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Group Discussion
Questions for facilitating dynamic discussion
In The Beginning
October 6,2024
Week 5: Can I Resist?
Jeff Griffin
Genesis 3:1-6
Join us in the time machine and let’s go back to the beginning of everything. In the first chapters of Genesis, we’re blessed with a description of the creation of the universe and the origination of humanity. This week, we’re learning how not only can God’s goodness help us to resist temptation, it can be trusted and shared with others.
In honor of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil — if you were stranded on an island and could only eat one fruit for a whole year, which one would you choose? What makes you love it?
1. By way of review, what type of trees did God place in the garden of Eden, according to Genesis 2:9? What’s the significance of that abundance?
“The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.”
2. Read Genesis 2:16-17. Thinking about the notion that “ignorance is bliss” … what are some reasons why God might have tried to protect Adam and Eve (and all of humanity) from learning just how evil the world could be?
“And the Lord God commanded the man, ‘You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.’”
3. If you were to rate or describe God’s goodness in your own life, how would you explain it? What are your thoughts on this statement from the message?
“Goodness is the perfection of God that prompts him to deal bountifully and kindly with his people.” — theologian Louis Berkhof
4. In Genesis 3:1-5, Satan appears as a talking serpent, trying to lower the view of God. How does the enemy still cause confusion in the world between God’s truth and our human desire for sinful pleasure? What are some modern-day tempting scenarios believers might face that lead to doubting God’s generosity, integrity, and love?
“He said to the woman, ‘Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden?’” (Gen. 3:1)
5. James 1:5 has the antidote for anyone in search of wisdom. Where are some places you and your group might turn for godly guidance and instruction?
“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.”
Pursuing God and His goodness sometimes feels like swimming upstream. Pray each member of your group knows how God is the greatest reality in the Universe and will seek Him first above all.