The Problem and the Solution
There are two essential questions that every person’s worldview asks:
What’s the problem?
What’s the solution?
Start with the problem. Reading Genesis 1-3 clues humanity in on what God’s original design was and why the world is the way it is now - with so much brokenness, pain, and suffering. So much goes wrong when Adam and Eve, already made in the good and whole image of God, went looking for good without God. If in Genesis 2, we see goodness, care, joy, mutuality, work, and cooperation, Genesis 3 reveals where evil entered the picture, bringing with it hatred, pain, competition, toil, and contention. This would be the natural consequence of Adam and Eve’s temptation to choose without God, not God’s desire.
So, if that’s the problem, what’s the solution? In Genesis 3, not only is evil revealed, but so is God’s victory over evil foreshadowed. This is the story of the beginning of humanity, and the beginning of God restoring creation back to Him.
In Romans 5:12, 14-21, it is the reversal of evil. “But there is a great difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gracious gift…Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone.” At the center of “making all the sad things come untrue” is Jesus. In Him, our original intent is restored and our capacity to live it out together is remade. Even when people go looking for good without God, good is chasing us, because God has always been pursuing us. This is the Good News!
Dive Deeper
Follow along every week with the Good With God Group Study and grow in trust and love for Jesus! Every week there will be a simple set of questions to help you and a few others look at a passage of the Bible and hear from God. No matter your experience level with the Bible, working through these questions with others can help you discover, do, and share what God is telling you right now. So gather your people and get started today!