Genesis 3 provides the essential truth and foundation for understanding why bad things happen and God allows it.
From Handbook to Scripture
READING: Genesis 3
The climax of Genesis 1 was the creation of the man and the woman, and the climax of Genesis 2 was the covenant relationship between the man and the woman. Today’s chapter is crucial to our understanding of human nature: God did not create us the way we are now, but we changed ourselves through the tragedy of the Fall. The fundamental issue in the temptation scene was trusting God enough to believe that He has our best interests at heart. When the man and the woman decided that they had a better idea than God of what their best interests looked like, they turned from saying “Thy will be done” to “My will be done.” Thus, they were spiritually separated from God, and their character and destiny were radically changed. But at the same time, this account offers the first presentation of what God would do to overcome the alienation of the Fall (3:15).
A prayer of response to this knowledge:
Lord, I realize that I have participated in this scene of rebellion against You, and like Adam and Eve, I have sought to experience life on my terms. By Your grace, I acknowledge this sin of pride and ask You to root out of me all that is contrary to Your purposes and character so that Christ may be all in all in my life.