Rebellion in the Garden
What biblical evidence can you find in Genesis 1–3 to support the view that Adam and Eve rebelled against God? (See, for instance, Gen. 2:16, 17; 3:2, 3, 6.)
The word rebellion is not used in Genesis 1–3 to describe the sin of Adam and Eve, but the idea is nevertheless present. Not only did they openly violate a divine command, but in the process of disobedience, they shifted loyalties. Eve listened to the reasoning of the enemy and thought it more reliable than the explicit word of God. She concluded that the divine command was too restrictive, and that in order to achieve her highest potential she had to claim independence from her Creator. This was rebellion. Adam listened to the voice of his wife instead of the voice of God and joined her in the rebellion.
What are some of the immediate results of sin, especially when understood as rebellion against God? Isa. 59:2; compare to Gen. 3:23, 24.
Adam’s and Eve’s rebellion brought an end to the kind of intimate relationship that they had first enjoyed with God. The nature of their rebellion was such that it disrupted how they related not only to God but to each other. Instead of mutual love and commitment, their rebellion against God resulted in mutual shame (Gen. 3:7). Their interpersonal relationship was no longer harmonious (vs. 12). This rebellion resulted, above all, in their separation from God and the perception that God was someone to fear, someone from whom they needed to hide (vss. 8–10). God and humans were no longer united in love and harmony. What was needed was an act of reconciliation.
| What has been your own experience with sin and how it impacts your relationship with God and with others? In what ways can you see the same principles in your own experience as seen here in Genesis? |
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