1. Genesis 3:1-7

2.  Between good and evil is the story of mankind (Gen 2-3)  God created us morally pure, Eccl 7:29; Deut 1:39  Created with freewill, Gen 2:16-17  God did not leave man and woman ignorant of what sin is and what it would do, Gen 2:16-17 (Rom 4:15; 5:13) 2

3. Defining the topic 3

4.  “used in a great variety of senses, figuratively, literally, euphemistically and inferentially (including observation, care, recognition)” (Strong)  “to know, learn to know…to perceive…to perceive and see, find out and discern…to discriminate, distinguish…to know by experience…to recognise, admit, acknowledge, confess…to consider…to know, be acquainted with…to know how, be skilful in…to have knowledge, be wise” (Brown-Driver-Briggs) 4

5.  Possessing the moral capacity of good and evil, Deut 1:39; Rom 7:9; Gen 3:22  The use of freewill to make moral choices  Ways humans can know good and evil:  Intellectually (factual knowledge), Gen 2:17  Experientially (choice, activity through freewill), Gen 2:8-9, 15 5

6.  Possessing the moral capacity of good and evil (use of freewill to make moral choices)  Can know good and evil:  By faith (Rom 10:17)  By believing and obeying what God says (Rom 7:7) ▪ What sin is, 1 Jno 3:4; 5:17; Jas 4:17 (Gen 2:17) ▪ What sin does, Rom 5:12 (Gen 2:17) ▪ Sin is a moral choice – not a biological necessity, Ezek 18:20; Rom 5:12; Acts 5:3-4; Josh 24:15 6

7.  Summary:  God knows good and evil due to His very nature (Gen 3:22)  Man knows good and evil: ▪ Intellectually (cognitive recognition) ▪ Experientially (choosing good and evil) ▪ By faith (by trusting the word of God)  God’s will: We know good and evil by trusting and obeying Him, Psa 119:104, 130 7

8. Genesis 3:1-7 (Jno 8:44) 8

9.  About God, Gen 3:1, 5  Injects doubt, questioning God’s law, His integrity, and diminishing God’s blessings (cf. Rom 7:7-12)  About Sin, Gen 3:4  Effects (“you will not surely die”), Gen 2:17; Rom 5:12  Benefits (“your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil”), Gen 3:5 ▪ DECEIVED! 1 Tim 2:14 (Rom 7:9-11) 9

10.  About man and woman, Gen 3:5  Lie: That our eyes are not open to sin (know good and evil) without experiencing it ▪ Truth: By experiencing sin one becomes acquainted with its shame, guilt and death! Gen 1:25; 2:7, 10-11 ▪ Jesus did not have to experience sin in order to know how sinister it is, Heb 4:15 ▪ The Mormon doctrine of man and sin 10

11.  LDS: Adam’s sin was a blessing for mankind – Enabled our life and joy in this life. “And now, behold, if Adam had not transgressed he would not have fallen, but he would have remained in the garden of Eden. And all things which were created must have remained in the same state in which they were after they were created; and they must have remained for ever, and had no end. “And now, behold, if Adam had not transgressed he would not have fallen, but he would have remained in the garden of Eden. And all things which were created must have remained in the same state in which they were after they were created; and they must have remained for ever, and had no end. 11

12.  LDS: Adam’s sin was a blessing for mankind – Enabled our life and joy in this life. “And they would have had no children; wherefore they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin. But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things. Adam fell that men might be; and men are that they might have joy.” (2 Nephi 2:22-25) “And they would have had no children; wherefore they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin. But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things. Adam fell that men might be; and men are that they might have joy.” (2 Nephi 2:22-25) 12

13.  LDS: Man would never have known good and evil without sinning “And in that day Adam blessed God and was filled, and began to prophesy concerning all the families of the earth, saying: Blessed be the name of God, for because of my transgression my eyes are opened, and in this life I shall have joy, and again in the flesh I shall see God. “And in that day Adam blessed God and was filled, and began to prophesy concerning all the families of the earth, saying: Blessed be the name of God, for because of my transgression my eyes are opened, and in this life I shall have joy, and again in the flesh I shall see God. 13

14.  LDS: Man would never have known good and evil without sinning “And Eve, his wife, heard all these things and was glad, saying: Were it not for our transgression we never should have had seed, and never should have known good and evil, and the joy of our redemption, and the eternal life which God giveth unto all the obedient.” “And Eve, his wife, heard all these things and was glad, saying: Were it not for our transgression we never should have had seed, and never should have known good and evil, and the joy of our redemption, and the eternal life which God giveth unto all the obedient.” (Moses 5:10-11, Pearl of Great Price) (Moses 5:10-11, Pearl of Great Price) 14

15.  About man and woman, Gen 3:5  Lie: That our eyes are not open to sin (know good and evil) without experiencing it  Truth: We can know sin because we can also identify temptations to sin! Jas 1:13-16 ▪ Adam and Eve knew good before they ever committed sin, Gen 1:28-31 ▪ Satan’s lie turns good into evil and evil into “good”! Isaiah 5:20 15

16. 16

17.  We will not see the evil of sin, Rom 12:9  A distorted view of sin  We will not see the good in obeying God, Gen 2:15; Mal 1:12-13; 1 Jno 5:3  We easily convince ourselves and others that sin produces good, Gen 3:6; Heb 11:25 17

18. Genesis 2:17; 3:10, 22-24 18

19.  Sin produced spiritual death, Rom 5:12  Sin’s consequences include guilt, shame, trials, sufferings and finally, physical death, Gen 3:10, 16-19  God’s grace: Redemption and eternal life, Gen 3:15, 22-24; Rev 2:7; 22:2-3 19

20.  Should come from faith in God (believing and obeying His word) and not from the lies of Satan  Faith leads to everlasting life  Sin leads to eternal death  Love the Lord and hate evil, Psa 97:10; Amos 5:15 20