The Fall in Us All

November 22, 2020

The Fall story of our original parents is lived out over and over in each of us.
Not all new possibilities are temptations; but all temptations are new possibilities.
Often our sin is not considered immorally evil but looks to us like a greater good.
Covering-up is the natural response to shame, guilt, and knowledge of wrongdoing.
When our desires rule us, we bend modesty until God turns us over to ourselves, and modesty in the form of restraint disappears.
There’s tension between the desire to be loved and the desire for self-sufficiency. We pretend weaknesses do not exist and try to earn through performance.
We are united in our vulnerability and exposure before God; self-sufficiency is inherently individualistic and begets isolating from others.
Although guilt cannot be denied, it’s often minimized by projecting it on someone else. Blame-shifting, like shame, can be observed from early childhood on.
Recognizing our participation in Adam’s sin ultimately opens us to grace, especially if we believe that God comes specifically for the sick (Mk 2:17).
Being in Christ is the only way that we can ever be free of sin, He took our sin upon Himself.

Without naming names, describe the last time that you were brought into a conversation and felt manipulated by the other person.
Can you recall a misguided good or action that you wish you could take back?
C.S. Lewis, in Mere Christianity, says that there is a good kind of pride. Do you agree or disagree? How do you mostly describe your kind of pride?
Does your own “self-sufficiency” diminish your walk with God, or does it strengthen it?
Why does underserved love, referred to as grace, often feel so counterintuitive?
Since the message, do you feel more connected to Adam & Eve, or less connected? Do you feel more of a need for Christ? How so?