BIG IDEA: Sin separates us from God.
This free Bible lesson, The Fall of Humans and The Entrance of Sin, will teach preschool and elementary students about the fall of humanity because of the disobedience of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and how sin entered the world through their disobedience.
FOCUS BIBLE PASSAGE: Genesis 3
All of the printable activities and digital slides needed for the lesson, as well as a full printable lesson plan for both elementary and preschool are available.
Below is the outline of the free elementary Bible lesson.
PREP & SUPPLIES
- printed & trimmed “Sin Scavenger Hunt” cards
- tape
- printed “Sin Scavenger Hunt” papers
- pencils/pens
- printed “Sin Scavenger Hunt” Leader’s Guides for ALL leaders
LESSON HOOK ACTIVITY
(SLIDE) Think about a time when you were told not to do something, and you did it anyway. (allow think time)
The point of this discussion is for students to connect forbidden behavior with bad consequences that follow.
Some of the examples they bring up may not have had a real life consequence, so you can reiterate that human authority figures are not like God and they don’t always follow through with consequences like God did with Adam and Eve.
(SLIDE) What happened when you did the thing that you were told not to do? (allow responses and discussion)
(SLIDE) You may have been told not to have a snack before dinner, but you disobeyed and had a cookie. Then, when it was dinner time you weren’t hungry.
(SLIDE) You may have been told to go to bed at a certain time, but you disobeyed and stayed up much later. Then, the next day you were really sleepy.
(SLIDE) Your teacher may have told you not to stand up on the monkey bars, but you disobeyed and did it anyway. Then, you slipped and fell and broke your arm.
(SLIDE) These are all consequences of doing something that you were told not to do. A consequence is something that happens because of something that was done. Consequences can be good or bad.
Today we are going to learn from the Bible about a time when God told two people not to do something, but they did it anyway. The consequences that came after their actions changed the world for everyone.
BIBLE LESSON
Last week we learned that God created human beings in His image. This means that we were created to behave in ways that are LIKE God. We can show emotions, have relationships, and make decisions.
In the Bible in Genesis Chapter 2, we can read more about when God created Adam.
(SLIDE) Genesis 2:8-9
[The LORD God had planted a garden in the east in Eden. He put in the garden the man he had formed. The LORD God made every kind of tree grow out of the ground. The trees were pleasing to look at. Their fruit was good to eat. There were two trees in the middle of the garden.]
(SLIDE) Genesis 2:9
[One of them had fruit that let people live forever. The other had fruit that let people tell the difference between good and evil.]
One of the trees was called “The Tree of Life”, and the other tree was called “The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil”.
(SLIDE) Genesis 2:16-17
[The LORD God gave the man a command. He said, “You may eat fruit from any tree in the garden. But you must not eat the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you do, you will certainly die.”]
What did God tell Adam not to do? (eat the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil)
What did God say would happen if Adam ate the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil? (Adam will die)
What happens in Genesis Chapter 3 is called “The Fall”. It is the true story of how Adam and Eve were tricked by Satan into disobeying God.
God told Adam NOT to eat the fruit from “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil”.
Satan didn’t want everything to be perfect for humans, so he came up with a plan to trick Eve into eating fruit from the tree that God commanded her not to eat from.
What happens when we do something even though we are told not to do it? (allow responses)
Sometimes there are bad consequences when we do something even though we are told not to do it.
(SLIDE) Genesis 3:1
[The serpent was more clever than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. The serpent said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat fruit from any tree in the garden’?”]
The serpent, Satan, came to Eve and tried to confuse her by twisting God’s words.
(SLIDE)
God said that Adam and Eve could eat fruit from every tree except “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil”.
Satan twisted God’s words saying: “Did God really say, “You must not eat fruit from any tree in the garden’?”
Eve knew what God had commanded her husband. She replied to Satan:
(SLIDE) Genesis 3:2-3
[We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden. But God did say, “You must not eat the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden. Do not even touch it. If you do, you will die.”]
This isn’t exactly what God had told Adam, but Eve knew which tree she was not supposed to eat from. God had told Adam specifically not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Satan tricked Eve. He said:
(SLIDE) Genesis 3:4-5
[“You will certainly not die…God knows that when you eat fruit from that tree, you will know things you have never known before. Like God, you will be able to tell the difference between good and evil.”]
Eve already knew the good that was in the world. Everything in the garden was perfect.
When Eve chose to disobey God’s command and eat the forbidden fruit from “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” she became aware of the evil of Satan.
God’s perfect creation changed when Eve disobeyed.
(SLIDE) Genesis 3:6
[The woman saw that the tree’s fruit was good to eat and pleasing to look at. She also saw that it would make a person wise. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her. And he ate it.]
After Adam and Eve ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, their eyes were opened to the difference between good and bad. They realized that they felt ashamed.
Adam and Eve had never felt fear or shame before, so they knew something was wrong.
Genesis 3:14-19 tells about the curse that God placed on all of Creation because of Adam and Eve’s disobedience.
[So the LORD God spoke to the serpent. He said, “Because you have done this, you are set apart from all livestock and all wild animals. I am putting a curse on you. You will crawl on your belly. You will eat dust all the days of your life. I will make you and the woman hate each other. Your children and her children will be enemies. Her son will crush your head. And you will bite his heel.”
The LORD God said to the woman, “I will increase your pain when you give birth. You will be in great pain when you have children. You will long for your husband. And he will rule over you.”
The LORD God said to Adam, “You listened to your wife’s suggestion. You ate fruit from the tree I warned you about. I said, ‘You must not eat its fruit.’ “So I am putting a curse on the ground because of what you did. All the days of your life you will have to work hard. It will be painful for you to get food from the ground. You will eat plants from the field, even though the ground produces thorns and prickly weeds. You will have to work hard and sweat a lot to produce the food you eat. You were made out of the ground. You will return to it when you die. You are dust, and you will return to dust.”]
(SLIDE)
God told the serpent that he will be cursed and will have to crawl on his belly all of his life.
God told Eve that childbirth will be painful and that her husband will rule over her.
God told Adam that there is a curse on the ground and he will have to work hard for food and that one day he will return to the dust that he came from.
God loved Adam and Eve. He provided them with food to eat, work to do, and a beautiful garden to enjoy. Adam and Eve sinned when they chose to disobey God by eating from the forbidden tree.
What is sin? (allow responses)
(SLIDE) Sin is anything we think, say, or do that is against what God wants us to do. Sin is doing things our own way instead of God’s way.
God is perfect and cannot be in the presence of sin.
(SLIDE) Big Idea: Sin separates us from God.
(SLIDE)
Romans 5:12 teaches us that “sin entered the world because one man sinned. And death came because of sin. Everyone sinned, so death came to all people.”
Sin was brought into the world by the very first people, and it is still around today. Because of sin, our bodies will die. The good news is that God made a plan to give us life through Jesus.
God then made Adam and Eve leave the garden. Angels were placed to guard the entrance so human beings could no longer enter the garden.
If Adam and Eve would have stayed in the garden and eaten fruit from the tree of life after they disobeyed and brought sin into the world, they would have lived forever in their cursed state.
Instead, God had a plan to give them another chance at a perfect life.
(SLIDE) Sin “stains” our hearts. When our hearts are “stained” by sin, it prevents us from having a relationship with God. God is perfect, perfectly clean, and He can only allow people with clean hearts into heaven.
The punishment for our sins is that we can’t be with God in heaven after we die on this earth.
But God made a way for us to get into heaven through Jesus!
(SLIDE)
Romans 6:23 tells us: “When you sin, the pay you get is death. But God gives you the gift of eternal life. That’s because of what Christ Jesus our Lord has done.”
On our own, we can’t remove these stains from our hearts. But God loves us so much that He provides a way for our hearts to be made clean through believing in Jesus!
Sin separates us from God, but God made a plan to rescue us from our sin and separation. He came as a man (Jesus) to earth to live a perfect life, die on the cross, and raise back to life. Jesus paid the penalty for the sin of all humanity.
(SLIDE)
John 3:16 says: “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son. Anyone who
believes in him will not die but will have eternal life.”
This does not mean that we won’t die physically. It means that people who believe in Jesus won’t be separated from God AFTER we die physically on this earth. Instead, we will get to LIVE with Him for ETERNITY (forever) in heaven.
This is amazing news! Jesus came from heaven to earth to take the punishment for our sins. He died on the cross and rose again so that all of the wrong things that we have done, and will do in the future, can be forgiven.
When sin entered the world through Adam and Eve, it created separation between God and humans, but God had a plan to defeat sin.
God always loves us, and He never stops caring for us. Even when we sin and disobey Him, God is faithful to forgive us when we say we are sorry and ask Him for forgiveness.
When we believe in Jesus we are no longer separated from God!
Dear God,
Thank You for the Bible and the Truths that we can learn from reading it. We thank You that You made a way for us to have a relationship with You when we believe in Jesus and ask Him to save us from our sins.
We love you and we pray all of these things in Jesus’ sweet name, Amen.
LARGE GROUP ACTIVITY
We are going to review today’s Bible Truths by completing a scavenger hunt.
Around the room, you will see some cards with pictures and words on them. After you get your SIN SCAVENGER HUNT paper, you will:
- find each picture card that matches the pictures on your paper
- READ THE WORDS ON THE CARD
- write the underlined word or phrase in the box on your paper
- repeat with all of the pictures on your paper
You will have a chance to review the Truths that you find during the scavenger hunt with your Small Group Leader today.
HANDOUT: Each student should have a “Sin Scavenger Hunt” paper and something to write with.
You may choose to pair non-readers with proficient readers and/or have volunteer leaders work with younger readers so they can comprehend the Truths from the activity.
You may choose to set a timer for students to work, or allow them to work until most of them have completed the hunt.
Students will be reviewing their answers with their Small Group Leaders.
SMALL GROUP ACTIVITY
Now that everyone has had a chance to fill in some or all of the “Sin Scavenger Hunt”, you will have time with your Small Group Leader to go over the answers and the Truths that you learned from today’s lesson and activity.
BREAK INTO SMALL GROUPS TO COMPLETE THE ACTIVITY.
Leader: Use the “Sin Scavenger Hunt Leader’s Guide” to lead the discussion today.
Talking points about each card are listed below.
Discussion Prompts for Leaders:
- Card 1: Why do you think the true story about Adam and Eve’s disobedience is called “The Fall”? (because mankind fell into sin and God’s perfect Creation changed in an instant – everything WAS perfect, but after the fall everything is cursed)
- Card 2: What were the names of the two trees that God placed in the middle of the garden? (“the tree of life” and “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil”)
- Card 3: What command did God give to Adam in Genesis 2:16-17? (God told Adam that he was allowed to eat from any tree in the garden except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil) What did God say would happen if Adam ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil? (Adam would die) What did God mean by this? (Adam would die spiritually – he would be separated from God – eventually his physical body would die)
- Card 4: How did Satan trick Eve? (he twisted God’s words – God only forbade Adam and Eve from eating from ONE tree and Satan put doubt in Eve’s mind about what God said – He asked her if God said that she couldn’t eat from ANY of the trees, which is not what God said)
- Card 5: What happened after Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit? (they realized they were naked and they felt shame and fear – they had never felt these feelings before so they knew something was wrong and they hid from God)
- Card 6: Why does sin separate us from God? (God is perfect and sin is imperfect – God cannot be in the presence of sin)
- Card 7: What is sin? (anything we think, say, or do that is against what God wants for us – doing things our own way instead of God’s way)
- Card 8: Look up and read Romans 5:12. What do you think this verse means? (the consequence of Adam’s sin is death and separation from God – since we were born after Adam we are automatically born with a sin nature and we are spiritually dead until we accept Jesus as our Savior)
- Card 9: What was the curse that God placed on all of Creation? (sin and death – cursed Satan of eventual defeat – cursed the woman in childbearing – cursed the man of hard work – cursed the ground)
- Card 10: Look up and read John 3:16. What do you think this verse means? (God sent Jesus to die on the cross for the sins of all of humanity because He loves us so much – when we believe in Jesus we will live forever in heaven)
- Card 11: Look up and read Romans 6:23. What do you think this verse means? (the penalty/punishment for sin is death and separation from God – Jesus’s gift and sacrifice of dying on the cross made a way for us to have a relationship with God and live forever in heaven)
- Card 12: What does it mean to believe in Jesus? (believe that Jesus is God, and that He came to earth as a human to live a sinless life, die on the cross, and raise back to life – when we believe these Truths, we can ask Jesus to save us from our sins and He will)
- Does anyone have any questions about today’s lesson?
- Use any extra time to discuss the lesson and/or the memory verse.
CLOSING REFLECTION
We learned that sin entered the world because of the disobedience of Adam and Eve. God commanded them not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, but Satan tricked Eve and they both ate the forbidden fruit. The disobedience of Adam and Eve brought sin into the world. Sin brought pain and death into the world. But, Jesus took care of the sin in the world when He died on the cross and rose back to life. When we choose to believe in Jesus and turn away from sin, He saves us. Then when we die on this earth, we get to live forever with Jesus in heaven!
Reflection Questions:
- What is the result of sin? (separation from God and spiritual death)
- How can we have a relationship with God? (by believing in Jesus and asking Him to be our Savior)
- Does anyone have any questions about today’s lesson?
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