• Teaching Point 1

All of creation suffered the effects of Adam’s sin. Flooding, earthquakes, powerful and destructive storms, wildfires, and all kinds of destruction on the earth, like death, disease, heartbreak, and the total breakdown of normal society, are a direct result of Adam’s sin. When Adam chose to listen to the devil [also known as Satan] instead of obeying God, he relinquished his position as “god of this world” to the devil. Satan then used this authority to wreak havoc and destruction everywhere and he continues to steal, kill, and destroy everything he can. The devil is called the father of lies and a murderer from the beginning because his deception caused the death of mankind.

God told Adam and Eve that they would die if they disobeyed Him. In the original language, the word “die” speaks of two deaths. The literal meaning is, “in dying you will die,” or “you will have a death that will lead to death.” Adam and Eve died the very moment they ate the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. They experienced an immediate spiritual death and their bodies began to die at that very moment as well.

All life comes from God. Spiritual death is defined as separation from God. He is the source of all that is good, all that is health, and all that is life. So, the moment Adam and Eve separated from God by a spiritual death in their heart, they were separated from all goodness, health, and life. Everything began to fall apart. Even their family was torn apart when Adam and Eve’s first son killed his younger brother. This was the beginning of the evil that would devour the earth. Here is how the Bible describes the progressive corruption of mankind because of sin;

Romans 1:18-32 (NLT) But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. 19 They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. 20 For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. 21 Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. 22 Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. 23 And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles. 24 So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies. 25 They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen. 26 That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other. 27 And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved. 28 Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done. 29 Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. 30 They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents. 31 They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy. 32 They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too.

• Teaching Point 1 Questions…

1. What caused man’s heart to become dark and confused? (vs. 21)
2. What did men trade the truth about God for? (vs. 25)
3. What do all people deserve as a result of their sin? (vs. 32)

• Teaching Point 2

Every person is born alive to God and completely beautiful to Him, but inside of them is the disease of Adam’s sin. Because Adam’s sin is passed on to all people, every person will inevitably experience their own spiritual death. This happens the moment a person knows in their heart they are choosing something that is wrong. Like Adam died spiritually when he chose to disobey God, every person reaches a point where they intentionally choose sin. Thus, everyone becomes separated from God because of (1) an inherited sin nature from Adam and (2) their own personal sin. So, sin is two-fold. It is a principle that is at work within every person because of Adam's disobedience, and sin is also any act we commit outside of God’s perfect character or morality, which He has both written on the human heart and in His holy, written Word – the Bible.

Some people may feel it is not fair that we should have to be responsible for what Adam did or be cursed to inescapably choose to sin ourselves. Remarkably, this is one of the best parts about the Gospel. Since one man’s sin brought about death, separation from God, sickness, pain, evil, and wickedness; this makes it possible for one man to also make things right with God on our behalf. Adam brought sin to everyone through disobedience, but Jesus has made salvation available to everyone through His obedience.

Romans 5:6-18 (NLT) When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. 7 Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. 8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. 9 And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. 10 For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. 11 So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God. 12 When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. 13 Yes, people sinned even before the law was given. But it was not counted as sin because there was not yet any law to break. 14 Still, everyone died—from the time of Adam to the time of Moses—even those who did not disobey an explicit commandment of God, as Adam did. Now Adam is a symbol, a representation of Christ, who was yet to come. 15 But there is a great difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ. 16 And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. 17 For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ. 18 Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone.

• Teaching Point 2 Questions…

1. What must we receive in order to reign in life? (vs. 17)
2. How many people are condemned due to Adam’s transgression, and how many people can receive God’s life because of Jesus? (vs. 18)

• Teaching Point 3

The original sin of Adam came as a result of questioning God’s word. Ultimately, this led to deception and disobedience. Today, people remain in spiritual death because of a failure to believe God’s truth. They remain cut off from God, spiritually dead and on their way to a physical death. There is still family dysfunction, disease, every form of wickedness, and evil rampant in the world. But, it doesn’t have to be this way. God wants us to believe what He said. He requires us to acknowledge our utter sinfulness and inability to come to God without His help. God gives us the gift of faith through the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Accepting this Gospel begins the process of reversing Adam’s effects on our life. First, our spirit comes alive to God on the inside. Then, through the process of getting to know God better, the mind becomes whole and righteous through a lifestyle of learning His ways. Finally, God will cause our bodies to rise from the dead, be glorified, and made perfect in every way. We will reign alongside Him, once again bearing the perfect image and likeness of God; in spirit, soul, and body.

Romans 3:10-26 (NLT) 10 As the Scriptures say, “No one is righteous—not even one. 11 No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God. 12 All have turned away; all have become useless. No one does good, not a single one.” 13 “Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave. Their tongues are filled with lies.” “Snake venom drips from their lips.” 14 “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.” 15 “They rush to commit murder. 16 Destruction and misery always follow them. 17 They don’t know where to find peace.” 18 “They have no fear of God at all.” 19 Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God. 20 For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are. 21 But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. 22 We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. 23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. 24 Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. 25 For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, 26 for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he makes sinners right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.

• Teaching Point 3 Questions…

1. How many people are righteous before God on their own merit? (vs. 10)
2. What is the purpose of Gods law (His law is His commandments of right and wrong)? (vs. 19)
3. How can we be made right with God? (vs. 22)

Summary

Adam’s sin separated all mankind from God and gave dominion over the earth to the devil. The result is global catastrophe, societal breakdown, family dysfunction, disease, heartache, spiritual and physical death. There is absolutely nothing mankind can do to remedy this. Therefore, God interceded on our behalf. God’s love for mankind motivated Him to make the ultimate self-sacrifice in order that we can be redeemed from the pain and separation sin causes. The nature of sin, the action of sin, and the results of sin were taken away by Jesus’ sacrifice. Belief and trust in Jesus restores a person to right relationship with God and sets them free from the authority of the devil.

Application Questions:

1. มีอะไรบ้างเกี่ยวกับ พระเจ้า ที่เราสามารถเรียนรู้ได้จากบทเรียนนี้?
2. มีอะไรบ้างเกี่ยวกับ ผู้คน ที่เราสามารถเรียนรู้ได้จากบทเรียนนี้?
3. มีอะไรบ้างที่ พระเจ้าต้องการ ให้เราทำตาม?
4. ฉันต้องทำอะไร เมื่อฉันรู้แล้ว?