Old Testament Overview – Genesis/Overview – The Fall – Part 2

Lead by Norwalk Campus Pastor Dan Kromidas

My Notes-

What is the Bible Really All About? Why Does There Seem to Be a Tension in the Character of God Between the Old and New Testaments?

The Bible is one grand redemptive story—The Drama of Scripture—where God’s character and nature are revealed. The Old Testament shows us the unfolding of God’s character and the role humanity plays, while the New Testament reveals the fulfillment of God’s promises through Jesus.

Old Testament Saints were saved by looking ahead in faith to God’s promises, even before they were fulfilled.

When reading the Bible, it’s important to know what “Act” you are in—guided by human interpretation (hermeneutics).

Luke 24:24/44 (Jesus says: “Everything is written in anticipation of Him.”)

The Acts of Scripture (Outlined by Human Rubric):

1. Creation
2. The Fall
3. Redemption Initiated
4. People of the King/Land for His People
5. Redemption Accomplished
6. The Mission of the Church (From Jerusalem to Rome and into all the world)

Genesis 1-2: Introduction to the Character and Nature of God

• Creation is formed, and everything is good.
• Humanity is made by God for God.
• Humanity is introduced to choice: obey or reject God.

The Fall:

• Freedom to Love: The Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil represent a choice.
• Had Adam and Eve eaten from the Tree of Life after partaking of the Tree of Knowledge, they would have been doomed to live forever in a fallen state. In mercy, God drove them out of the garden and placed an angel to guard it.

One Prohibition (Genesis 2:16-17): Do not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Main Antagonist: The talking serpent, described as “more crafty” (Genesis 3:1), created by God before the fall.

The Nature of Satan:

• 2 Corinthians 11:14: “Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.”
• Revelation 12:9: The great dragon is thrown down.
• John 8:44: Satan is a murderer from the beginning.
• 1 Peter 5:8-9: The adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion.
• Angels were created before the fall (Job 38:4-7).

Rebellion and Fallen Angels:

• Isaiah 14:12-14: A rebuke to the King of Babylon (Satan influencing the king?).
• Ezekiel 28: Indictment on the King of Tyre.

Judgment of Fallen Angels:

• 2 Peter 2:4: Fallen angels are cast into Sheol.
• Matthew 4:24: The spirit of the Antichrist.
• Revelation 12:4: Satan’s fall, taking a third of the angels.

Temptation of Adam and Eve:

What were they tempted with?

• Skepticism: Doubt in God’s word (Genesis 3:1).
• Judgment: Questioning God’s judgment (Genesis 3:1).
• God’s Goodness: Doubting God’s goodness (Genesis 3:1).
• Contradiction: Satan contradicts God’s command (Genesis 3:4-5).

They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, even though they were already like God—yet that wasn’t enough for them.

Temptation Explored:

• Autonomy: Choosing oneself as the source for determining right and wrong.
• Idolatry: Placing something or someone above God (1 John 2:16, James 1:13-15, Romans 1:25).

John Piper: “Sin is the failure to honor the glory of God…” Tim Keller: “Putting anything other than God first is idolatry.”

Immediate Consequences of Sin:

1. Broken Sense of Self: Becoming morbidly self-conscious.
2. Broken Human Relationships: Alienation from others.
3. Broken Relationship with God: A breach of fidelity with the Creator.

The Human Condition:

• Romans 5:12, 17-19: Federal headship and the inherited sinful nature.
• Isaiah 59:2, 12: Our iniquities separate us from God.
• Romans 3:11-12: No one seeks God, all have turned aside.
• Genesis 8: The inclination of the human heart is bent toward evil.

Genesis 3:9 – God Takes the Initiative: Hope in Judgment, but Mercy

“God called to man, ‘Where are you?’”

• To the Serpent (Genesis 3:14-15): The first promise of the Gospel (Protoevangelium) – God’s plan for redemption.
• To the Woman (Genesis 3:16): The distortion of relationships—especially in marriage.
• To Adam (Genesis 3:17-19): Work and survival are now cursed.

Genesis 3:21: God provides coverings made of skins, foreshadowing the sacrificial system and the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus.

How Do You Make Sense of the Problem of Evil?

1. Theodicy: The defense of God’s goodness in the presence of evil, based on free will and the greater good.
2. Inscrutability: Some things are beyond our understanding—who are we to question God?

Free Will and the Greater Good:

• God didn’t create evil but allowed the possibility of it for a greater purpose.
• Why Allow Evil?:
  1. To bring about punishment.
  2. To build souls.
  3. Pain is God’s megaphone to get our attention.
  4. Greater good can come from suffering (patience through impatience).

Scripture Examples of the Greater Good:

• Job’s suffering.
• Joseph’s betrayal and rise to power.
• The Cross: the greatest example of God using evil for good.

Sin’s Cosmic Scope:

• Genesis 3: The introduction of rebellion.
• Genesis 4:11: The depth of human sin.

Genesis 4: The Crime Scene (Genesis 4:6-7, 9, 24):

• Cain’s murder of Abel and the escalation of sin.

Genesis 5: The Hopeful Obituary (Genesis 5:1-5, 28-29):

• Despite the darkness of sin, God’s promises continue to unfold.

Genesis 6: Increasing Corruption (2 Peter 4?)

• The world grows more corrupt, and God intervenes.

Genesis 6-9: Judgment and a New Start

• The flood: Uncreation and recreation.
• God as both judge and redeemer.
• Noah is portrayed as a new Adam.

Genesis 10-11: The Emergence of Nations and Human Autonomy:

• Genesis 10: Nations emerge, showing progress.
• Genesis 11: The Tower of Babel – a supreme act of human autonomy and defiance. The ziggurat is a symbol of humanity’s attempt to reach heaven.

Irony: God descends and scatters humanity, confusing their languages as judgment. This forced them to obey God’s original command to fill the earth.

Babel reveals humanity’s desire to build kingdoms apart from God and to make gods of our own choosing.

The God Who Doesn’t Wipe Out Rebels:

• Despite humanity’s moral decay, God continues to give opportunities for redemption.

Genesis 11: The genealogy anticipates Abraham, a new beginning, and foreshadows the coming of the Divine Conqueror.