Sermon Review | Sunday, Sept 27

Origins: The Anatomy of Sin | Genesis 3:1-8

Use this review as a means for digging deeper into these verses and growing in your understanding of God’s Word this week. Here’s a few tips: 

• Grab your Study Bible and a pen. 
• Print this page out, or write your answers in your own journal. 
• Take your time to answer these questions thoughtfully.  
• Share your answers with your spouse, family, or a friend. 

Begin by reading Genesis 3:1-8. 

In this familiar story we see the anatomy of sin: it’s objective, reasoning, method, and result. A simple definition of sin is anything that goes against God’s design. 

Verse 1 introduces us to a “crafty” serpent (Satan) who comes after God’s image bearers (humans) with lies. In conjunction with the rest of Scripture, we learn that sin’s objective is to prevent you from bringing glory to God. The serpent immediately questions God’s word, which is really a questioning of God’s character and integrity. Satan wants us to believe that God does not really have our best interests in mind and cannot be trusted. This is sin’s reasoning: that God is not enough for you. 

In what ways have you been tempted to question God’s love and care for you? How have you been personally tempted to question God’s truth? 

Satan makes a false promise to us: that we must reach for something more than God himself (an idol) for our fulfillment in life, and that there will be no consequences for doing so. This is the lie he tells Eve and Adam in verses 4-5. He essentially tells us that we should decide for ourselves what is right or wrong for us, and that our lives will get better and better if we achieve our idols. This is sin’s method for deceiving us. 

What idols are you currently pursuing? (For example, Acceptance? Approval? Security? Control?) Even if you acquire these idols, in what ways will you still feel empty? 

Verse 6 shows us that once we allow ourselves to entertain the idea that God’s purpose and plan for us may not really satisfy us, then sin doesn’t look so bad. We reach for more than what God has given us. We reach for more than God himself. This is a false perception of reality. 

In what ways has your spiritual “vision” been distorted by sin? How has it affected how you see God, yourself, and others? 

Verses 7-8 show us the early stages of sin’s result: guilt, shame, and alienation. Sin promises to take you to a better place, but it always takes you further into misery and misfortune. It is a complete scam. However, God’s grace is stronger and more powerful than any sin you’ve ever committed. He desires for you to turn away from your sin and turn to him. We do this by being honest with God about our sin, acknowledging our dependence on his grace, and asking him to forgive us. If you do this, he will always forgive you, no matter how far you’ve gone. 

Confess your sins to God. Ask him to forgive you. Thank Jesus for living the life you could never live, dying the death you should have died, and giving you power to live a new life through his death and resurrection. God’s grace is truly greater than our sins. 

For further study: read Matthew 4:1-11 and Romans 5:12-21