God’s Plan for Man’s Rebellion

MEMORY VERSE: “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him: male and female created he them.” —Genesis 1:27

GENESIS 1:1; 2:7-9; 3:1-8

VOLUMES have been written by wise men of the world in attempts to explain the origin of the universe, but the real explanation is set forth in a few words in the first verse of our lesson: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” (Gen. 1:27) Verse 2 explains that when the earth was first created it “was without form, and void” The remainder of the first chapter of Genesis pertains, not to the creation of the earth, but to its preparation for the sustaining of life, particularly human life.

With the general work of preparation completed, a limited area was specially prepared for the first man—“And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food.”—Gen. 2:7,8

“The tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.” (vs. 9) God explained to Adam that he could partake freely of all the trees in the garden, except “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” There was a penalty attached to the disobeying of this command: “For in the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”—Gen. 2:17

Later Eve was created and the “serpent,” used by Satan, approached her and asked if it were true that God had forbidden them to partake of “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” Eve confirmed this, and reiterated what Adam had told her about the penalty for disobedience, that it would be death. Then Satan replied to her, “Ye shall not surely die.”—Gen. 3:1-4

Concerning Satan, Jesus said, “He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, for he is a liar, and the father of lies.” (John 8:44, RSV) Yes, Satan was the father of lies, his first lie being his statement to Eve, “Thou shalt not surely die.”

Under the continued influence of Satan the vast majority of the human race ever since have believed Satan’s lie. In many circles a succinct way of stating this error is, “There is no death.” But the writers of the Bible did not agree with this. Paul wrote, “The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”—Rom. 6:23

Our first parents did disobey God’s law with respect to partaking of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and the death penalty followed as a result. This penalty was passed on to their progeny, so the entire human race came under condemnation to death. Paul confirmed this when he wrote, “As by the offense of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.”—Rom. 5:18

This free gift of justification to life is available now upon the basis of faith and dedication to the doing of God’s will. In the Millennial Age it will be through an awakening of those who sleep in death, and the giving to all an opportunity to believe and obey. Paul wrote, “As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” (I Cor. 15:22) Paul also wrote that Jesus gave himself a ransom, or corresponding price, for all.—I Tim. 2:6

Our memory verse reminds us that man was created in the image of God. Most professed Christians claim to believe this, yet millions insist that man is a creature of evolution, having evolved from lower forms of life. If this he true, at what point in the evolutionary process did man attain to his high plane of being in the image of God?

The divine image has been somewhat effaced through the long reign of sin and death, but it is the Creator’s plan, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, to restore man to his original perfection and godlikeness.

QUESTIONS

Is the first chapter of Genesis an account of the original creation of the earth?

What is the divine penalty for sin?

When will the human race be restored to the perfection of human life which was lost.

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