Disobedience First Human Disobedience – JSS1 Christian Religious Studies Lesson Note (First Term)

Sin is doing wrong, going against the laws of God and the laws of nature. The first human sin was the disobedience of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:1-24). They ate the fruit God had forbidden, and God drove them out of the garden. Their sin brought death, pain and struggle into the world.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

• explain what sin is and give examples;
• state how Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden;
• describe what God did to Adam, Eve and the serpent;
• list the general consequences of the sin of Adam and Eve;
• suggest what can be done about the problem of sin today.

What is sin?

Sin is a deviation from right to wrong. It means doing things that go against the laws of nature and the laws of God. Examples are stealing, murder, breaking the laws of the land and fighting.

Sin came into the world through the disobedience of Adam and Eve, who ate the forbidden fruit. Since then, sin has been common in the world.

What happened in the Garden of Eden?

After the creation, Adam and Eve lived in the Garden of Eden. God provided them with everything, but he commanded them not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, which stood in the middle of the garden. The serpent deceived them and they ate the fruit of the tree.

God cursed them and drove them away from the garden. This is known as the fall of man.

What were the consequences of the first disobedience?

What happened to each of them

• Adam: he was cursed and told to eat from his sweat.
• The woman: she was cursed and commanded to conceive and bear children in pain.
• The serpent: it was cursed and commanded to crawl on its belly and eat the dust of the earth. God also put enmity between the serpent and the woman.

General consequences

The general consequences of their sin are death, pain and struggle.

Evaluation

1. Discuss the consequence of the sin of Adam and Eve.
2. Read your first term’s note on “Human Relationship and the Creation of the Earth”.
3. What do you think can be done about the problem of sin in the world today?

General evaluation and revision questions

1. Discuss the consequence of the sin of Adam and Eve.
2. What is sin?
3. What do you think can be done about the problem of sin in the world today?
4. Write one Bible verse about sin.

Assignment

Reading assignment

1. Ilesanmi Christian Religious Studies for JSS Book 1 by Tunde Erumevba et al.
2. RSV Bible: read Gen. 3:1-24.

Weekend assignment

1. The word “woman” means (a) bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh (b) flesh of my flesh (c) flesh of my bone
2. The first man God created is _________ (a) Jacob (b) Adam (c) Eve
3. Eve means (a) mother of all living (b) mother of all generations (c) mother of Christ
4. ________ was the first born of Adam (a) Cain (b) Abel (c) Jacob
5. The consequence of Adam’s sin is _______ (a) joy and pain (b) death and joy (c) death, pain and struggle

Theory

1. What was the sin of Adam and Eve?
2. What was the curse placed on the woman by God?