May 7, 2006
“The Garden of Eden: The Way We Were”
Genesis 2:4-25

In Scripture, we read of “the wiles of the devil” Ephesians 6:11, and that he is “a liar and the father of lies” John 8:44. I believe one of the main lies or stratagems he uses today is lying to us about history. We see lies coming out of Iran, lies in the news media, lies from the DaVinci Code, etc … Yet, among the most successful and long-standing of the devil’s lies are his lies surrounding the book of Genesis, especially concerning Adam and Eve and the Garden of Eden. These he would convince many are mere myth, not real, not history, and because these lies are so well spread and backed by other lies – (evolution) they have sometimes have been bought into even by Christians.

Yet, the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve and the events that happened in that Garden are too important, too foundational to our faith to let them go without a fight!

Today, I like to do that, discuss both the importance and historicity of the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve.

What is it that makes the Garden of Eden IMPORTANT?

I. The Garden of Eden was a very different, BEAUTIFUL, idealistic BUT REAL kind of place –
1. In it was no stain or pain of sin –
A. No thorns, weeds or cultivated plants – Genesis 2:5
B. No rain – Genesis 2:6
C. No relational disharmony – Genesis 2:25
2. In it were pleasant fruitful plants, good for food – Genesis 2:9
3. There were beautiful rivers, gold and precious stones – Genesis 2:10-14
4. There were a variety peaceful animals – Genesis 1:30; Genesis 2:19-20
5. Many people doubt such a beautiful place ever existed – 2 Peter 3:4-6 (They sometimes doubt the 1950s existed)
A. Doubts flow from a pre-supposition of anti-supernaturalism
B. They include the Documentary hypothesis (J.E.D.P)
C. They conclude that Genesis 1-3, and many other passages are myth

II. Yet, as Christian believers we must fight falling into this trap, Adam and Eve are too important to our faith and the Bible itself does not treat them as myth:
1. Adam is included in Biblical genealogies – Genesis 5:1-5; 1 Chronicles 1:1-4; Luke 3:38
2. Paul preached that we were all of one blood – Acts 17:26
3. Adam’s failing the probation we find presented in Genesis 2:17 is discussed by Paul in Romans 5:12- 21 in relation to Christ. Paul presents Adam as a type of Christ and while Adam by disobedience brought death, Christ by obedience brings life!
4. Adam is also compared to Christ concerning the resurrection – 1 Corinthians 15:20-22; :45-49
5. Jesus Himself referred back to Genesis 1 & 2 in His defense of marriage – compare Genesis 1:27; 2:24 to Matthew 19:4- 6 and Mark 10:6-8
6. Marriage as an institution, one man with one woman, is established by God in Genesis 2:21-24
7. Mitochondrial Eve , DNA studies give evidence that everyone living today descended from one woman
Mitochondria

What can we learn or how can we apply Genesis 2 to our lives?
1. Realize, things have not always been the way they are now nor will they always be this way, meaning we have hope even in a lost and sin filled world – Revelation 21:1-5; Revelation 22:1-5
2. Realize that because of this Christians should be working to improve themselves, by God’s grace of course, and the world around them – 1 John 3:1-3; Matthew 5:13-16
3. Genesis 2 along with the rest of the Bible is dependable and profitable to every good work – 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Pastor Arnold Brevick