Creation and the Fall
How it all began, and what went wrong
This story mentions being naked, pain in childbirth, and death.
Two things you can tap
- A verse number shows the Bible’s exact words.
- An underlined word shows what it means.
Story
What happened?
Tap a verse number, like , to read the Bible’s exact words.
Who’s who and what came beforePeople, places, and the story so far. Open it anytime.
Scene Card
Cast
- God: The maker of everything. In chapter 2, the Bible starts calling him "the LORD God." LORD in capital letters is God's personal name in Hebrew.
- The man (Adam): The first person. God forms him from the dust of the ground.
- The woman (Eve): The second person. God makes her from one of the man's ribs. Later the man names her Eve.
- The serpent: A crafty snake that talks. The Bible does not explain it here.
Setting
- First, everything: sky, sea, and land. Then a garden God planted in a place called Eden.
When
- In the beginning, before anything else.
Before the Story
Nothing comes before this. This is the first page of the Bible. There is no earlier story to catch up on.
It was written for people who already knew God. It answers big questions. Who made the world? What are people for? Why is life so hard now?
It tells creation twice. Chapter 1 shows the big picture, day by day. Chapter 2 zooms in on the first two people.
Here's what you know that the first people don't: God will not give up on them. The whole rest of the Bible shows God keeping his promises.
Map of the Story
| Scene | Verses | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 1. In the beginning | 1:1-5 | God makes light |
| 2. Sky, sea, and land | 1:6-13 | God makes the sky, the seas, dry land, and plants |
| 3. Lights and living things | 1:14-25 | Sun, moon, stars, fish, birds, and animals |
| 4. People in God's image | 1:26-31 | God makes people and calls it all very good |
| 5. God rests | 2:1-3 | On the seventh day, God rests |
| 6. Dust and breath | 2:4-17 | God forms the man and gives him a garden and one rule |
| 7. Not good to be alone | 2:18-25 | God makes the woman |
| 8. A question from the serpent | 3:1-5 | The serpent twists God's words |
| 9. They eat | 3:6-7 | The woman and the man eat the fruit |
| 10. "Where are you?" | 3:8-13 | They hide. God comes looking |
| 11. What breaks | 3:14-19 | God says what sin will break, and makes a promise |
| 12. Clothes and a way out | 3:20-24 | God clothes them and sends them out of the garden |
Plain Retelling
Scene 1 of 12In the Beginning
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (1:1).
At first the earth had no shape and nothing in it. Darkness covered deep water. God's Spirit moved over the water.
Then God spoke. "Let there be light," and there was light (1:3).
God saw that the light was good. He separated the light from the darkness. He called the light "day" and the darkness "night." That was the first day.
Scene 2 of 12Sky, Sea, and Land
On the second day, God made the sky. It separated the water above from the water below.
On the third day, God gathered the water into seas. Dry land appeared. God called it "earth."
Then God told the earth to grow plants and fruit trees, each with its own seeds. And it did. God saw that it was good.
Scene 3 of 12Lights and Living Things
On the fourth day, God put lights in the sky. The sun ruled the day. The moon ruled the night. He made the stars too. They marked days, seasons, and years.
On the fifth day, God filled the seas with living creatures and the sky with birds. He blessed them and told them to have young and fill the world.
On the sixth day, God made land animals: wild animals, farm animals, and small crawling creatures. God saw that it was good.
Scene 4 of 12People in God's Image
Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness" (1:26). Here "man" means human beings.
"So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them" (1:27).
To be made in God's image means people reflect God in a way nothing else in creation does. It is true of every person.
God blessed the people. He told them to have children and fill the earth. He put them in charge of the fish, the birds, and every animal. He gave them plants and fruit for food.
"And God looked upon all that He had made, and indeed, it was very good" (1:31). That was the sixth day.
Six times God called things good. After he made people, God looked at everything together and called it "very good."
Scene 5 of 12God Rests
Everything was finished: the sky, the earth, and everything in them.
On the seventh day, God rested from all his work. The word "rested" also means "stopped." God stopped because the work was done. Another book of the Bible says God never gets tired (Isaiah 40:28).
God blessed the seventh day and made it holy.
Scene 6 of 12Dust and Breath
Now the story zooms in. No plants had grown yet, and there was no one to farm the ground.
"Then the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils" (2:7). The man became a living being.
God planted a garden in a place called Eden. He put the man there. The garden was full of beautiful trees with good fruit.
Two trees stood in the middle of the garden. One was the tree of life. The other was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
A river watered the garden. God gave the man a job: take care of the garden and keep it safe.
God gave him one rule. He could eat from every tree in the garden except one. If he ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he would surely die on that day.
Halfway thereThis is a good place for a break. Your spot is saved on this device.
Scene 7 of 12Not Good to Be Alone
Then God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make for him a suitable helper" (2:18).
God brought the animals to the man. The man gave each one its name. But none of them was a good match for him.
So God put the man into a deep sleep. He took one of the man's ribs and closed up the spot. From the rib, God made a woman. He brought her to the man.
The man spoke a poem. "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh" (2:23).
That is why a man leaves his parents and joins his wife, and the two become one.
The man and his wife were naked, and they did not feel ashamed.
Scene 8 of 12A Question from the Serpent
The serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal God had made. Crafty means clever in a sneaky way.
He asked the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden?'" (3:1).
That is not what God said. God said they could eat from every tree but one. The serpent made God sound stingy, which means not willing to share.
The woman said they could eat from the trees. But God had said not to eat from the tree in the middle, or even touch it, or they would die.
"You will not surely die," the serpent told her (3:4). He said God knew that when they ate it, their eyes would be opened. They would be like God, knowing good and evil.
Now the serpent was calling God a liar.
Scene 9 of 12They Eat
The woman looked at the tree. The fruit looked good to eat and beautiful. She wanted the wisdom it promised.
She took some fruit and ate it. She gave some to her husband, who was with her. And he ate it too.
Then their eyes were opened. They saw that they were naked, and they felt ashamed. They sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves.
Scene 10 of 12"Where Are You?"
In the cool breeze of the day, the man and his wife heard the LORD God walking in the garden. They hid among the trees.
"But the LORD God called out to the man, 'Where are you?'" (3:9).
God already knew where they were. His question gave them a chance to come out and tell the truth.
The man said he heard God and was afraid because he was naked. So he hid.
God asked, "Who told you that you were naked?" (3:11). Then he asked if they had eaten from the tree he told them not to eat from.
The man blamed the woman, and he blamed God for giving her to him. "The woman whom You gave me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate it" (3:12).
Then God asked the woman, "What is this you have done?" (3:13). The woman blamed the serpent. "The serpent deceived me," she said, "and I ate" (3:13). Deceived means tricked.
Scene 11 of 12What Breaks
God put a curse on the serpent. It would crawl on its belly all its life.
Then God said the serpent and the woman would be enemies, and so would their children. God said to the serpent, "He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel" (3:15).
God told the woman that having children would now be very painful. She would long for her husband, and he would rule over her.
God told the man that the ground was now cursed because of what he did. Growing food would be hard work, with thorns and sweat.
And one day he would die. "For dust you are, and to dust you shall return" (3:19).
Scene 12 of 12Clothes and a Way Out
The man named his wife Eve. The name sounds like the Hebrew word for "living." She would be the mother of every person.
Then God made clothes out of animal skins for Adam and Eve. He dressed them himself.
God did not want them to take fruit from the tree of life and live forever. So he banished them from the garden, to work the ground. Many readers see mercy here: God would not let them live forever in a broken world.
East of the garden, God placed cherubim, powerful heavenly guards, and a flaming sword. They guarded the way to the tree of life.
Meaning
What does it mean?
Read It
What Does This Mean?
| The text says | It means |
|---|---|
| "In the beginning God created" (1:1) | God was already there. Everything else comes from him. |
| "God saw that it was good" (1:10) | The world is a gift, not a mistake. That includes plants, animals, and human bodies. |
| "In the image of God He created him" (1:27) | Every person reflects God in a special way. Every person, with no exceptions. |
| "Rule over" (1:28) | People are to take care of the world for God, the way a good king cares for his people. Chapter 2 says the man was to "cultivate and keep" the garden (2:15). |
| "Did God really say...?" (3:1) | The serpent twists God's words to make God sound stingy. Sin starts with not trusting God. |
| "Where are you?" (3:9) | God knows where they are. He is calling them out of hiding. |
| "He will crush your head" (3:15) | The first promise that evil will be defeated. Christians see Jesus in this promise. |
| "To dust you shall return" (3:19) | Every person will die. Many churches say these words on Ash Wednesday. |
Back Then
"Adam" means human. The Hebrew word adam sounds like adamah, which means ground. God made the human from the ground.
Cherubim were powerful heavenly beings. They guarded holy places. Gold cherubim were also made for the cover of the ark of the covenant (Exodus 25:18). (Easton's Bible Dictionary)
Other nations told creation stories too. In some of them, the gods made people to be their servants. Genesis says something different: people are made in God's image and blessed.
Literal Reader Alert
Did God make the world in six 24-hour days? Christians read these days in different ways. Some, including Martin Luther, read them as regular days. Many others, including many Lutherans today, read Genesis 1 as a true story about who made the world and why. They don't read it as a science report on how, or how long. Both groups believe God made everything. Faith and science do not have to be enemies.
Why does the story of creation happen twice? Chapter 1 shows the big picture, day by day. Chapter 2 zooms in on the first two people. They fit together like a map and a close-up photo.
Who is "Us" in "Let Us make man"? The Bible doesn't explain. Many Christians hear a hint of the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jewish readers explain it in other ways.
Was the fruit an apple? The Bible just says "fruit." Nobody knows what kind.
Was the serpent the devil? Genesis doesn't say. The last book of the Bible calls the devil "that ancient serpent" (Revelation 12:9).
Did they die the day they ate the fruit? Not right away. But everything changed that day. They lost the tree of life (3:22-23). Paul says death came into the world through sin (Romans 5:12).
Is it all Eve's fault? No. Both of them ate. Adam was with her (3:6). God asked each of them what they had done (3:9-13). Paul even names Adam when he says sin entered the world "through one man" (Romans 5:12). Using this story to blame women is wrong.
Does "helper" mean less important? No. The Bible uses the same Hebrew word for God. "He is our help and our shield" (Psalm 33:20).
Does God want husbands to rule over wives? Genesis 3:16 describes what sin broke. It is not how God first made things. In chapter 2, the man and woman were equal partners with nothing between them. If anyone uses this verse to control or hurt you, that is wrong. Tell someone you trust.
How People Feel
| Who | Feeling | Why |
|---|---|---|
| God | Pleased | Everything he made was very good (1:31) |
| The man | Joyful | God made the woman, a true partner (2:23) |
| The man and woman | Unashamed | Nothing stood between them (2:25) |
| The man and woman | Ashamed and afraid | They ate the fruit and knew they were naked (3:7, 3:10) |
| The man and woman | Defensive | Each one blamed someone else (3:12-13) |
For you
What does it mean for me?
Your Turn
Which part of this story speaks to you today? Tap one.
"It was very good"
God made you on purpose, in his image. That is still true on your worst days.
Hiding in the trees
When we mess up, we hide. God didn't wait for Adam and Eve to come out. He came looking.
Blaming someone else
Adam blamed Eve. Eve blamed the serpent. Saying "I did it" is hard. God did not leave them, even then.
"Not good to be alone"
God made people for each other. Being lonely is not a failure. It is a need God understands.
You Might Have Heard
"God got angry because two people ate a piece of fruit."
What's true: Disobeying God is serious. It broke a lot.
What the story is mainly about: Trust. The serpent made God sound unwilling to share, and dishonest. Adam and Eve believed him instead of God. That is what sin is at its root: not trusting that God is good. But God still came looking for them.
Where Jesus is: Christians hear the promise in Genesis 3:15 pointing to him. Paul calls Jesus "the last Adam" (1 Corinthians 15:45). "For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive" (1 Corinthians 15:22).
Good News
Right after sin broke things, God said a child of the woman would crush the serpent's head (3:15). Christians hear Jesus in that promise. He defeats evil, even though it costs him.
Then God made clothes for Adam and Eve and dressed them himself (3:21). He did not leave them in their fig leaves.
Even when God sent them out of the garden, he gave them a promise and did not stop caring for them.
Big Idea
God made everything good. People stopped trusting him, and the world broke. But God came looking, and he made a promise.
If this story brings up big feelings, talk with someone you trust, like a parent, pastor, or counselor.
For leaders and parentsLuther, church readings, and notes for teaching.
From Luther
In the Small Catechism, Luther explains the first part of the Apostles' Creed. He says God made me and everything else, and still takes care of me every day. God does this out of pure goodness and mercy, not because I earned it.
In his Lectures on Genesis (begun in 1535), Luther taught that Genesis 3:15 is the first gospel promise in the Bible, a promise about Christ. He taught that Adam and Eve were saved by believing it.
The Augsburg Confession (1530) is a key statement of Lutheran belief. Article 2 says that since the fall, all people are born with sin. That means we are born without true respect for God, without trust in God, and with selfish desires. It says God gives new birth through Baptism and the Holy Spirit.
In Church
Many churches follow the Revised Common Lectionary. It reads Genesis 1:1 to 2:4a on Trinity Sunday in Year A, and at the Easter Vigil every year. It reads Genesis 1:1-5 on the Baptism of Our Lord in Year B. It reads Genesis 2:15-17 and 3:1-7 on the First Sunday in Lent in Year A.
We quote Luther for what he got right about grace. He also wrote terrible things about Jewish people. Read our note on that.
Memorize
How do I keep it?
One line from this story to learn by heart. Practice a little now. It will come back later so it sticks.
And God looked upon all that He had made, and indeed, it was very good.
How did that feel?