1: Education in the Garden of Eden – Discussion Starters
- The first school. This year may be the first in many decades that students have gone to many of their classes outdoors—to reduce exposure to the COVID virus bug that has been attacking millions of people. Imagine the very first outdoor school. Instead of avoiding disease, what benefits did learning in the Garden of Eden offer to Adam and Eve? As the first gardener
on earth, what garden work did Adam do? How do you think Adam’s work gave him happiness? - Intrusion. What stood out in sharp contrast to the beautiful plants and flowers of the Garden of Eden in its early days? How do you think Adam and Eve felt when they recognized these differences came from the evil one? What do you think came to the minds of Adam and Eve when they were told to say clear of the serpent? Why did God allow his created human beings to have the capacity of bringing on a terrible curse to mankind?
- Missing the message. Our lesson suggests that Eve didn’t take God’s warning seriously enough even though He spoke clearly to her. How did the serpent find success with Eve in his temptation to her? The serpent was a smart creature, wasn’t he? How did he change the mood and capture her will power? What was the most deceitful message Satan gave Eve? Confused and troubled, Eve could have done just one thing that would have pulled her from her dilemma and saved her from sin. What could she have done?
- Regaining what was lost. One sin. One transgression. One failure to obey God from confusion and discouragement. What was the result? How would you defend God for doing what He did in response to Adam and Eve’s sin? Did their sin deserve the penalty they received? Why didn’t God just walk away from this world and build another one? Instead, what did He do?
- The despisers of authority. Is it easy for you to learn new facts? To ask forgiveness? Is salvation learned more readily by some Christians than by others? Here’s a key question abstracted from this week’s lesson: Is it possible that part of our Christian education in Christianity is not only avoiding temptation from those who will “secretly bring in destructive heresies” (2 Pet. 2:1, NKJV)? but also in developing a constructive attitude towards authority?
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Surely taking God's instructions lightly led Eve to think that maybe God would loosen what He said. Uganda just lost a moslem politician who left a will not to be burried instantly, as their norm, and relatives complied. While men's laws can be adjusted, God speaks once. Period.
Hi Joyce – so many questions, all interesting to spend time thinking about. A while ago, my daughter made a comment, questioning the ‘character’ of God; that she did not want to believe in a God who is capricious, giving man the capacity to sin and then settle them with the consequences. This would fall under point 4. ‘Regaining what is lost.’
It was difficult for me to ‘reason’ with her regarding her viewpoint. In the end, the only 'explanation' I could offer is that God is sovereign, He represents all Authority in Heaven and in His created universes – that it is so because that’s how it is.
We had to leave it with this finding since we are worlds apart with our understanding about authority and God’s sovereignty being rooted in Love for mankind. All she ‘sees’ is injustice and no effective way to remedy it! I pray for God's Truth to reach her heart.
Point 5. In ‘The despisers of authority’, you pose an interesting question: Should part of our Christian education include “…developing a constructive attitude toward authority?” Yes!! - In my opinion, this is where the relationship-breakdown between God and man starts. Many Christians do not maintain a healthy relationship with their heavenly Father. I think that in the eyes of young people authority is questioned because so many Christians lack spiritual integrity. With their lives they teach – do what I say, but don’t do as I do; their ambivalence about moral and ethical absolutes shows no trust in the God they confess.
So often, our actions do not match what we confess to believe in; our conduct is too often based on ‘convenience’ instead on the love to do right by the Father. Our love for our fellow man lacks the power of self-sacrifice and, with this, exposes the weaknesses inherent in our relationship with the heavenly Father.
This ‘lack of a constructive attitude’ will need to be remedied if we expect the ‘world’ to learn true respect for true authority – which rests in God.
By showing true, spiritual integrity through our voluntary ‘obedience’ to the authority of God, Trust and Faith based in the Word of God becomes manifest in our actions; as we live so, we give God the Glory He is due and are a testimony to His Power of Love.
Man was created to be saved. Chapter divisions obscure the that Gen 2:25 is the beginning of a narrative that culminates in Gen 3:21. This narrative is: Man is created defenseless, in the face of deception unable to reason out his own redemption. Gen 2:25 describes the deficiency the "futility" that Man was subject to, this deficiency is made up in Gen 3:21 by the free gift of the Messiah.
The tree of life existed in the garden, and God permitted Adam to eat from it, but Adam was unable to reason out his own redemption, and even after eating the forbidden fruit Adam did not go to the tree of life.
This illustrates that Man was created to be redeemed by the Messiah Jesus.