Read: Genesis 1-3

Not to be dramatic…but everything we know and believe hinges upon this moment. That God
created the heavens and the earth, then out of love, He created mankind in His image (Genesis
1:27). Everything was perfect, just as it should be. God loved Adam and Adam loved God; there
was no distance or doubt between them. Adam never knew what it was like to wonder where
God was, to wonder if God still loved Him, or question if God was even real. There was no pain;
there was no anxiety; there was no sadness or hurt. Because this was the creation that you and
I were originally created for, something in all of us longs for this perfection and unity with God,
whether we recognize it or not.

It wasn’t perfect for long before Adam and Eve were tempted by the serpent and took the fruit
of the tree that God had commanded them not to eat from (Genesis 3:6). This decision had far
more implications than just here in the garden. This moment revealed humanities’ heart
towards God--that we would rebel, disobey, and idolize other things over Him. This is the same
nature that exists in you and me today. The world often tells a narrative that we are good
people--just trying our best. Scripture reminds us that every one of us possesses this same sinful
nature that says no to God and would rather live in disobedience towards Him than submit to
His wonderful ways.

This moment where Adam and Eve sinned marked the fracture in our personal relationship with
God. Because we have been stained with sin, we cannot know God in the way that Adam did.
We have been cut off. Where there was no distance, there is. Where there was no doubt, there
is. Where there was no pain, anxiety, sadness, hurt, brokenness, there is. All because sin
entered the world.

This frames the perspective that the rest of this book would be written through. What would a
loving God do to repair the mess we made? How would he bring us back into the creation that
we were destined for? Rest assured, He did then, and He does now have a plan.

Questions to consider.

1. What’s not perfect in your life and in the world right now? Make a list of those things.

2. Because of sin, not just you and I are broken, but all people and all of creation! What are
some things in your own life that you can confess as sin to God?

3. Reflect on your own heart. How can you see the same rebellious spirit that Adam and Eve
had in yourself? Take some time to submit your sinful heart to God. Ask Him to change
the desires of your heart to pursue Him.