Font Size
If Genesis 3 were not in the Bible, there would be no Bible as we know it. Why? Because the rest of Scripture documents the sad consequences of Adam’s sin and explains what God in His grace has done to rescue us. By grasping the basic truths of this important chapter, you can better understand Paul’s discussion of justification in Romans 5, his teaching in 1 Timothy 2:8-15 about men and women in the church, and his explanation in 1 Corinthians 15 of the future resurrection.
Adam’s disobedience brought sin into the human race, but the Bible gives us no explanation for the existence of Satan and evil before the fall of man. The record in Genesis 3 is not a myth. If the fall of man didn’t actually occur, then the Christian faith is built on fables, not fact, and Jesus Christ suffered needlessly on the cross. From Genesis 3 to Revelation 22, the Bible records the conflict between God and Satan, sin and righteousness, and pleads with sinners to repent to trust God.
Satan has been caricatured so much by writers, artists, actors, and comedians that most people don’t believe the Devil really exists, or if they do believe he exists, they don’t take him seriously. For example, the English novelist Samuel Butler wrote, “It must be remembered that we have heard only one side of the case. God has written all the books.” And Mark Twain wrote, “We may not pay Satan reverence, for that would be indiscreet, but we can at least respect his talents.” A popular television comedian always got laughs when he said, “The devil made me do it!”
Although we don’t understand much about his origin, we know that Satan is real, Satan is an enemy, and Satan is dangerous. Here in Genesis 3, Satan is compared to a serpent, an image that’s repeated in 2 Corinthians 11:3. In Revelation 12, he’s called a dragon, and both names are combined in 20:2. But Satan is not only a serpent who deceives, he’s also a roaring lion who devours (1 Peter 5:8). Among his names are “Abaddon” and “Apollyon” which mean “destroyer” (Rev. 9:11); “Satan” which means “adversary”; and “devil” which means “slanderer.”
In John 8:44 (niv), Jesus called Satan a murderer and “the father of lies.” He also called him “the evil one” (Matt. 13:19 niv) and “the prince of this world” (John 12:31). Paul and John also called the Devil “the evil one” (2 Thess. 3:3 niv; 1 John 3:12 niv), and Paul said Satan was “the god of this age” (2 Cor. 4:4 niv), the ruler of the world system (Eph. 2:2), and the leader of demonic forces of evil (Eph. 6:10-12).
In short, Satan is no pushover, and God’s people must be careful not to give him a foothold in their lives (Eph. 4:27). That’s why we’re studying God’s Word and seeking to understand the strategy of Satan (2 Cor. 2:11).