A Relationship Breaks | Week 01
A RELATIONSHIP BREAKS
Week’s Passage: Genesis 3:1-15
InTro
Falling Happens
The author recounts their first experience with love in high school, where they became infatuated with a girl, only to be heartbroken when they saw her with someone else. This personal disappointment serves as an analogy for the greater betrayal that occurred in Eden when Adam and Eve chose to trust Satan over God. Their disobedience fractured the perfect relationship between humanity and God. The passage concludes by emphasizing that Satan continues to deceive people, leading them away from God.
InGest
Did God Say?
The fall of humanity in Eden was a gradual descent into sin, not just a simple act of disobedience. Before Genesis 3, God had created a perfect world, placing Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden to live in harmony with Him. However, Satan, disguised as a talking serpent, cunningly questioned God’s command, planting doubt in Eve’s mind. He deceived her by suggesting that eating the forbidden fruit would make her like God. Eve, tempted by this idea, ate the fruit, and Adam, unwilling to live without her, followed suit despite knowing it was wrong. Their sin resulted from distrust in God, manipulation by Satan, and their failure to seek God’s guidance.
inTerpret
Warned and Protected
The fall of humanity in Eden led to separation from God and a world of suffering. Satan, who had already led a rebellion in heaven, deceived Adam and Eve into distrusting God. Though they had the freedom to choose, their safety depended on staying close to Him. Their daily communion with God was their greatest protection, but they traded it for the illusion of something better. This reminds us that a strong relationship with God is our best defense against Satan’s deceptions.
InVite
A Ray of Hope
The author reflects on a past heartbreak to illustrate how humans attempt to cope with sin, much like Adam and Eve tried to cover their shame with fig leaves. People today still use avoidance, willpower, or good deeds to mask their sins, but these efforts are insufficient. Instead, God seeks out His lost children, offering hope through the promise of a Savior (Gen. 3:15). Just as God returned to Eden to restore Adam and Eve’s connection with Him, we must rebuild our personal altars of worship and daily communion with Him. “Back to the Altar” is a call to rekindle our relationship with God through prayer and devotion. Daily personal communion with God
InSight
No Change in His game
Satan, after being expelled from heaven, set out to corrupt humanity, and his tactics remain unchanged. He deceived Adam and Eve by making them doubt God’s love, promising them higher wisdom and freedom through disobedience. Ellen White describes how Satan tempts people today in the same way—convincing them that breaking God’s law leads to enlightenment and progress. However, this is a deception that leads only to destruction. Satan’s lies continue to lure people away from God, just as they did in Eden.
InQuire
- What was the nature of Adam and Eve’s relationship with God? What do you think they talked about?
- If Adam and Eve fell in a perfect world, how can we who live in a fallen world resist Satan’s temptations?
- If God knows all things and knew where Adam was hiding with Eve, why did He ask where he was (Gen. 3:9)?
- What does Adam and Eve blaming others for their decisions tell you about yourself? (Gen. 3:12, 13)
- What in your life makes you afraid to be honest with God
