26 tH E KING'S BUSINESS The International Sunday School Lessons By J. H. S. Lesson III. January 19th—Man’s First Sin. Gen. 3:1-12; 2:22-24. GOLDEN T EX T . “W hosoever comm iteth sin is the servant of sin.“—John 8:34. Introductory
5. The Test. For some reason related to the moral universe, visible and in visible (see Job 1-2:8; Ex. 16:4; Deut. 13:3; Matt. 4:4; I Pet. 1:12, last clause; Col. 1:20; 2:15), God tested man: (1) to confirm his moral nature? (2) to win his willing (not forced) loyalty? (3) to teach creation the creatures’ absolute dependence on its Creator? and (4) by permission of the Fall, the dread of dis obedience? and (5) by the act of re demption the love and justice otherwise hid in His bosom—love in giving Him self in the Son for sinners—justice in bearing the penalty in the Son when numbered with transgressors. 6. The prohibition. (1) God’s permis sion included every fruit in Eden save one (Gen. 2:16, 17); His prohibition forbade that one only. Such is His lib erality. He giveth us richly all things to enjoy,” (I Tim. 6:17, He says only “Do not abuse them, for if you do you not sparing Himself in the Son when will abuse yourselves;” which ungrate ful, unsatiable man proceeds at once to do. (2) A fruit could not give knowl edge, there is no such “royal road.” It was “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil,” not for any virtue in its sub stance, but as the appointed occasion of experience; of good, if obedient; of evil, if disobedient. 7. The penalty. This was death,— Scripture and experience show that this death was threefold: (1) Physical (Gen. 5:5, and throughout this remarkable chapter), (2) Spiritual (Eph. 2:1; Col. 2:13), (3) the second death (Rev. 20:14, 15). Death is separation,— the first is’ separation from the living and disinte gration and corruption of the elements of the body; the second is separation from the living God, and disintegration and corruption of the faculties of the soul; the third is separation from the glory (II Thess. 1:9) to the preparation for devils (Matt. 25:41). 8. THE TEMPTATION. (1) Its au thor, a. not God, who tests but never tempts (Jas. 1:13, 14). God tests man
Affirm against all gainsayers, that men mountain high among those qualified to speak declare: (1) Neither reason nor science opposes the reality of this rec ord, but, (2), it is in wonderful agree ment with,— a. our experience,— b. the traditions and supersitions of ancient peoples who looked back to (a) a golden age; (b) man in fellowship with the gods; (c) a lapse through sin; and (d) made the serpent the symbol of wisdom, and an object of worship. The many ancient inscriptions picturing the man, woman,tree, serpent and fruit, have no explanation except Gen. 3:1-12. (3) Var ious facts point to the valley of the Eu phrates as man’s first home. I. MAN UNDER PROBATION 1. Eden. The finishing touch of Cre ation was Eden, (1) the nursery of in experienced man; (2) earnest of what the whole world should become under his culture and guardianship; (3) type of what shall become under the new man. 2. Man’s estate. Crowned in Eden, with Eve his queen at his side, and all things put under him (Gen. 1:28; Psa. 8 : 6 ). 3. Man’s character. He was perfect. The physical, vegetable, sidereal, and animal creations were successively pro nounced “very good” (1:10, 12, 18, 25), each after its sort. Man was moral therefore “very good” as such, a very good “image of God” (1:27); a finite reflection of infinite perfection. Sin add ed no perfection. 4. Man’s responsibility. Adam’s re sponsibility was representative, he stood for his posterity; see (1) the Old Testa ment—they were born to sin and death (Gen. 4-5); (2) the New Testament Rom. 5:12-19); (3) the analogy of sal vation:—a. Christ standing for His chil dren (Horn. 5:15-21; I Oor. 15:22; —b. Adam a type “figure” of Christ (Rom. 5:14)—c. Adam certainly understood his official headship.
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