Ch.2: The Fall and the Promise of a Savior

1. Ch.2: The Fall and the Promise of a Savior

2. Creation and De-Creation At creation Adam and Eve were gifted with Original Holiness and Original Justice. That means they were created to share in God’s life and to live in happiness.

3. However, temptation by Satan lead to the original sin, the first personal sin committed by human beings. Adam and Eve sinned by preferring themselves to God, disobeying him and failing to trust in him.

4. Discussion: God created human beings to live with him in peace and happiness. Why do you think the first humans turned away from God?

5. Was Original Sin a Historical Event? Though the story of Genesis 3 uses figural language and should not be read as a historical account, it is important to maintain that a real historical event lies behind it.

6. The Effects of the Original Sin The consequences of the first personal sin were immediate and prolific. Those consequences remain a part of our lives today. This fallen state is Original Sin.

7. loss of Original Holiness and Original Justice disunity within the individual, among individuals, between people and creation, and between people and God having to endure painful labor in order to survive the pains of childbirth shame as a result of nakedness death However, though human nature was weakened by sin, it was not totally corrupted. The Consequences of the Original Sin

8. Genesis describes the spread of sin and its consequences as God’s judgment and mercy for humanity in three stories: Cain and Abel the Great Flood the Tower of Babel

9. Discussion: Where do you see the effects of Original Sin in the world today?

10. God Remains Faithful in Times of Sin From the moment of humanity’s first sin, God promises salvation. The Protoevangelium recorded in Genesis 3:15 announces God’s plans for a future Redeemer and a final victory over sin and death.

11. God renews this promise of salvation throughout history in “covenants” with his people. A “covenant” is a solemn agreement God enters into with his people. The Old Testament records 4 covenants: Covenants in the Old Testament

12. God’s covenant with Noah God renewed the command to Adam and Eve to multiply and subdue the earth and promised to never again destroy the world.

13. 2. God’s Covenant with Abraham God promised Abraham many descendents, land for his people, and that his people would be a blessing to all the nations.

14. 3. God’s Covenant with Moses God formed his chosen People, Israel, and gave them the Law by which to live.

15. 4. God’s Covenant with King David God promised David that the messiah would come from his line and that his kingdom would be everlasting.

16. Covenant Summary

17. God remained faithful to his promises in spite of the continued sinful behavior of the people and their leaders, including Israel’s kings. God Remains Faithful to His Promises

18. God’s fidelity was exemplified in the message of repentance and hope preached by his prophets. The prophet Amos condemned genocide, sexual excess, and violence and insisted that true worship of God required concrete actions of justice toward the weak and poor.

19. Jeremiah foretold punishment for Israel’s sins and promised that God would write a new covenant on their hearts.

20. Ezekiel warned of punishment for Israel’s sins and promised the coming of a messiah.

21. Isaiah criticized idolatry, empty sacrifice, human pride, and cruelty to the poor and foretold Israel’s immanent collapse. He also promised that God would save Israel and spoke of a “suffering servant.”

22. In Christ all the prophecies and covenants find their fulfillment. Where Adam’s disobedience to God was the cause of our death, Christ’s obedience—even to the point of death on a cross—is the source of our salvation.