We are currently studying the early chapters of Genesis which tells us how it all began. These chapters describe the first week, the first home, the first people, the first lie, and the first sin.
Bible students refer to the first sin as "The Fall of Man." And the Fall of Man has six scenes: a period of innocence; the prohibition (2:16-17) the plummet into sin (3:1-13); the punishment of sin (3:14-24); the promise of a Savior (3:15) and a picture of salvation (3:21).
Let’s take a look at the Punishment of Sin mentioned in verses 14-24 and notice how the fall of man affects us today. These verses remind us that God is holy and just, and He hates sin. He loves the sinner (as verses 15 and 21 point out), but He hates sin and is compelled to judge it.
Don’t ever forget that sin a terrible, terrible, crime against God. It violates His rights. God is the most reliable person in the universe, therefore he has the right to our faith. He is also the creator of the universe, he has the right to our obedience. Sin occurs anytime we violate those rights. Anytime we doubt or disobey God, we have sinned against Him. And sin is a horrible crime! It is so horrible that it compels the most gracious, patient, and loving person in the universe to respond in judgment.
What are the punishments God passed down as a result of the fall? Verses 14-24 mentions 4 punishments and these punishments still affect us today. We are still reaping the consequences of the first sin!
If you’ve ever wondered - "Why is there so much evil in the world?" Why is child birth so painful?" "Why is marriage sometimes tough?" "Why won’t the weather cooperate?" "Why does it feel like God is a million miles away?" - here’s your answer. Let’s look at these punishments, one at a time.
I. Satan’s Punishment.
Verse 14 describes his UTTER HUMILIATION. This is a play on words. God isn’t talking about snakes, He’s talking about the Devil, and He is describing the Devil’s utter humiliation. In Old Testament days, those who crawled on their bellies and ate dust were those who had been subjected to utter humiliation.
Satan’s humiliation lies in the fact that he, a powerful arch-angel of Heaven, has been kicked out of heaven and forced to reside on this earth. And God portrays him as a snake crawling on his belly eating dust. And this is bad news for us! There’s a lot of evil in the world today. Part of it can be blamed on the depravity of the human heart, and the rest of it can be blamed on the presence of the devil.
Verse 14 gives some bad news from our limited point of view, while verse 15 gives the good news.
Verse 15 describes His ULTIMATE DEFEAT. This verse tells us that he will battle one of the woman’s descendants - the Messiah. Satan will strike at the Messiah’s heel and the Messiah will crush Satan’s head. Jesus is the Messiah. Satan struck Jesus’s heel when Jesus died on the cross. But Jesus crushed Satan’s head when He rose from the grave. This is the first mention of our Lord Jesus in the Bible.
II. The Woman’s Punishment.
(v. 16) mentions two punishments.
First, SHE WILL SUFFER WHEN SHE GIVES BIRTH. Why is there so much suffering involved in bringing a child into the world? Why do some couples have problems conceiving? ... carrying a child full term? ... problems with delivery? ... labor pains? Suffering when giving birth is a consequence of the fall.
Keep in mind, ladies, God wasn’t being cruel when He gave this edict. God is incapable of cruelty. He is a wise and just judge. He issued this edict as a reminder of the terrible consequences of sin. Ladies, he wants to remind you that sin will ultimately hurt you and make you miserable. So the woman will suffer when giving birth and ....
SHE WILL HAVE A HARD TIME SUBMITTING TO HER HUSBAND(v. 16). The Bible teaches that men and women are equal, but they have different roles and responsibilities (Gal. 3:28, Eph. 5:21-33). The Husband’s responsibility is to minister to his wife and lead their family to follow the Lord. The wife’s responsibility is to submit to her husband and follow him as he follows the Lord. And a lot of women have a hard time with this. They struggle with the idea of submitting to their husband.
Do you remember the fall out a few years ago over a revision made to the "Baptist Faith and Message"? We added a part which encouraged wives to submit to their husbands, and the world (even some fellow-Southern Baptists) threw a fit! They accused us of male chauvinism and a few other things! Why does the world have a hard time accepting and following Ephesians 5:22? Part of the reason is they don’t understand the context of Ephesians 5:22 (ie. mutual submission - the wife should submit to her husband’s authority, the husband should submit to his wife’s needs, and both should submit to the Lord Jesus). And part of the reason is that women want to be in control and they want to rule the home (of course, the exact same thing can be said about men, but that’s a different subject). The woman’s desire to rule over her husband is a result of the fall and it has caused a lot of hurt in a lot of marriages.
Ladies, while I’m on this subject, do you know what the secret to submission is? You will have no problem whatsoever submitting to your husband if you are (first and foremost) submitted to the Lord Jesus Christ, and if your husband is being the husband God wants him to be. And don’t forget, God isn’t telling you to submit to a tyrant who wants you to obey his every whim. He is telling you to submit to someone who loves you and wants to treat you like a queen (husbands, that’s how God wants you to treat your wife - and shame on you if you’re not being the husband God wants you to be!).
Let’s move on to ...
III. The Man’s Punishment.
"Cursed is the ground because of you" (v. 17) Growing vegetation and fruit was relatively easy before the fall. But after the fall, God cursed the ground as a punishment upon man and now we have to work and struggle to get the land to produce.
This is something you farmers can understand - better than I do. Think about it. Why do you have to plow the fields before you plant? Why do need insecticide? Why do you need herbicide? Why in the world doesn’t the weather cooperate? Because the ground has been cursed as a result of the fall (read vs. 17-19). God says, "Adam, you and your sons, and their son’s sons, will spend your lives toiling and struggling just to eat. And when your life is over your body will return to the dust from which it came." That is still true today.
Genesis 3 mentions one more punishment that still affects us today. Let’s look at ...
IV. Humanity’s Punishment.
Remember, God said from the very beginning, "You must not eat from the tree ... or you will surely die" (2:17) God knew what He was talking about. Romans 5:12 tells us that when Adam sinned, He brought death upon the human race. And the Bible teaches that there are three types of death and they are alluded to in verses 19-24.
A. PHYSICAL DEATH (v. 19).
Physical Death is the separation of the body from the soul. The soul goes to a waiting room (Luke 16, paradise or hades). The body stays here on the earth where we bury it and it decays back into the dust of the ground.
Why do people die? Why is there so much death in the world? Physical death is a tragic consequence of the fall.
B. SPIRITUAL DEATH.
Spiritual Death is the separation of the soul from God. Every person is born spiritually dead - that is, they are separated from God because of their sin. They don’t know Him on a personal basis and they can’t fellowship with Him. That’s why the Bible says ... (Eph. 2:1). Spiritual death is pictured in verses 22-23 when God banished Adam and Eve from Eden.
Why do people need to be saved? Why do they reject the gospel? How in the world can they say "No" to the Lord Jesus who loves them and died for them? Because they are spiritually dead - and spiritual death is a tragic result of the first sin.
C. ETERNAL DEATH.
Eternal death is the separation of the body and soul from God forever and ever. This is the fate of every single person who doesn’t know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Eternal death is pictured in verses 22-23 when God prevented Adam & Eve from eating from the tree of life.
What’s the remedy for death? Jesus Christ (John 11:25-26) Jesus Christ is our tree of life.
Let’s wrap this up. We’ve looked at Genesis 3:14-24 and discovered the terrible consequences of the fall. We still face these consequences today. They remind us that sin is a terrible crime against God and it ultimately hurts us and makes us miserable. They remind us that Jesus Christ came to do away with these consequences and give us back a life of fellowship and harmony with God. Experiencing these consequences should motivate us to hate sin, pursue holiness, and stay as close as we can to Jesus.
Let’s pray ...
