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Adam and Eve were happy in the Garden of Eden, where God provided for all of their needs. God gave them only one rule: do not eat from the tree in the middle of the garden. The serpent came to Eve, tempted her with lies, and convinced her to eat from the tree. Then, Eve gave some of the fruit to Adam, and he also ate it. They both realized their sin and guilt for disobeying God at that point. For the first time, people experienced shame. Because of their sin, God banished Adam and Eve from the garden.

When teaching this lesson, emphasise that God loves us and makes rules that will help us be healthy and happy. Satan wants bad things to happen to us, so he tempts us to disobey God.

Bible verses used in this episode:

• Genesis 2:15-17 and 3:1-24
• James 4:7

Outline:

1. God told Adam not to eat fruit from the dangerous tree, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. (Genesis 2:15-17)
2. Adam and Eve listen to the Snake and experience temptation, sin and shame. (Genesis 3:1-7)
3. God speaks with Adam and Eve. (Genesis 3:8-13)
4. The consequences of their disobedience. (Genesis 3:14-24)

Tips for teaching children:

• Explain the words “temptation” and “sin”
• When you talk about the snake, wrap a chenille wire around your finger to form a “snake”. Alternatively, roll Play-Doh to form a snake.
• Try this activity to help children understand the idea of choosing between right and wrong. Provide two paper plates for each child. Help them draw a sad face on one and a happy face on the other. Describe a situation the children might find themselves in and state a dilemma and choice. Children should hold up the corresponding plate.
  
  

Tips for teaching adults:

• Bake two batches of your favourite cookies and bring them to class. One batch of cookies will be normal, but the other batch should be made with salt instead of sugar. When they take a bite, they will know how awful it tastes and will not eat it. This is your cue to introduce the class today to the Fall of Man. Tell the class that something may look good and desirable, but actually, it is not. This is the nature of sin. It promises life but ultimately brings death. Don’t forget to offer the class the good cookies afterwards.
• Ask the class to read Genesis 2:15-24 and discuss the following questions:
  • In what ways has God shown that he loves and cares for his creation and Adam and Eve?
  • “Has he shown his love and care for you in a similar way? Explain.”
• 1 John 2:15-16 is drawing upon the story in Genesis 3. Read this and then discuss:
  • What connections do you see between 1 John 2:16 and Genesis 3:6?
  • In what ways can we identify with Eve’s situation?
  • In what ways can we relate to 1 John 2:16?

Full teaching instructions free from Mission Bible Class:

Bible Lesson: The Fall of Man

Scriptures quoted from the International Children’s Bible®, copyright ©1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Tommy Nelson. Used by permission.

Excerpts from Mission Bible Class used by permission.

For questions or comments email: mary@missionbibleclass.org