COMMENTARY

Lesson 1: Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7 (C); Genesis 2:7-9; 3:1-7 (RC); Genesis 2:4b-9, 15-17, 25-3:7 (E)
The account of humanity's fall into sin. Today's Lesson is taken from the second Genesis account of creation by the Yahwist (J) school of authors. The first part of the pericope gives the setting for the Fall: creation of Adam from dust and spirit, the garden with the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. In preparation for the Fall we need to know that Adam and Eve were created sinless as indicated by their unashamed nakedness, and that God expects obedience to his will. By means of a serpent, temptation comes to Eve. Her yielding was the result of Satan's causing doubt in her mind ("Did God say...?"), telling her a lie ("You will not die"), and appealing t…