Bible Text: Genesis 1 & 2 | Preacher: Pastor Joe Ricchuiti | Series: Genesis, God’s Design for Marriage

Recap of 6/16/13 (Genesis 3:14-19):

1.  “In the beginning, Adam and Eve enjoyed a perfect and satisfying relationship with God and with one another.  But the moment they disregarded God’s instructions and chose instead to follow the serpent’s advice, fear took over.  It spoiled their relationship to God and to each other.  And we have been feeling its destructive effects ever since.” (Dr. Gary Smalley)

2.  Genesis 3:14-19 catalogues God’s judgment, in response to the Fall, upon the serpent (Satan), the woman, the man and nature. 

-vv. 14-15 – the serpent would be reduced to crawling in the dust (“a perpetual reminder to mankind of the temptation and the Fall” – Allen Ross); there would be a continual struggle between Satan and mankind (spiritual warfare) with Satan’s ultimate defeat at the hands of Jesus Christ (the Seed of the woman).

-vs. 16 – woman would experience pain in childbirth, and her relationship with man would be distorted, there would be a constant battle for control, competition, a need to win.  There would be gender warfare.

-vv. 17-19 – man’s work would become painful, a struggle, a constant battle “to scratch out a livelihood.” Nature would be affected as a result of the Fall and the disorder which sin caused.

3.  “As woman is doomed to suffer in her fundamental role as wife and mother, man will be similarly afflicted in his basic role as farmer and food-producer (cf. 2:15).” (Wenham)

4. The essence of the Fall is selfishness and separation,

5.  Marriage Killer #1 – Failure to understand the destructive power of the sin nature. Our capacity for evil, to inflict great hurt, to be critical