Lesson 2

The word that comes to mind when thinking about the Garden of Eden is “paradise.” Adam and Eve had everything they needed there. They were safe and well cared for. The trees were full of fruit right from the beginning (Genesis 2:16). Adam even had a job—God made him the gardener of Eden (Genesis 2:15).

Eden, however, was not simply a place of ease. It was also their classroom. The forbidden tree was a temptation because it offered them instant wisdom (Genesis 3:6). They knew they still had much to learn.

Perhaps God’s earliest lesson for man was, “Do not touch.” God planted a tree right in the middle of the garden and called it “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” He told Adam and Eve they were not allowed to eat from it or there would be severe consequences. That does not mean they couldn’t enjoy the tree—Eve said it was beautiful to look at. The rule was that they could not eat from it.

Garden of Eden Lesson One: Choosing to Love God

As we saw in lesson one, our God is a relationship God. He loves us and wants us to love Him and be His children. But it is not love unless we have a choice. Can a man force a woman to love him? So God cannot force us to love Him. He must let us choose.

Read Joshua 24:14–17 and John 6:64–68. What choice is being made in these passages? Do you think God used the tree of the knowledge of good and evil to present man the same choice?

Garden of Eden Lesson Two: All Sin Should Make Us Cry

Read Genesis 2:17. What was the very first consequence of sin? Have you ever committed this specific sin—taking fruit from a tree that did not belong to you? How would you rank that sin compared to others?

Why does God see even the smallest sin as an offense deserving eternal death? When our children disobey for the first time, we tend to warn them or punish them lightly. Yet God went immediately to the worst punishment imaginable. That should tell us something about how He views sin. When He hears a “white lie” or witnesses a lost temper, it grieves Him (Genesis 6:6). To Him it is the same as witnessing a murder or child abuse. All sin deserves death. Perhaps we are the ones with the problem, since we are not outraged and devastated when we see sin.

Garden of Eden Lesson Three: The Holiness of God

In what way did Adam and Eve “die” when they sinned? What does it mean to be “dead” if our physical bodies are still alive?

Vine’s Expository Dictionary notes that death (thanatos) is used of (a) the separation of the soul from the body, and (b) the separation of man from God—Adam died on the day he disobeyed God (Genesis 2:17).

Read 1 Peter 1:16. Holiness means “set apart.” It refers to something that should not be mixed with ordinary things. We should not conclude that God is harsh because the consequence of sin is death. It has to be that way for Him. God has lived for eternity without sin. It is so foreign to Him that He cannot be in its presence. When He tells us that we must die if we sin—that is, be separated from Him—He is explaining what must naturally occur.