- Scripture: Genesis 3:1–3:13
- The Anchor: “And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?” – Genesis 3:9
Today’s passage is about how Adam and Eve sinned against God by being tempted by the serpent and eating of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The serpent tempted them with a hint of truth, but with mostly a lie. The fruit opened their eyes to the knowledge of good and evil, and they saw that they were naked, so they clothed themselves with leaves. God came through the forest and asked them who told them that they were naked, and Adam blamed Eve for eating the fruit.
I feel like I have reflected on this passage quite a lot these past few months because we talked about this a lot at boys small group. We were going through Westminster Shorter Catechism questions 14-17 for a bit, and I learned a lot about the fall. Adam fell from the Covenant of Works, which was Adam’s covenant with God with the conditions of perfect obedience and the consequence of death. Adam’s original sin made all humankind that was descended from him by ordinary generation fall into an estate of sin and in bad standing with God. Fast forward a while though, Jesus made the Covenant of Grace with God to make up for the failed and broken Covenant of Works.
I remember what P. Abe said at retreat about Satan deceiving us with a hint of truth. In this situation, Satan was truthful about the tree giving the knowledge of good and evil, yet he deceived them by saying that the fruit would not kill them. This is how Satan targets us too because Satan is a really smart guy with a lot of experience, so he gives reasons and things to sin.
To combat Satan, we have to put our identity in God. When they saw that they were naked, Adam and Eve covered themselves with leaves, and God asked them who told them that they were naked. This was because they did not put their identities in God, but they put their identities in the fact that they were naked and sinful. They used the fig leaves to cover the fact that they were people of God. This is what my mom talked about at retreat. Many times, we cover up our identity in God with something that isn’t God.
Lastly, Adam blamed Eve for making him eat the fruit. It is so natural for us to put blame on others. Although Eve is the one who ate the fruit first, Adam did not have to eat, and it was ultimately him who was also tempted. I also tend to blame others for my sins, but in the end, I am the one who sinned, and I should be the one repenting as well as them.
Today’s message is so important because it highlights the second main part of the Bible’s story. In the last few days, we saw creation, and today we see the fall. I can’t imagine living in the fall without Jesus because I feel like I would have no real hope and I would just sin over and over again without the ability to get right with God. This makes me feel so thankful for Jesus.
Reflection
- Satan loves to use a “hint of truth” wrapped in a lie to make sin look reasonable. What is a common lie or excuse you hear in high school culture (or tell yourself) that makes a bad choice seem totally okay?
- Adam and Eve used fig leaves to cover up their shame, hiding their true identity as God’s people. What are some modern “fig leaves” (like status, grades, sports, or pretending to look perfect on social media) that we use to cover up who we really are?
Prayer
Lord, thank You for the Covenant of Grace and for sending Jesus to rescue me from the brokenness of the fall. Forgive me for the times I try to cover up my sins or blame other people for my mistakes; help me to own my actions, repent truly, and find my full identity in You alone as I head back into the school year. Amen.