The opening thought of this series on repentance is simple: the foundation of rebellion against God is selfishness. This thought many be expressed in another way: the foundation of evil is human selfishness.
The Bible must be read forward, not backward. The meaning of scripture must be determined by understanding "first things first." The Bible's first book, Genesis, introduces a Bible student to (1) God's intent in creation, (2) why creation [specifically the human part of creation] rebelled against God's intent, (3) the basic consequences of "things gone wrong," and (4) God's initial responses to the problems caused by human rebellion.
Genesis 1 and 2 declare God is Creator of (1) the universe and (2) life. Succinctly and concisely, Genesis 1 and 2 affirms God is the source of all humanity sees, knows, and experiences. The God Who was the Sovereign of all brought into existence all humanity sees, knows, and experiences. Not only did the Sovereign God create, but He was pleased with His creation. As He examined His creation in its initial, intended state, He declared it to be very good. The good God, the Source of all goodness, saw a creation that reflected Him--He is good, and creation reflected His goodness.
Genesis 2 affirms God's completed creation provided humans with all they needed. [The creation of woman does not reflect God's oversight, but an appreciated discovery on man's part.] The human was special because he was created in God's image. He had unique companionship needs that could not be addressed by any form of animal life. After having viewed all animal life forms, Adam instantly recognized Eve's uniqueness. ["She is part of me--bone of my bones, flesh of my flesh!"] God's provisions for them included a lovely home, abundant food, and responsibility without stress. Their total needs were supplied in a stress free environment.
A part of being in God's image included an independent will. God gave humanity His power of choice. The gracious God addressed all their needs. No need was ignored or unmet. They wanted for nothing.
Evil focused human imagination on doubt and introduced temptation. "Has God restricted you? Deprived you? He has, has He? You should question God's motives. He misrepresented rebellion's consequences! It is a control issue, not a death issue! He seeks to deny you opportunity to be as wise as He is!"
It was not enough to be in God's image. They aspired to be God's equal. Thus woman examined the forbidden. Before you vent an oversimplified wrath on Eve, consider the context suggests that Adam heard the temptation without intervening. He exercised no leadership! Eve was close enough to hand him the fruit. (Genesis 3:6--"She gave also to her husband with her ...)
Note the things that impressed Eve as temptation urged her to considered rebellion. It had food value [though she did not struggle to survive]. It was esthetically pleasing [though she lived in a lovely garden planted for her by God, the Creator]. It had the power to make one wise, enable her to see evil [though the ability to see evil was a horrible ability that would make her less {not more!} like God]. In every consideration, rebellion worked against them. However, when she used the eyes of temptation, rebellion appeared totally desirable.
Did rebellion result in their being able to be aware of evil? Yes! What was the result of perceiving evil? (1) Shame (Genesis 3:7). They immediately realized they were naked, and suddenly that was a bad thing. Never before had they experienced this new feeling, and it was not good. They were so uncomfortable with this new understanding [not a new condition or situation!] that they immediately used fig leaves to make coverings for themselves. (2) Fear (Genesis 3:8-10). They never felt the need to be afraid of God [or anything else!]. Shame's companion was fear! Because they saw themselves differently [naked], they were afraid to be seen by God--so they hid! (3) Blame [the attempt to evade personal responsibility] (Genesis 3:12) . What godliness presented as a source of enormous blessing ["bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh"], suddenly rebellion made "the woman You gave me." (4) Guilt [the cumulative effect of rebellion]. They used the power of choice to rebel against the God of goodness rather than continue in appreciative relationship with the God of goodness. They made the choice, exercised the will. Suddenly gifts of blessing became curses of failure.
Why did they rebel? For many reasons! What was their primary motivation? Selfishness. "I" want to be like God. "I" want to decide what is good to eat, even if "I" have plenty of food. "I" want something that "delights me." "I" want to know and understand everything--even if it is not good for "me."
God handles knowing how to differentiate between good and evil. For God, knowing the existence and forms of evil creates no temptation, no abandoning of good. Humans cannot handle knowing the existence of evil. They poorly differentiate between good and evil. Evil tempts and deceives them. The end result: humans abandon good in favor of evil.
Why? Humans are consumed with self. When they focus on need, they focus on self. When they focus on pleasure, they focus on self. When they focus on knowledge, they focus on self. Temptation deceives us by focusing us on ourselves. When evil deceives us into focusing on ourselves, we abandon good for the sake of self-indulgence. Selflessness brings us nearer God. Selfishness increases the gulf between us and God.
Thought Questions:
Link to Teacher's Guide
Lesson 1