Week 2

Look Back

What step did you take to balance your fear of God with your affection for God? What were the results?

Look Up

Read Genesis 3:1-7

1. What are some of the key words in the serpent’s question? Why do you think he was trying to accomplish by using these words and phrasing the question the way he did?
2. Did the woman know what God had said? How was her account of what God said different from – or similar to – the serpent’s question? How does this apply to people today?
3. What reasons did the serpent give for eating the fruit? Which of these do you think led to the woman being “convinced” to do something that God said not to?
4. Why do you think God told them not to eat the fruit? How do you respond when you feel like God is withholding something that you deserve?

Read Genesis 3:8-13

1. What was their initial response when God shows up in verse 8? What reason does the man give for doing this in verse 10? What do you think was the real reason for their fear of God?
2. How did the serpent “deceive” the woman? At what point did the serpent tell the woman directly to take the fruit and eat it? What does this say about the power of temptation?

Overall (Discovery Bible Study)

• What do these scriptures say about God?
• What do they say about people?
• How will I apply this to my life?

Look Ahead

Is there any area of your life that you are prone to justify sin by asking, “Did God really say…?” In what way will you pursue truth by asking, “Where did God say…” and adapting to that truth?

Notes

Modern culture preaches that the rules are what you want them to be. An entitlement mindset leads to all kinds of temptation as we try to do things our way and on our timeline. Healthy fear of God is good and there are consequences to sin. “Did God really say?” tends to be an easy way for people to justify sin. Instead, we should all be asking “where did God say?” with a humble heart in pursuit of holiness in our lives. Fear + Affection = Awe