Part 4: Curse

1. Visiting and defining the specifics: Definitively on purpose – well planned by God
a. Gen 3: 14-19
b. Relational pain: v 16 desire for husband but husband rules over wife
i. Only 2 humans are alive, so extend that relational pain to all other
interpersonal connections.
c. Physical pain: v 16 childbearing and labor, v 17 painful toil
i. Anyone not experienced this?
d. Death: v 19 ‘ to dust you will return’, v 22 removed from the source of life
i. We were never meant to die.
e. Remember: Humanity’s collective experience thus far was “very good”. The
curse of death includes all things that lead to death: Sickness, physical and
emotional pain, misunderstanding, wickedness, selfishness, getting cut off
from the tree of life.
2. Definitive: its purpose, its universal effect, its redemptive nature
a. Why/what does this curse produce in humanity? a redemptive groan that we
clearly realize our inability to make ANYTHING that’s beautiful or sustainable
– Adam and Eve had this thought “can we do something REALLY amazing and
really worthwhile with just a teensy bit more knowledge?” There was an
understanding disconnect from what actually gave life: the tree, the thing
outside of us, the river, the connection
b. Who does it affect and how effective was it? Psalm 90 (v13 specifically)
-Universally, we (humanity) groan. “How long?”, Gen 5:29 Lamech named
Noah for “rest” from the toil. The curse was and is EFFECTIVE for exactly what
God desired to accomplish
c. Subjected “in hope”, Romans 8:18-25: In hope for what? that it will be
liberated from its bondage to decay, waiting eagerly for “redemption of our
bodies”. This is the ultimate conclusion of the curse: incorruptible hearts and
bodies. Hearts of flesh/resurrected bodies. Until we have this, we can know
with certainty that we are still under the curse. It won’t be a slow dawning. It
will be clear and we will know