C.A.C SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON FOR August 16 & 23, 2020 THE UNITY OF BRETHREN. UNITY ONE: BEFORE AND AFTER CREATION. LESSON THREE : TOPIC – UNITY OF ADAM AND EVE

And Adam said: “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man”

(Genesis 2:23).

Adam and Eve were united as a home, before and after the fall. God expects families to be united, no matter the situation they are in.

God had earlier created man (Adam) (Gen. 1:27; 2:7). However, the ‘them’ in Gen. 1:28 carries the idea of plurality. No wonder the Scripture make it clear that God created male and female, right in Adam from the beginning (1:27; 5:2). The all-knowing God who knows the end from beginning, knew the implication of loneliness on the blissful existence of the man He had graciously created, hence God’s conclusion in 2:18. This resulted in the bringing out of the female that had earlier on been made in the male (vv. 20-22). What a loving God!

The female was brought to Adam who had been made to sleep so deeply (such sleep would obviously be made than what man’s limited faculty can fathom). On sighting the woman, he spontaneously exclaimed, ‘This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. The tone carries an aura of excitement and gratitude to God for bailing him out of the obvious loneliness (vv. 19,20). He joyfully accepted what God gave him. How grateful to God are you for your spouse? Until gratitude and joy are there, you can’t find unity with your spouse easy.

Adam accepted that she was taken out of him. Thus, he saw her as part of him that he could relate and agree with (cf. Amos 3:3) — that is the foundation of unity in marriage. He called her the right name — woman, not an animal. After all, he had earlier named the other creatures. How you see your spouse determines what you call him/her, and what you call him/her determines the level of your agreement and unity. Adam and Eve were united to the end, even in the worst of experiences. Spouse must learn from this.

Mon. 10: He Creates Them Make And Female (Mat. 19:4)

Tue. 11: He Shall Stick To His Wife (Mat. 19:5)

Wed. 12: Henceforth, They Are One Flesh (Mat. 19:6)

Thur. 13: Hepp Yourself Against Satan’s Lies (Jn. 8:44)

Fri. 14: Avoid Divorce, Separation Like Plague (1 Cor. 7:10,11)

Sat. 15: Avoid Mind Pollution By God’s Grace (2 Cor. 11:3)

1. When there is a common goal to achieve, you should submerge your personal interest and pay the price.

2. A godliness marriage is one that might not get to its desired haven. God desires that spouses have common goals — godly, God-glorifying ones. And when these are set out, each of the spouses should let the overall best interest of the couple/marriage prevail in all they do. That means sacrifice on the parts of the partners. Are we ready for such?

AIM: To show beneficial it is for partners in Christian marriage to the united in God’s purpose, come what may.

OBJECTIVES: At the end of this lesson, it is expected that the readers should be able to:

i. Show that God has made everything to facilitate oneness/unity among spouses;

ii. show from the Scripture, the implication of the nakedness-without-shame of Adam on the openness of spouses to each other in marriage;

iii. show from Adam and Eve’s experience that nothing should make spouses to unite against God; and

iv. Prove that God expects spouses to still be united, even when going through difficult times, as demonstrated in Adam and Eve’s experience.

We appreciate God for the second lesson we have undergone, UNITY IN CREATION (Gen. 1:1-31). We have leant how God created the heaven, the earth, and all things therein, starting from the light up to the creation of man in His own image. God created all in wisdom (Psa. 104:24), for His glory, greatness, power and honour, so that all God’s creatures may yield fruits after their kind and that the world may be full of His creatures.

THE UNITY OF ADAM AND EVE is the topic for the third lesson that we shall go through for the two weeks. In the lesson, we shall deliberate on how Adam and Eve were in unity in creation and even in the heat of their downfall and judgment that was tempered with mercy, and their excommunication from the Garden of Eden. The truth is, unity can be for, or against God, hence the need to be on the side of God always, even in our different matrimonies.

May God open our spiritual eyes so that we can see the mysteries that He hid in His Word from the foundation of the world. Amen.

This lesson is divided into two sections, I and II. Each of the sections is further divided into A and B.

DIVISION I: UNITY OF THE FIRST CREATURE:

This section has 2 parts: A. Unity In Marriage; and B. Unity With, And In God’s Glory. It deeply considers Genesis 2:18-25 as its scriptural basis. God didn’t want man to feel the pangs of loneliness. So, He providentially and perfectly made a helpmeet for him, in the person of Eve. Everything God created is good. This evident in the person of Eve. Everything God created is good. This is evident in the bliss and joy that heralded the coming of the woman — the man joyfully and satisfactorily accepted God’s gift, and both of them lived in unity, oneness and opened.

DIVISION II: UNITY AFTER THE FALL:

The second of this lesson discusses Genesis 3:1-21; 4:1-2. To do this well, it has been broken down into 2 parts, as well: A. Unity In Downfall; and B. Unity In, And After Judgment. One would have expected that Adam would have refused to eat the fruit with his fallen wife, but he ate it, and they both fell as sinners in the hands of an angry God. Part A shows the implications of or lessons from this. Part B shows the continued unity between the spouses despite their fall. This indicts couples today, who always want to back out at the sight of any little problem.

LESSON OUTLINE

I. UNITY OF THE FIRST CREATURES

A. UNITY IN MARRIAGE

B. UNITY WITH, AND IN GOD’S GLORY

II. UNITY AFTER THE FALL

A. UNITY IN DOWNFALL

B. UNITY IN, AND AFTER JUDGEMENT

LESSON EXPOSITION

I. UNITY OF THE FIRST CREATURES (Genesis 2:18-25)

Who were the first creatures in this respect? Adam and Eve. They were the first created human beings and the first couple, first parents on earth. How did they achieve the unity that brought glory to God? How were they united that God chose to visit them in the cool of the day? Let us see from God’s Word.

And the Lord God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him” (v. 18).

i. v. 18: God created Adam, and for a period, he was lonely in the Garden of him. So, God determined to make a helpmeet for him.

ii. Sometimes after man’s creation, God, in line with His eternal programme, saw that it was time to remove loneliness from Adam. Meanwhile, God had brought all the animals to Adam to name them (vv. 19,20). He couldn’t find any of these as a mate, hence the feeling of being the only one of his kind among God’s creatures.

iii. vv. 21-22: God launched Adam into a deep sleep and brought out what He had already provisionally put in man. He removed one of his ribs that secured his soul, to make the woman. On bringing her to him, Adam couldn’t hide his joy: This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh… Because she was taken out of Man (Gen. 2:23).

iv. The fact that Eve was brought forth from inside of Adam logically suggests the indispensability of unity and oneness among them. Is there unity in your home?

v. vv. 24,25: And they shall become one flesh carries the connotation of unity that goes beyond just sexual oneness. The nakedness in v. 25 shows that the man and his wife have to be both united with and open to each other in all things. Is that true of your marital relationship?

vi. God’s will has always been unity in marriage, not two people living together and having totally different and separate lifestyle. … be joined to his wife means to be fastened or glued together in unity. When the husband and wife are in agreement in their walk with God, that makes a threefold cord that connote be easily broken (Eccl. 4:9-12).

vii. Nothing less than being united in marriage appeals to God. Only a united couple can receive God’s favour and blessings. Don’t work against God’s desire for your home. Close your ranks with your spouse, if any, so that you can enjoy His favour in special ways.

And they were both naked, the man and his wife and were not ashamed (v. 25).

i. When God made the first couple. Adam and Eve, they were both naked but were not ashamed of themselves. Why? The glory and holiness of God enveloped them and make them holy, perfect, and sinless, thus enabling them to cooperate with, and be in unity with God. God’s presence radiated His glory (Shekinah) upon them (cf. Psa. 8:5; Isa. 60:1), to the extent that they didn’t even know they were naked.

ii. Adam didn’t speak the words recorded in verses 24,25. They are God’s words on the event of their joining; His expression over Adam and Eve regarding His glory upon them, facilitated by their being united in Him.

iii. Being naked and not ashamed shows a sinless life before the Lord. It is the state of integrity evidenced in being open to God and each other (cf. Acts 24:16). When nakedness and shame are the order of the day, it shows sin has crept in, and the glory is gone (cf. Gen. 3:10). Are you still carrying the glory of God upon you through His Son?

iv. Complying with God in unity brings God’s glory. Let us live and be in unity with God by being holy, living a sin-free and cooperating with God.

v. Nakedness in this regard, means openness. It means lack of unnecessary secrecy or hypocrisy among spouses. It is the state of not hiding anything, from one’s spouse. Is that the case in your home? Repent and do the right things, now!

1. When there is unity between the spouses, there will be peace at home in church, the society as well as the nation. Work out unity in your home.

2. When Adam and Eve were in unity with God, His glory overshadowed them. This is God’s plan for man. Don’t disengage from God. The result is suicidal.

WORK TO DO

Is it possible to unite with God and convey His glory to the world, when there is no peace and harmony at home?

i. The answer is capital ‘NO’.

ii. God is not the author of confusion (1 Cor. 14:33). He doesn’t live with confusionists. The home where there is no peace and harmony is a place of confusion that cannot welcome God’s peaceful presence.

iii. God desires that we pursue peace with all men (Rom. 12:18,19; Heb. 12:14). How then would He choose to work with spouses who are not in peace and harmony with each other?

iv. Our God is the God of Peace — the Prince of Peace. His glory in the world is symbolic with peace. Those to convey His glory are peace-loving and peacemaking people.

v. Go through the Scripture and you would see that families where God’s glory is manifested, most especially, through their children, are those of couples who choose to stick together, regardless of the situation. Remember Abraham and Sarah, and Zachariah and Elizabeth.