Tag Archives: Sin

Session 018: Genesis 6:1-8: Wickedness in the World

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The first 8 verses of Genesis chapter 6 are probably one of the most confusing and difficult verses in the Bible for Christians. While only eight verses long, there are four deep issues that need to be understood.

1) Who were the sons of God and the daughters of man?
2) What is meant by the number of days being 120 years?
3) Who were the Nephilim?
4) The Lord’s response to the wickedness He witnessed.

  • Scripture Text:

    Text from The Bible Gateway (Only cover first 8 verses).

    Genesis 6:1-8

  • Scripture Audio:

    Presented as dramatizations from The Bible Gateway (only need to cover first 8 verses).

    Genesis 6 Audio

  • Traditional interpretations of Chapter 6 (only need to cover the first 8 verses)

    These two articles are rather traditional (but somewhat disagreeing) interpretations of Chapter 6. From the Blue Letter Bible web site.

    Article Link: MAN’S WICKEDNESS; GOD CALLS NOAH: David Guzik:
    Article Link: The First Book of Moses, Called Genesis: Robert Jamieson

  • Bereshit (Genesis) – Chapter 6

    A Jewish Interpretation of the passage (be sure to click on the “Show Rashi’s Commentary” and you only need to cover the first 8 verses)

    Article Link:

  • Who Are the Sons of God in Genesis 6?

    A look at two different interpretations for the sons of God.

    Article Link:

  • The Nephilim in the Bible: 4 Origin Theories

    A look at four theories on who the Nephilim represent.

    Article Link:

  • EXTRA CREDIT ARTICLES:

    A few extra credit resources. These resources wont be a direct part of the class discussion, but may prove helpful as you start looking into your own rabbit holes of study.

    Nephilim: TRUE STORY of Giants, Goliath And His Brothers

    This is an hour long YouTube video that covers that sons of God, the Nephilim as well as other references to giants in the Bible such as Sampson.

    YouTube video:

This is a restatement about the four deep issues that need to be understood in this passage

  1. Who were the sons of God and the daughters of man?
  2. What is meant by the number of days being 120 years?
  3. Who were the Nephilim?
  4. The Lord’s response to the wickedness He witnessed.

Other points to consider and contemplate onyour own.

  • What do you tink of the differing views of the sons of God between Christianity and Judism?
  • Why was Noah considered to be less sinful (or even sinless) compared to others even though he descended from Adam and Eve?
  • Why do you think that Christians link the 120 years to the age limit of human life? Is this correct?
  • Which of the options for understanding the sons of God do you lean towards and why? Is this understanding crutial to your walk?
  • Which of the options for understanding the Nephilim do you lean towards and why? Is this understanding crutial to your walk?
  • Have you ever had to destroy something that you created? Why? How did you feel?
  • Why do you think that God chose the path that he did for cleansing the Earth? Were there other options?
  • Why do you think that God singled Noah and his family out. Don’t answer generically. Be specific. Would you line up?

Session 015: Genesis: The Nature of Sin

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This weeks session will be a little different than our usual fare. So far we have dealt heavily on the actual scripture. This session will be a little more topical in nature than looking at a specific scripture in an expositorial fashion. The topic is the nature of sin. We have looked at the story of Eden and the story of Cain and Abel. So far sin has been an issue in each generation of humanity.

  • Scripture Audio:

    Presented as dramatizations from The Bible Gateway.

    Genesis 1
    Genesis 2
    Genesis 3
    Genesis 4

  • How to Read Genesis Part 1

    A high level over view of what we can take from the first part of Genesis. [Note: Requires an account on RightNow Media]

    Video Web Page:
    Video Link:

  • The End of Sin

    A short article from cochurch.org

    Article Web Page:

  • EXTRA CREDIT ARTICLES:

    These resourcs wont be a direct part of the class discussion, but may prove helpful as you start looking into your own rabbit holes of study.

    Original Choice, not Original Sin

    Karen Winslow, Chair of Biblical and Theological Studies at Azusa Pacific Seminary. A very interesting read that turns the concept of original sin on its head. (You will need to register for academia.edu to download the article)
    Article Web Page:

    Loren Haarsma, Four Approaches to Original Sin

    Loren Haarsma lays out four different approaches in his book, When Did Sin Begin? and talks with us in the episode about the approaches
    Podcast Web Page:
    Podcast direct Link:

Here are some questions to ponder as you think about the nature of sin.

  • Are we sinners because we sin?
  • Do we sin because we are sinners?
  • Are Christians Sinners or Saints (both or neither one)?
  • Is there a difference between individual acts of sin and the sin nature in mankind? (If so, what is the difference between those?)

NOTE: with regard to the questions listed above that we will discuss in the context of Genesis and “Cain & Abel” in particular; time permitting, let’s also feel free to consider some other points on this subject (the nature of sin) from other portions of scripture such as parts of Ephesians & Galatians.

Session 010: Genesis 3: The Fall: Who was the Serpent of Genesis

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This week we are going to look at the identity of the serpent in the Gardern of Eden. The Western Church usually assumes that the serpent was satan, but a deeper look at the identitiy of satan is rarely if ever looked at. We can dig into the origins of this serpent and obtain a better understanding of where it came from. Because of the nature of this study we are going to diverge from our normal practice of using audio or video recordings. We will using resources that are well referenced. We only have two resources, but they will take some effort to get through. This will be time consuming and require some seious mental energy, but given that this is identifying our greatest spiritual foe, it is worth the effort.

  • Scripture Audio:

    Presented as dramatizations from The Bible Gateway.

    Genesis 3

  • David Guzik: Study Guide for Genesis 3

    David Guzik is he senior pastor at Calvery Chapel in Santa Barbara, California. This study guide follows what we could consider a traditional look at the chapter, but allowing for mutliple interpretations.

    Blog Post:

  • Bnonn Tennant: Who is the serpent in Genesis, and is it an actual snake?

    Tennant does a good job of applying references to his thoughts. This is good because he looks at the spiritual beings in the Bible a little differently than we usually address them in Western though. One of the interesting comparisons that he makes is of the Garden and the Throne Room of the Lord. That leads to a broader discussion of the serpents role within the broader collection of non-human beings around God. Please read this one with discernment. It has some good points, but are outside normal thought. Throughout this post, there are links to related posts that may be of interest and add insite to what he states. This will provide solid discussion materal.

    Blog Post:

Here are some questions to prompt your study and/or discussion time:

  • Do you believe that the term ‘serpent’ represents the entities physical characteristics, functional/operational characteristics, or both?
  • What are your thoughts on the Garden of Eden being representative of either the throne room or council room of the Most High?
  • Are you bothered by Bnonn Tennant’s use of the term god to represent the other spiritual beings in God’s court?
  • Why do you think that the serpent focused on Eve instead of Adam?
  • Snakes: Do you think that the serpent was literally a talking snake or that the curse resulted in snakes as we know them today?
  • What do you think happened with the curse?
  • If you were asked to explain the serpent to a non-believer, how would you explain who or what it is?
  • How would you explain the serpent to a believer?

Session 009: Genesis 3: The Fall: A look at the Two Trees

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There are two specific trees identified in the creation story and identified as located in the Garden of Eden. While they are obviously important trees; Our churchly interactions with these treees tend to be as side characters and used to support other creation story interpretations. Should there be more there? There is. This week we will look a little more deeply at threse tree. We have two resources that will be our primary points of discussion in the class. However, if you are interested in diving deeper, we will list some additional resources that may wet your pallet.

  • Session 009 Prolog Podcast

    Podcast webpage
    Podcast Download

  • Scripture Audio:

    Presented as dramatizations from The Bible Gateway.

    Genesis 3

  • Tree of Life vs. Three of Knowlede of Good & Evil (7 Minutes)

    This is a very short podcast. What it does well is show where the trees are in relation to the relationship between Adam and Eve, and the Lord God. There are a couple of interesting perspectives that are presented that I think that you will like. But we will leave that to the discussion time.

    Podcast Home on Spotify:

  • Weird Stuff: The Trees of Eden

    The following link is for RightNow Media. You will have to log into a RightNow Media account to access it. Unfortunately, there is not another link available. This is an extensive look at the trees in the creation story. One of the members of this dialog has written a book on one of the trees. This is another link that will be enjoyed and create many discussion points.

    Series Home Page on Rightnow Media:

  • Additional Links for a deeper dive

    The following links are some of the ones looked at for inclusion in this weeks discussion. They are not intended to be part of our upcoming disucssion. They are also not leaning in one specific direction. They are literally, all over the place in terms of theology. They are here to help you if you are interested in following this topic down a rabbit hole. If you do follow these links, may God bless you in your studies.

    What is the meaning of the Tree of Life?
    What is the Tree of Life? Bible Meaning and Importance.
    The Two Trees
    YouTube Video: Playing God
    History’s Most Misunderstood Tree: Why Nothing on Earth Will Satisfy
    The Tree of Life: Lost but Not Forgotten
    Eden’s two trees: Paths of life and death (Genesis 2–3)

    • Here are some general things to think about while listening to this week’s resources:

    • Why two different trees?
    • Did God set a trap?
    • Why was God worried that we would be like “us”?
    • When do we see the trees elsewhere in the Bible (this will take some study)?