A Bible Study With A Friend
Adam: When God created Adam (man’s federal head) He gave him freedom to do whatever he might wish to do with only one prohibition; he was not to take of the fruit of the tree that contained the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:16-17).
We read; “16And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
We will consider God’s reason for this one prohibition later, but for now please explain in your own words (at least 25 words or more) what would be the result if Adam violated this prohibition.
Joe’s Answer / Adam’s denial and violation of God’s wishes immediately resulted in death. Adam sinned (turned away from God). Disobeying God immediately results in death. Adam was formed by the dust of the earth by God and He was the first person formed in the image of God. Like Adam God gives all of us freedom of choice.
Response to Joe’s Answer
Joe you are correct, Adam’s disobedience resulted in a future physical death, and it resulted in an immediate spiritual death. God said that “in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (Genesis 2:17b).
Physical death would separate him from life. Spiritual death immediately separated him from God.
Now in reference to your statement that “Adam was in denial and violation of God’s wishes” does not “wishes” infer that God was not in control? A Wish after all—denotes something hoped for. However, God didn’t wish (hope) that Adam would obey Him, He commanded (ordered) Adam to obey Him.
Adam willfully disobeyed Him and we must ask why? God had given him everything that he could possibly want: Life; His presence, that is—His fellowship; a perfect environment; a companion (Eve); intelligence; an occupation and put him in charge of the whole earth.
1) What else could there possibly be other than what had been given him?
Nothing more that would truly be of benefit or satisfaction.
2) What was the consequence of Adam’s disobedience?
He died spiritually toward God. He no longer was of the same will with God. He now was self willed as was his wife Eve. Pride, self worth and self now possessed them.
3) What did Adam and Eve immediately do? In their pride of self they covered their nakedness. There was no problem of this before they sinned, before they took of the forbidden fruit. From this point forward they would have a sense of humiliation, jealousy and shame. And, now they both feared God, they hid themselves from Him.
4)Were these inhibitions exclusive to them or were they inherent to their offspring? Adam and Eves second Son, Abel, was convinced that he was in need of forgiveness and offered a blood sacrifice (Genesis 4:4). He knew that he was born with the fallen nature of his father. And, he remembered that God had rejected his father and mother’s attempt to hid their spiritual nakedness from God (Genesis 3:21). God slew and animal to obtain its hide to cover their sin, this required that the blood of the animal be shed. Shedding of blood would forever be the only thing that could atone for man’s sin. The writer of the Book of Hebrews was inspired to write “And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission” (Hebrews 9:22 NKJV).
God told Adam what was necessary for the covering of his sin (Genesis 3:21) and he related this truth to Cain and Abel. The shedding of the blood of an animal wasn’t the sacrifice that would atone for sin, but was symbolic of the shed blood of God’s only begotten Son. This is verified to us by the writer of the Book of Hebrews; Writing about the sacrifice of Jesus, the Son of God, he wrote:
“1For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. 2For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins. 3But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. 4For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins. 5Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: ‘Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, But a body You have prepared for Me. 6 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure.’ 7 Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come—In the volume of the book it is written of Me— To do Your will, O God.’ 8Previously saying, ‘Sacrifice and offering, burnt offerings, and offerings for sin You did not desire, nor had pleasure in them’ (which are offered according to the law), 9then He said, ‘Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God.’ He takes away the first that He may establish the second. 10By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Hebrews 10:1-10 NKJV).
Neither Abel nor Cain understood the full implication of what God required, but Abel believed and acted upon what his father told him and sacrificed one of his animals. Cain rejected what had been told him and though he sensed guilt he offered a bloodless sacrifice, a sacrifice that was not accepted by God.
Remember, God had rejected Adam and Eve’s attempt to cover themselves with fig leaves. Their attempt of covering themselves with fig leaves wasn’t just to hid their physical nakedness from one another, but also their spiritual nakedness from God. God rejected that attempt and slew an animal to obtain its hide to cover them, this meant that the animal had too shed its blood: