulfill. Many seek power or wealth, only to find both empty of their promise. We seek love and find pain. We seek pleasure and instead find bondage. All of that is the result of what happened in the garden.

God gave gifts to Adam. He gave him Eve, the beauty who captured his gaze and captivated his imagination. Together they were one, and she was his ‘help-mate” whose beauty inspired him and whose help and support was meant to help Adam, together with Eve, to reach the fullness of their potential. Additionally, God gave to Adam authority, to “rule the earth.” All was God’s, and God had given all to him. Moreover, God gave Adam another gift, one that brought meaning to Adam’s life: purpose. God gave Adam purpose.

What was Man’s purpose?

Pay particular attention to 1:28 and 3:8. These may at first appear to be 2 separate purposes but rightly understood they are intimately connected. How are they connected? Discuss this with your guide. Feel free to reach out for help if needed. If these two purpose are connected for Adam, how are they connected in your life? How can they be?

How did Satan tempt the woman?

An important feature of this lesson is the introduction of Satan, the adversary. This is a reality, that there is an enemy, an ancient, malevolent evil who rebelled against God and who is deeply jealous of his creation. His only real power is the ability to deceive. Jesus later tells us the enemy came to “steal, kill, and destroy” but that Jesus’ redemptive mission is to destroy the works of the enemy, to restore what has been broken, and to lead us to “abundant life.”

We see in this reading that Satan very carefully twists God’s words to deceive the woman. Compare the positive nature of God’s actual words (Genesis 2:16-17) with the negativity of Satan’s subtle distortion (Genesis 3:1). His deception convinced the woman to doubt God. His work today is the same: to subtly twist the truth, and convince us to doubt God; to believe the shame of the distortion rather than the beauty of the truth. The result of Eve’s deception and Adam’s passive leadership and choice to sin was the “fall of mankind.”

What was the effect of the Fall?

Adam’s decision to eat brought sin into the world, and with it came sin’s ultimate fulfillment: death. Shame and brokenness, and eternal separation from God, and from the beauty and joy that God intended for man to walk in, was the result. Consider: what effect has this had on the history of the world? What effect has this had in your life? How have you walked in sin and where have you believed the lie?

Another tragic consequence of the fall was the distortion of purpose that resulted. It was Adam’s joy and fulfillment to keep and tend the garden of God’s creation. After the fall, his work became painful toil, rather than fulfilling (3:17-19). Eve’s purpose to be Adam’s help-mate would become distorted as she would now be in competition with Adam for headship. Her special blessing to be a mother would now only come through great pain (3:16).

Adam and Eve sought to cover their shame with leaves (3:7). Somewhat cryptically the Lord promises one to come who will destroy the work of the devil (3:15). In the next lesson we will learn of God’s plan to redeem his creation and restore what was lost.

Always conclude a time of study with prayer, asking the Lord to water the seeds that have been planted. Pray for the Lord to reveal to you unique aspects of Himself through the created world that reflects aspects of His glory.