YEA Lesson Library
The Choice
About This Lesson
This lesson teaches about Adam and Eve’s first sin and the lasting consequences. Similarly, even though God will forgive our sins when we repent, there are consequences will last.
Scriptures
Genesis 2:9-17
Genesis 3:1-24
Deuteronomy 30:16-21
Romans 3:23-25
Romans 6:20-22
Romans 6:23
Words to Know
ENORMITY - very great size, extent, or seriousness
The Lesson
God made Adam a wife. He and Eve lived in the perfect spot - the Garden of Eden. They rested on the Sabbath day and enjoyed God's awesome creation. This place was cool, man! It was a real paradise with fruit, berries, and vegetables better than you've ever tasted.
"At the center of the garden he placed the Tree of Life, and also the Tree of Conscience, giving knowledge of Good and Bad. A river from the land of Eden flowed through the garden to water it; afterwards the river divided into four branches . . . "The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden as its gardener, to tend and care for it. But the Lord God gave the man this warning: 'You may eat any fruit in the garden except fruit from the Tree of Conscience - for its fruit will open your eyes to make you aware of right and wrong, good and bad. If you eat its fruit, you will be doomed to die.” (Genesis 2:15-17)
Adam and Eve now had The Choice to make. They could eat all the luscious fruit from this garden that they wanted except the fruit of that one tree. How difficult do you think it would have been to stay away from the fruit on just one tree in the center of the garden? Do you think that you could have done it?
Adam and Eve had no other people around to influence them. So they had no peer pressure to eat the wrong fruit. But guess who did show up? Satan showed up to speak to Eve in the form of a serpent. He was the craftiest of all creatures that God had made. He asked, "Really? ... None of the fruit in the garden? God says you mustn't eat any of it?" Now that was crafty, wasn't it? He is totally misquoting God. Eve knew this was a lie because she corrected him. "It's only the fruit from the tree at the center of the garden that we are not to eat. God says we mustn't eat it or even touch it, or we will die."
Obviously Satan had no fear of God or regard for His Word. He said, "That's a lie!" "You'll not die! God knows very well that the instant you eat it you will become like him, for your eyes will be opened - you will be able to distinguish good from evil!"
Eve's first mistake was not telling Satan to get out of there - fast! She gave him time to tempt her. He put in her mind the evil desire for the fruit that God had said they should not eat or there would be terrible consequences - death! But she tasted it. Like so many sins, it tasted good, so she gave some to Adam, her husband, and he ate it. Immediately everything changed. When God created them, there was no need for God to make clothing for them, the weather was perfect and they were husband and wife. So God put them in the Garden of Eden in their birthday suits. They were not aware, embarrassed, nor ashamed of their nudity. But not so any longer. They realized they were naked and were embarrassed. So they began stringing fig leaves together to make garments for them to wear.
The sun was near setting and they heard God walking in the garden. Quickly they hid themselves among the trees. God called to Adam, "Why are you hiding?" Adam replied that he heard God coming and didn't want God to see him in his birthday suit. God wanted to know how he knew he was naked and asked if he had eaten the fruit from the tree that He warned them not to eat. Adam was at least man enough to admit that he had eaten the fruit, but he was unwilling to accept his full responsibility. He said, "But it was the woman you gave me who brought me some, and I ate it." Did you notice that he proceeded to blame God - the very One who told him not to eat it. God turned to Eve and asked her how could she make this kind of choice? It wasn't as though they were going hungry or having inferior food to eat. Well, she blamed the serpent. Talk about finger pointing, it's been here since the beginning.
God then told the serpent, Adam, and Eve what their curse and punishment would be. He told the serpent, "You shall grovel in the dust as long as you live, crawling along on your belly." He told the woman that child birth would bring intense pain. "And to Adam, God said, 'Because you listened to your wife and ate the fruit when I told you not to, I have placed a curse upon the soil. All your life you will struggle to extract a living from it. It will grow thorns and thistles for you, and you shall eat its grasses. All your life you will sweat to master it, until your dying day. Then you will return to the ground from which you came. For you were made from the ground, and to the ground you will return." Then God made Adam and Eve clothes from animals' skins.
This was the very first sin that man had committed. Look at its enormity and impact on human beings even to this day. Women still have painful childbirth, the ground still grows thorns and thistles, man has to work hard to earn a living, and we will all die and return to the ground. Sin, or disobedience to God, is not a small thing. Sin has enormous, lingering consequences. It's like Humpty Dumpty's great fall. All the kings men and all the king's horses couldn’t put Humpty Dumpty back together again. Adam and Eve were driven from their beautiful paradise garden and couldn't return. Even though we can repent of our sins and God will forgive us, things will never be the same again. It's in the nature of things that there are consequences. This is why it's so important that you think twice before you make The Choice.
*All Scripture verses are taken from Genesis 2 & 3 out of The Living Bible.
Student Prayer
Holy Creator,
I stand in awe of you. You created man and put him in the beautiful Garden of Eden and gave him everything he needed, yet he and his wife had evil desires and sinned. We live with the lingering consequences to this day. Help me to think twice and always make The Choice you would have me make.
In Jesus’ name.
Amen.
Daily Devotions
Sunday: Genesis 2:9-17
Monday: Genesis 3:1-14
Tuesday: Genesis 3:15-24
Wednesday: Romans 6:20-22
Thursday: Romans 3:23-25
Friday: Deuteronomy 30:19-21
Saturday: Deuteronomy 30:16-18
Objectives
At the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
1. Tell the story of the first sin.
2. Explain the enormity of sin.
3. Discuss how the consequences of sin linger and how mankind today is feeling the effects of Adam's and Eve's sin.
4. Explain who our tempter is and where we find his tacks.
Topics & Themes
Adam and Eve
Consequence of Sin
Forgiveness
Garden of Eden
Repentance
Satan
Tree of the Knowledge of Good/Evil
Tree of Life
Materials Needed
Bible, YEA students' and teacher's books, songbook, CD or cassette tape and music player, attendance and memory verse charts, chalk board, chalk, large needle, thread, and leaves to make garments in the play
How to Teach This Lesson
Open the class with prayer, Explain to the class that four students will act out today's lesson. Allow the students to draw one of the straws you have prepared. Those who draw a character are to take their students' book and their Bible and go to a corner and brainstorm how they are going to act out the story of mankind's very first sin. Give them the needle, leaves and thread as props. Allow a few minutes for the cast to prepare their parts. While they are doing this have the remaining students complete the activity in their book for today's lesson if they have not done that. If they have finished it, they are to study it and be prepared for the debriefing session after the play is acted out. When the cast has their parts planned, bring the students before the class to perform their drama.
Debrief
How did you feel about sin entering this beautiful perfect world? What did Adam and Eve sinning mean to you? How would you describe the enormity of their sin? How long has their sin lingered in this world? What impact does the first sin have on your life? (Call on a girl - intense pain in child- bearing.) What impact does the first sin have on your life? (Call on a boy.)
Teacher-Directed Activity
List the steps you see in this story where Adam and Eve made the wrong turn toward sin. Write the students answers to the following questions on the chalk board as they give them. What were the immediate consequences imposed on Adam and Eve for the first sin? What are the lingering consequences for the first sin? How long have these consequences lingered? How do you feel about having to live with the consequences of another person's sins? Are there sins you commit today that the consequences will be passed on to someone else? What are they? What does this mean to you in the way you live your life? Who would suffer the consequences of a pregnancy out of wedlock? How long would that consequence linger? Who could suffer the consequences if you take drugs? How long could they linger? Who all might suffer if you got drunk or high on drugs and had a car accident? What if you killed someone, what could the consequences be? How long do you think the consequences could linger? How are you going to change your life because of this lesson? What are you going to do about it?
REACH Activity
Memory Verse Spotlight
Look up the word “wages” in Romans 6:23. Write down the Greek word and its meaning. Then find three other Scriptures where this word is used. When it comes to sin and consequences, what have you earned? Write about this in your Bible notebook.
Where in the World? Eternal Soul
Where in the world did people get the idea of having an eternal soul? Genesis is quite clear that God would put an angel with a flaming sword to guard the way to the Tree of Life - lest Adam and Eve eat from its fruit and live forever. (Genesis 3:22-24) So Adam and Eve didn’t eat from the Tree of Life. They didn’t have an eternal soul when they left the Garden. They would not burn forever in hell. They would not live forever in heaven. Eternal life would be given to those who believe in Jesus and are adopted into the family of God.
What scriptures can you find to support the believe that we gain eternal life as a gift from God, that we do not currently have an immortal soul? Write down what you find in your Bible notebook.
They Did What Back Then? Sin
Romans 5:12 says that sin came into the world through one man, and his sin brought death with it. Think about that for a minute. If it was sin that caused death, specifically the sin of Adam and Eve disobeying God, then there was no death prior to Adam’s sin. Hmmm. If there was no death prior to Adam’s sin, what about the dinosaurs? When did they live? Does this verse in Romans 5:12 cause you to rethink what you believe about the creation events?
Making It Mine: Wages
I knew a man once who wanted to come up in the judgment with Adolf Hitler on one side and Genghis Khan on the other. He thought that God would judge him less harshly if God was comparing him to those two violent and wicked men. Does God do that? Does God judge your actions compared to the actions of the people around you? If not, then what is the standard God uses? Does that standard ever change? It’s interesting that Romans 6:23 phrases the consequences of our sin as wages. We have earned the consequences based on what we’ve done. It’s not based on what kind of mood God is in that day; it’s based on our actions. Thankfully, our God is also merciful. But mercy is not required. And mercy only co-exists with justice. If there’s no justice, there’s no mercy. There’s just lawlessness.
These are all deep thoughts. Spend some time thinking about wages, just consequences, justice, mercy, and lawlessness. Define each term in your Bible notebook. Find scriptures which relate to each term. Then write a couple of paragraphs about what you have discovered and what your view of justice and mercy is.
Worldview Collisions: Eternity
A Biblical worldview says that, if you have a relationship with God, you can be given eternal life. A secular worldview says that this life is it; when you die, that’s it. Think about the ramifications of those two opposing philosophies! If you believe that this life is training for the next life, then you keep your mind focused on what’s ahead. You endure hardship because you know there’s a reward coming. If you think that this life is all there is, then you have to make the most of it. If you have lots of money, does that make you happy? If you have 13 puppies, does that make you happy? If you are desperately poor, or if you have health problems, what’s the chances you are going to think this life is worth living? Write an essay in your Bible notebook about this worldview collision. Can you think of any scriptures which talk about eternity, hope in the future, fixing our eyes on what is ahead? Look up a couple of them and add them to your essay.
Questions
As you’re working through the YEA lesson, Daily Devotionals, doing the activity, or reading the Bible, be sure to write down any questions you have. That way you’ll remember to ask someone. Also remember to share the really interesting things you’re learning with family and friends.
Song
"Thy Word" is on page 30 of The Group Songbook.
Closing Prayer
Have the students form a circle and hold hands. Ask the students to make eye contact with every student in the circle and think of how they might suffer as a result of a sin you might commit. Now go around the circle and begin with yourself. Ask the students to mention one sin that the consequences could be passed to someone else and resolve not to ever do it and tell why. They could say something like, " resolve never to get drunk and drive, because I might kill someone." Or, "I resolve never to have sex outside of marriage because I might father (if it's a boy) a baby and he would have to live with the consequences the rest of his life.” Lead in prayer thanking God for students who are willing to learn God's way and are willing to resolve not to commit certain sins. Ask for God's strength and help each step of the way on each student. If time permits, you might call each one by name as you take them before God's throne of grace.
Printable Pages
