Reply To: New Creation Nuggets Group Discussion 1

[Benny4real]

n man fell, there were many effects, but here are three (3) of those effects ;
1) Broken Fellowship / Separation from GOD because of the inability to stand in God’s presence without a sense of condemnation (Guilt) because of sin consciousness: From the very beginning, it was the plan of the enemy to make man sin because he was jealous of how much God loved man and this was the only way he could try to make man not “come boldly” into the presence of God. In Gen 3:8, “And they heard the sound of the LORD GOD walking in the garden in the cool of the day” The word heard here is the Hebrew word Shama which means to discern, perceive e.t.c. This means that even after they had sinned, they could still perceive the presence of GOD. This is to say that the problem here was not just sin but the consciousness of sin. It’s clearly seen that God’s relationship with man was a very intimate one before the Fall. Because He would come down from His throne to be with them on the earth to fellowship with them directly. Therefore, they were no strangers to the presence of GOD because even in sin they were still in the presence of GOD verse 8b says they “hid themselves from the presence of the LORD GOD among the trees of the garden”. GOD’S presence was always with them but immediately they sinned, they became sin conscious and were therefore afraid in the presence of GOD. In verse 9 it says, “Then the LORD GOD called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself”. The fall of man (Adam) was the first sin to ever be committed by a man. GOD was not asking out of ignorance, because he knows everything. But rather as a parent would demand of a child to see if he would come boldly to the throne of mercy and ask for forgiveness or try to cover their sin. Therefore GOD gave Adam an opportunity to confess but he was too sin conscious to realise that his Father was approachable. This guilt made them feel unworthy in the presence of GOD. GOD asked Adam questions like a Father who has a good relationship with their child would, but sin consciousness had taken them so far away from the presence of their Father. This sin consciousness created a separation between man and GOD, therefore breaking the fellowship GOD had with man.
2). The loss of Dominion: In Genesis 2:26, “Then God said, let Us make man in our image, according to our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth”. God’s first plan for man was that of Dominion according to the scripture above. Yet because of man’s disobedience to God and submission to the serpent, he forfeited his rule to the serpent. The domain originally delegated to man now falls to satan. There is a continual line of evil offsprings extending in satan’s rule. In Genesis 3:15 It says, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed” The word seed is the Hebrew word Zera which could be translated as carnal. Therefore carnality was going to spread on the earth because of man’s disobedience and satan’s rule. Everything under man’s rule was put under a curse as his relationship with God was severed.
3) Spiritual death that translated into physical death: In Genesis 3:2 It says, “And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it lest you die’ “. Man died spiritually when they sinned against God. When man was created they were more conscious and aware of the spiritual realm than the physical realm. According to Genesis 3:7 it says, “Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked;” Adam and Eve were not “blind” literally. But their physical senses were as good as dead. Therefore this means that their spiritual eyes were in control of all they saw and not their physical eyes because according to Gen 2:25, It says “And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed”. This is to say that when they sinned, their five senses came alive and they realized that they were flesh and blood and that they were subject to the laws of life and death. God sent them out of the garden because He no longer trusted them with the trees of the garden, according to Genesis 3:22 “Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat and live forever “. They knew good and evil. Therefore they died spiritually.