创世记3:1-21

恩惠、平安从父神和救主耶稣基督归于你们信靠祂应许的人。阿们。

我们在生活中有很多不听话、不听劝、任意而行的例子。如果我跟自己的孩子说不要吃太多糖，他们不听，天天吃，那结果顶多是牙齿都坏掉，身体发胖；如果你告诉得了高血压的人少喝酒或者不喝酒，他不听继续海吃海喝，顶多是出现中风或者折寿的后果；如果警察告诉我们不要超速，我们不听，结果有可能是车祸死亡，但大多数情况下是被开罚单。但你想过没有？如果神吩咐我们做什么，不要做什么，我们偏不听，后果就更加严重。

今天的创世记经文告诉我们人类的始祖是怎样堕落犯罪并且接受审判的，我们好多人对此故事比较熟悉。按照人的观念，或许有人会说，不就是吃了不让吃的树上果子吗？有必要这么较真吗？其实不是，这件事的后果不在于这个悖逆的行为本身，而在于违背的对象——是谁吩咐了这个不可吃的事情。 “耶和华神吩咐他说：“园中各样树上的果子，你可以随意吃，只是分别善恶树上的果子，你不可吃，因为你吃的日子必定死！”（创2:16）神的话再清楚不过了，什么样的后果也指明了，没有商量的余地，神是轻慢不得的，没有讨价还价的可能。这也就好像，我们知道，孩子非要吃糖，吃一次本身并不会立刻让牙齿坏掉，但我们非常生气，因为孩子不听话，违背了父母的意愿和吩咐。

夏娃吃了，亚当也吃了，结果很严重，他们立刻死了，当然不是身体的立刻消亡——这是后面发生的事情，首先是灵性的死亡，即与神的隔绝。他们有了羞耻之心，进而逃避上帝的面，害怕听见神的话语了。不仅如此，圣保罗在今天的书信经文中说，“罪是从一人入了世界，死又是从罪来的，于是死就临到众人，因为众人都犯了罪。”（罗5:12）对于人类始祖最初犯罪的现场，我们或许有很多疑惑的地方。比如，我们不知道，为什么神明明知道他们会犯罪，仍然把这禁止吃的分别善恶的树放在园子中间，跟生命树放在一块儿（参创2:9）。我们也不知道，撒但装扮成的蛇为什么会出现在伊甸园里，而且还能有机会接近亚当和夏娃，进而欺骗他们。我们也不知道撒但自己具体是在什么时候堕落的。

但是，我们知道，确实地知道——因为圣经告诉我们了，世人都犯了罪，从人类的始祖遗传来了罪，生在罪中，还没有出生就已经是有罪的了，是会死的了。而且因着罪，人有了羞耻，也可以说，人类的整个历史都是努力靠自己遮盖羞耻的故事，就像亚当和夏娃当初用树叶编做裙子遮盖赤身露体一样。这事实不仅是圣经告诉我们了，而且我们对死亡、羞耻、恐惧、逃离神的经验也时时刻刻印证了这一点，是没有人能够反驳的——哪怕世人用自欺的方式美化死亡，把邪恶的说成美善的事。这个“人生来有罪”的事实，教会的神学家们称之为“原罪”。

这入了世界的罪不仅带来人良心的羞耻、愧疚，抬不起头来，而且也侵蚀了世界的方方面面。“天起了凉风”，自然环境不再是一直适宜的了，人类面对的首要困难就是自然灾害；人与人之间说的话变得模糊不清了，会出现无意或有意的扭曲，甚至有很多的陷阱和圈套，就像亚当和夏娃在面对撒但的试探时所表现的那样；婚姻败坏了，男人不像男人，女人不像女人，互相指责，互相攻击，互相推卸责任，就像人类的始祖，第一对夫妻所展现出的那样；经济生产力衰退了，神宣判说，地因人的罪的缘故被咒诅，人必须终身劳苦，汗流满面才能够在世上勉强糊口；服装时尚一直是人类的头条话题，但一直没能成功遮盖住人的羞耻和赤身露体，如果你看女人的衣柜就知道这一点儿也不虚假。

既然我们的经验告诉我们这一切真相，圣经也清清楚楚告诉我们背后的根本原因，就是罪，为什么那么多人拒绝来听圣经，信从主的话语呢？这一点儿也不奇怪，就像亚当和夏娃犯罪后的第一反应一样，逃避神的面，害怕听见神的声音。所以，你看我们在座的各位，能够信主都是奇迹，是圣灵藉着主的话语在我们心中做工，吸引我们，苏醒我们，翻转我们，更新我们，让我们悔改，以上帝说的话为真理，毫不虚假。

神的话语可能会让我们害怕，不想听，因为我们的罪被暴露无遗，但也可能甘甜如蜜，赐下丰盛的安慰，因为主的怜悯大过审判，赐下赦免和拯救的应许，就是福音。神对引诱人犯罪的撒但是毫不留情的，只有宣判和咒诅，并没有怜悯；相反，神在宣判人要受的刑罚和罪的后果的时候，却给出了一个极大的应许，好消息。仔细看今天的旧约经文，我们发现，“咒诅”这个词应用在撒但身上，但并没有用在亚当和夏娃身上，是土地“必为你的缘故受咒诅”。上帝审判中的怜悯信息就是，“女人的后裔”要来打败魔鬼，拯救人类脱离魔鬼的谎言和辖制，脱离罪和死亡的权势。“女人的后裔要伤你的头；你要伤他的脚跟。”（创3:15）神学家们称这个应许为“原初的福音”。所以，我们不能说旧约不是以恩典为主，事实上，恩典从一开始就有了，神藉着宣判的信息已经给了亚当和夏娃，给整个人类确实的盼望。

神把人自己编织的树叶裙子扒得干干净净，希伯来书说，“神的道是活泼的，是有功效的，比一切两刃的剑更快，甚至魂与灵，骨节与骨髓，都能刺入、剖开，连心中的思念和主意都能辨明。”（来4:12）神用自己预备的、流血的皮衣给亚当和夏娃穿上——这用皮子做的衣服预示着耶稣基督，赎罪羔羊的到来。亚当和夏娃都信了主的话语，穿上了神亲自宰杀动物后做好的皮衣。他们相信那“女人的后裔”必要来为他们打那美好的胜仗，制服仇敌撒但，这也是为什么亚当给自己的妻子取名夏娃，意思就是“众生之母”。这意味着，夏娃不仅能够生养儿女，孕育生命，更意味着那赐生命的一位要从女人身上出来。那女人的后裔，就是耶稣基督，藉着圣母马利亚来了，道成了肉身，为人类争战。今天的福音经文告诉我们，耶稣受洗被圣灵充满后做的第一件事，就是去到旷野，代替人的位置，重新面对撒但，就是魔鬼的试探。主耶稣，不是凭着什么势力、军兵、神迹，而是单单凭着神的话语，一连三次击败魔鬼。人类始祖在神话语和吩咐上跌倒了，扭曲了神的话语，中了魔鬼的伎俩，但主耶稣在神的话语上得胜了，给整个人类带来了盼望。

自然环境破坏了，是的，但主耶稣要重新再创造，他再来的时候会把新天新地带给我们。婚姻破碎了，是的，但主耶稣作为完美的新郎，为新娘教会舍己，流血做了赎价，赐给破碎的男人和女人以盼望和安慰。终身劳苦、汗流满面才得糊口，是的，但主耶稣已经成为尘土，承受了地的咒诅——这是指着人性来说的。我们“本是尘土，仍要归入尘土”，但主耶稣取了我们这会朽坏的人性，成为人，都是为了替我们赎罪，让这会朽坏的能够被高举，卑贱的成为高贵和荣耀的了。我们也要跟他一样，从死里复活，不再是尘土，而是荣耀的、灵性的身体，并且永远活着，连于生命树。我们不再贪恋属地的、属土的事，乃是仰望天上的事。因着耶稣，我们可以在生活中的方方面面，把恩典和怜悯带给其他人——无论是在做工的场所，还是本该最和睦温馨的家庭中都当如此。我们的言语因着这恩典和救赎也变得清晰、铿锵有力了。我们要信守诺言，不轻易发誓。雅各书说，“你们说话，是，就说是；不是，就说不是，免得你们落在审判之下。”（雅5:12）歌罗西书中，保罗说，“你们的言语要常常带着和气，好像用盐调和，就可知道该怎样回答各人。”（西4:6）感谢归给父神和救主耶稣基督。阿们。

Genesis 3:1-21

Grace and peace to you who trust in His promise, from God our Father and our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

In our lives, there are many instances where we are disobedient, refuse advice, or act willfully. If I tell my children not to eat too much candy and they don't listen, eating it every day, the worst is that their teeth decay or they become overweight. If you tell someone with high blood pressure to drink less or not at all, and they ignore you, continuing to feast and carouse, the result might be a stroke or a shortened lifespan. If the police tell us not to speed and we disregard them, the result could be a fatal accident, though most of the time it is simply a ticket. But have you ever considered this? If God commands us to do something, or not to do something, and we flatly refuse to listen, the consequences are far more serious.

Today’s text from Genesis tells us how our ancestors fell into sin and faced judgment. Many of us are familiar with this story. From a human perspective, some might say, "Wasn't it just eating fruit from a forbidden tree? Is it necessary to be so serious about it?" The gravity of this event lies not in the rebellious act itself, but in the One who was disobeyed—the One who commanded that this thing should not be eaten."And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, 'You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die'" (Genesis 2:16-17). God’s word was perfectly clear. The consequences were explicitly stated. There was no room for negotiation. God is not to be mocked; there is no possibility of bargaining. It is like knowing that a child eating candy once will not immediately rot their teeth, yet we are very angry because the child was disobedient, violating the will and command of the parents.

Eve ate, and Adam ate. The consequences were severe: they died immediately. Of course, this was not the immediate death of the physical body—that came later. First was spiritual death, which is separation from God. They felt shame, and subsequently fled from the face of God, afraid to hear His word. Furthermore, St. Paul says in today's Epistle, "Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned" (Romans 5:12). Regarding the scene of humanity’s first sin, we may have many lingering questions. For example, we do not know why God, knowing they would sin, still placed the forbidden Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the midst of the garden alongside the Tree of Life (cf. Gen 2:9). We do not know why Satan, disguised as a serpent, appeared in Eden and had the opportunity to approach Adam and Eve to deceive them. We also do not know specifically when Satan himself fell.

However, we know—we know for certain because the Bible tells us—that all have sinned. We have inherited sin from our first ancestors; we are born in sin, and even before birth, we are sinful and subject to death. Moreover, because of sin, man has shame. One could say that the entire history of humanity is a story of trying to cover shame by our own efforts, just as Adam and Eve sewed fig leaves together to make loincloths to cover their nakedness. This fact is not only told to us by the Bible, but our experiences of death, shame, fear, and fleeing from God testify to it at every moment. No one can refute this—even if the world tries to beautify death through self-deception or calls evil "good." This fact that "man is born in sin" is what church theologians call "Original Sin."

The sin that entered the world brought not only the shame and guilt of conscience—making it impossible to hold one's head high—but it also corrupted every aspect of the world. "The cool of the day" came; the natural environment was no longer always hospitable, and the primary difficulty humans faced is natural disasters. The words between people became blurred; there are now unintentional or intentional distortions, even many traps and snares, just as Adam and Eve displayed when facing Satan’s temptation. Marriage was corrupted; men do not act like men, women do not act like women, accusing each other, attacking each other, and shifting responsibility, just as the first couple, the ancestors of humanity, demonstrated. Economic productivity declined; God declared that the ground is cursed because of man’s sin, and man must toil all his life, by the sweat of his face, to barely eke out a living. Fashion has always been a headline topic for humanity, but it has never successfully covered man’s shame and nakedness. If you look at a woman’s wardrobe, you know this is no exaggeration.

Since our experience tells us all these truths and the Bible clearly tells us the underlying cause is sin, why do so many people refuse to hear the Bible and believe the Lord’s word? This is not surprising at all. It is exactly like Adam and Eve’s first reaction after sinning: fleeing from God’s face, afraid to hear His voice. Therefore, look at all of us sitting here—that we can believe in the Lord is a miracle. It is the Holy Spirit working in our hearts through the Lord’s word, drawing us, awakening us, turning us, and renewing us, leading us to repentance so that we hold God's word as truth without falsehood.

God’s word might make us afraid and make us want to stop listening because our sins are exposed, but it can also be sweet as honey, granting abundant comfort. For the Lord’s mercy is greater than judgment, granting the promise of forgiveness and salvation, which is the Gospel. God was relentless toward Satan, who enticed man to sin; there was only sentencing and a curse, no mercy. Conversely, while God pronounced the punishment and consequences of sin upon man, He gave a magnificent promise—Good News. If we look closely at today’s Old Testament text, we find that the word "cursed" is applied to Satan, but not to Adam and Eve; rather, it is the ground that is "cursed because of you." The message of mercy within God’s judgment is that the "offspring of the woman" will come to defeat the devil and rescue humanity from the devil’s lies and bondage, and from the power of sin and death. "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel" (Genesis 3:15). Theologians call this promise the "Protoevangelium" (the first Gospel). Thus, we cannot say the Old Testament is not centered on grace. In fact, grace was there from the beginning. Through the message of the sentence, God gave Adam and Eve—and all of humanity—a certain hope.

God stripped away the fig-leaf skirts that man had woven for himself. Hebrews says, "For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12). God clothed Adam and Eve with garments of skin that He Himself prepared through the shedding of blood. These garments made of skin foreshadowed the coming of Jesus Christ, the Lamb of Atonement. Adam and Eve believed the Lord’s word and put on the coats of skin made after God personally slaughtered animals. They believed that the "offspring of the woman" would surely come to fight that good fight for them and subdue the enemy, Satan. This is why Adam named his wife Eve, which means "the mother of all living." This meant not only that Eve could bear children and nurture life, but even more so that the Life-Giver would come forth from woman. That offspring of the woman is Jesus Christ, who came through the Virgin Mary; the Word became flesh to fight for humanity. Today’s Gospel text tells us that the first thing Jesus did after being baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit was to go into the wilderness, taking man's place to face Satan—the devil’s temptation—once again. The Lord Jesus did not rely on power, armies, or miracles, but solely on the Word of God, defeating the devil three consecutive times. The ancestors of humanity stumbled over God’s word and command, twisting His words and falling for the devil’s tricks, but the Lord Jesus triumphed by the Word of God every time, punching the face of Satan, bringing hope to all mankind.

The natural environment is damaged, yes, but the Lord Jesus will create anew; when He comes again, He will bring us a new heaven and a new earth. Marriage is broken, yes, but the Lord Jesus, as the perfect Bridegroom, gave Himself up for His bride, the Church, shedding His blood as a ransom, giving hope and comfort to broken men and women. There is lifelong toil and the sweat of the brow to make a living, yes, but the Lord Jesus became dust and bore the curse of the earth—this refers to His human nature. We "are dust, and to dust we shall return," but the Lord Jesus took on our perishable human nature and became man, all to atone for our sins, so that the perishable might be exalted, and the lowly might become noble and glorious. We, too, shall be like Him, rising from the dead—no longer dust, but glorious, spiritual bodies, living forever, joined to the Tree of Life. We no longer crave earthly, dusty things, but look up to the things of heaven. Because of Jesus, we can bring grace and mercy to others in every aspect of life—whether in the workplace or in the family, which should be the most harmonious and sweetest place in your life. Our speech, because of this grace and redemption, also becomes clear and resolute. We should keep our promises and not swear oaths lightly. James says, "But let your 'yes' be yes and your 'no' be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation" (James 5:12). In Colossians, Paul says, "Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person" (Colossians 4:6). Thanks be to God the Father and our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.