Do you ever feel sad as you think about all the trouble in the world？It seems every day we hear bad news of war, earthquakes, disease, or other disasters. Many times people ask 「Why did God let this happen？」In our last lesson we learned that when God created the world, there were no terrible things like war, earthquakes, storms, sickness or death. God created a perfect world. But what went wrong？Pay careful attention to our lesson today, and you will find the answer.
當你想到這個世界上的各樣麻煩的時候，你是否感到很憂傷？似乎我們每天都會聽到各樣的壞消息，諸如戰爭、地震、疾病及其它的災難。很多時候，人們總會發問：「為什麼神讓這樣的事情發生呢？」從上次的課程里我們明白，當神創造世界的時候，並沒有像戰爭、地震、風暴、疾病或死亡等可怕的事情。上帝所創造的是一個完美的世界。但是，什麼事情不對勁兒了呢？仔細聽我們今天的課程，你就會得到答案。Do you remember some of the things God created？The plants and trees; the sun, moon and stars; the sea creatures and birds and animals. What was God’s most special creation？It was people! God made the first man Adam in His own image and gave him a soul that will last forever.你還記得上帝創造了哪些事物嗎？有地上的草和樹木、太陽、月亮和星星； 有海里的動物、鳥類和野獸等。但什麼是上帝最獨特的創造呢？是人！上帝以他自己的形象和樣式造了第一個人亞當， 並給了他靈魂使他可以永遠活著。Genesis 2：8 & 9 says, 「And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.」 Why do you think God went to all the trouble to plant a special garden just for Adam？Because He loved him so much!創世紀第二章8至9節說：「耶和華神在東方的伊甸立了一個園子，把所造的人安置在那裡。耶和華神使各樣的樹從地里長出來，可以悅人的眼目，其上的果子好作食物。園子當中又有生命樹和分別善惡的樹。」 你會想神為什麼不嫌麻煩立了一個特別的園子給亞當呢？因為上帝非常地愛亞當！Did you know God loves you just as much as He loved Adam？How do I know？Because you too were created by God. God says in Jeremiah 31：3, 「I have loved thee with an everlasting love.」 Your perfect Creator God knows the day you were born, and already has a perfect plan for your life. His plan for your life includes knowing God and having wonderful fellowship with Him. No one could ever love you as much as your Creator God loves you.你知道嗎？上帝也同樣地愛你，就如同愛亞當！我怎麼知道呢？因為你也是上帝所造的。上帝在耶里米書31章3節中說, 「我以永遠的愛愛你.」我們的神，完美的創造者，知道我們出生的日子，並從那天起就對我們的生命有一個完美的計劃。他對我們生命的計劃包括認識神並與他有美好的交通。從來沒有人會象創造你的上帝一樣愛你。Because God loved Adam so much, He planted a special garden just for Adam’s enjoyment. God told Adam to keep up the garden, but that was not hard work, for at that time there were no weeds! God told Adam he could freely eat of any tree of the garden except one, and that was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God warned Adam that if he ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he would surely die.因為上帝如此得愛亞當，他立了一個特別的園子供他安居。上帝要亞當照看園子，但那並不是辛苦的工作，因為那時尚沒有荊棘長在地上！除了那棵識別善惡樹上的果子以外，上帝要亞當盡情享用園中其它任何樹上的果子。上帝警告亞當說，如果他吃了那棵識別善惡樹上的果子，就必定死。God loved Adam, and even brought all the animals and birds to Adam so that Adam could choose names for them! How would you like to have all the animals and birds in the world for your very own pets! At that time all of the animals and birds were tame, they did not harm people or each other. Do you think Adam might have spent many happy hours enjoying the animals and birds？Even so, there was one more thing God saw that Adam needed. God said, 「It is not good that the man should be alone, 」 so God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and as he slept, God took one of his ribs and from that rib God made a woman, a mate, for Adam. Because God created Adam and knew everything about him, God knew just how to make the perfect mate for Adam. Can you imagine the happy surprise when Adam woke up to see this wonderful mate waiting for him？He called her Eve. What a perfectly happy world Adam and Eve enjoyed then!上帝愛亞當，甚至將所有的動物和鳥都帶到亞當的面前，讓他給它們起名字！世界上所有的動物和鳥都成為你自己的寵物，你會有多高興呀！那個時候，所有的動物和鳥都是馴服的，他們不害人也不彼此傷害。你不覺得亞當一定花了很多時間跟那些動物和鳥一起遊樂嗎？既是如此，上帝仍然看到亞當還需要一樣東西。上帝說：「這人獨處不好。」於是上帝使他熟睡，他就睡了。上帝取了他的一根肋骨，用肋骨造了一個女人給亞當作配偶。因為上帝造了亞當，了解他的一切需要，他也知道如何為他造一個完美的配偶。當亞當醒來後發現有這樣一位美妙的配偶在等著他的時候，你能夠想像他有多驚訝和快樂嗎？亞當稱她為夏娃。那時亞當和夏娃所居住的是一個多麼美好和快樂的世界啊！Because there was no sin, Adam and Eve had a perfectly pure conscience and enjoyed a close friendship with God. In fact, God’s Word says, 「And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.」Lurking in the garden where Adam and Eve lived so happily was a creature called a serpent. A serpent is a snake, but this serpent was no ordinary snake like we see today.It was Satan, God’s enemy, speaking through the serpent.因為那時人還沒有犯罪，亞當和夏娃的心靈純潔，與神的關係親近甜蜜。事實上，聖經說，「當時夫妻二人，赤身露體，並不羞恥。」在亞當和夏娃所樂居的園子裡，潛伏著一種叫作毒蟒的活物。毒蟒是一種蛇，但這種蛇不像我們現在所常見的普通蛇。他是撒旦，上帝的敵人，借著蛇說話。Did you know that at one time Satan was an angel in Heaven？His name was Lucifer, and he was a beautiful shining angel. But Lucifer became proud and tried to rebel against God, because he wanted to be God. God could not allow that rebellion, so he threw Lucifer and his followers out of Heaven. Now we call him Satan, or the devil, God’s enemy. Satan hates God and he hates you and me. He works night and day lying and deceiving people to try to turn them against God. He began with Eve in the garden.你知道嗎？撒旦在天上曾經是一個天使。他的名子叫魯西弗，曾是一個美麗明亮的天使。但因為他想自己做神，就變得驕傲起來，試圖背叛神。上帝不允許這樣的背叛，就將魯西弗及他的追隨者一同拋出天國。現在我們稱他為撒旦，或者魔鬼、神的敵人。撒旦恨神，也恨你和我。他晝夜不停地欺哄人，想使人也背叛神。他從伊甸園中的夏娃開始下手。Satan disguised as a serpent came to Eve one day, 「Has God said you shall not eat of every tree of the garden？」 Eve knew God’s rule and replied, 「We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden：But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.」 Do you remember the name of that tree？It was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.Satan gave a deceitful reply：「You will not surely die, for God knows that the day you eat of that tree, you shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.」一天，撒旦假扮成蛇來到夏娃面前，說「神豈是真說，不許你們吃園中所有樹上的果子嗎？」夏娃知道神的規矩，回答說：「園中樹上的果子，我們可以吃，惟有園當中那棵樹上的果子，神曾說，你們不可吃，也不可摸，免得你們死。」你還記得那棵樹的名字嗎？就是識別善惡樹。撒旦詭詐地回答說：「你們不一定死。因為神知道，你們吃的日子眼睛就明亮，你們便如神能知道善惡。」Now Eve had a very serious choice. The Bible tells us 「And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; 」 Eve had deliberately made the choice to disobey God’s voice and listen to Satan, her enemy. She ate the fruit and gave some to Adam, and now Adam had a choice. Would he also disobey the God Who created and loved him and had done so many wonderful loving things for him？Yes, Adam chose to disobey God and he ate the fruit Eve gave him. Through their disobedience, sin came into the world.這時，夏娃面臨著一個非常重要的選擇。聖經告訴我們「於是女人見那棵樹的果子好作食物，也悅人的眼目，且是可喜愛的，能使人有智慧，就摘下果子來吃了。又給她丈夫，她丈夫也吃了。」夏娃清楚地選擇了違背神的話而聽從了她的敵人撒旦。她不僅吃了那果子，還遞一些給亞當，使亞當也面臨同樣的選擇。是否他也會選擇違背這位創造他、愛他並對他做了許多奇妙事情的上帝呢？是的，他確實選擇了違背神，吃了夏娃給他的果子。因著他們的悖逆，罪就進入了整個世界。Even though Adam and Eve were the first two people to sin, they were not the only ones. Because of the sin nature we inherited from Adam and Eve, we were all born with a want-to to go our own way and disobey God. Romans 5：12 says, Wherefore, as by one man (Adam) sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.」 Do you pretend not to hear your parents when they call you？Have you been thinking angry thoughts about someone？Do you pout to get your way？Those are some ways that boys and girls sin.儘管亞當和夏娃是兩個最初犯罪的的人，但犯罪的並不是只有他們。由於從亞當和夏娃所遺傳的罪性，我們從一出生就有一種悖逆神、偏行己路的傾向。羅馬書第5章12節說，「這就如罪是從一人（亞當）入了世界，死又是從罪來的，於是死就臨到眾人，因為眾人都犯了罪。」當你的父母叫你的時候，你有沒有假裝沒聽見？你是否心裡對某人不滿？你有沒有噘嘴生過氣？這些是孩子們罪性的一些表現。當罪進入世界的時候，確實帶來一些可怕的事情，但更糟的是罪使人與神隔離。 When sin entered the world, it brought many terrible things with it, but the worst thing is that sin causes you to be separated from God. If you continue in that sin, God says that when you die, you will be separated from Him forever in a horrible place of punishment called hell. Can you see that disobeying God is a serious sin？ Adam and Eve realized too late the serious sin of disobeying God. Because of that disobedience, their whole world changed. They had never known sadness or guilt or shame, but suddenly they felt all those things.上帝說，當你死的時候，你若仍然在罪里，你將永遠與神隔離，到一個叫作地獄的可怕地方受懲罰。你是否明白悖逆神是嚴重的罪呢？當亞當和夏娃意識到罪的嚴重性的時候已經太遲了。由於悖逆的罪，他們的整個世界完全改變了。他們以前從不知道什麼是傷心、罪過或羞辱的滋味，突然間都嘗到了。The Bible says, 「And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, 」 to make a covering for their bodies. Perhaps you are thinking, 「But they didn』t die, as God said they would.」 Oh, yes, they did die the worst kind of death. God says that when we are separated from Him, we are spiritually dead. We cannot enjoy fellowship with Him, or be in His glorious Home called Heaven. The day that Adam and Eve sinned, they suffered spiritual death and separation from God. Not only that, but their perfectly healthy bodies would now also have to suffer decay and sickness and death.聖經說，「他們二人的眼睛就明亮了，才知道自己是赤身露體，便拿無花果樹的葉子，為自己編作裙子。」也許他們想, 「神說他們要死，但他們沒死。」噢！他們確實死了，而且是更糟糕的死。神說，當我們與他分離的時候，我們屬靈的生命就死了。我們不能夠再享受與他美好的交通，也不能安居在他榮耀的家----天國里了。亞當和夏娃犯罪的日子，他們遭受了屬靈生命的死亡和與神隔離的痛苦。不僅如此，他們原本完美健康的身體也將遭受衰老、疾病和死亡。Adam and Eve were so sad and ashamed. The Bible says, 「And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day：and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.」亞當和夏娃感到很憂愁和羞愧。聖經說：「天起了涼風，耶和華神在園中行走。那人和他妻子聽見神的聲音，就藏在園裡的樹木中，躲避耶和華神的面。God called, 「Adam, where are you？」 Did God really need to ask that？Adam answered from his hiding place, 「I heard your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.」 When God asked Adam if he had disobeyed God’s commandment, Adam tried to blame it on his wife Eve：「The woman You gave me, she gave me of the tree and I did eat.」 Then Eve tried to blame the serpent for her disobedience：「The serpent tricked me, and I ate.」耶和華神呼喚那人，對他說，你在哪裡？」神真的需要問這個問題嗎？亞當從他隱藏的地方回答說：「我在園中聽見你的聲音，我就害怕。因為我赤身露體，我便藏了。」當神問他是不是違背了神的戒命，亞當卻試圖責怪他的妻子夏娃：「你所賜給我，與我同居的女人，她把那樹上的果子給我，我就吃了。」而夏娃卻將她的悖逆歸咎於蛇：「那蛇引誘我，我就吃了。」God cursed the serpent：「Because you have done this, you are cursed above every beast of the field. You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life.」Then God in His great love and mercy made a marvelous promise! God promised that one day He would send Someone into the world Who would defeat Satan and save people from the terrible punishment of sin.神就咒詛蛇：「你既作了這事，就必受咒詛，比一切的牲畜野獸更甚。你必用肚子行走，終身吃土。」然後，神用他的大愛和憐憫給人一個奇妙的應許！神應許說，將來有一天他要派一個人來到這個世界，此人將戰勝撒旦，將人從可怕的罪惡桎梏中解救出來。You and I know that special Someone was God’s perfect Son, the Lord Jesus Christ! When Jesus left Heaven to come to earth to die for your sins and mine, He fulfilled the promise God made in the beginning of the world. II Corinthians 5：21 says, 「For he (God) hath made him (Jesus) to be sin for us, who (Jesus) knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.」 When wicked men caused Jesus to be beaten and bruised, and nailed to a wooden cross, it should have been you and me. But Jesus Who had never sinned, became sin for us and took our punishment on the cross. 你和我今天都知道那個特別的人就是神的完美的兒子，主耶穌基督！當耶穌從天上來到地上為你和我的罪死的時候，他成就了神在創世之初所作的應許。哥林多後書5：21說，「神使那無罪的（耶穌），替我們成為罪，好叫我們在他（耶穌）裡面成為神的義。」當那些惡人使耶穌遭受鞭打和折磨，並將他釘在十字架上的時候，那本該是你和我所當承受的。It was an agonizing death for the Lord Jesus, but He loved you and knew His suffering would pay for your sin. After the Lord Jesus suffered and died, three days later He came alive again! Jesus is the living Savior Who can forgive you and set you free from everlasting death and separation from God! Jesus is the special Someone God promised Adam and Eve He would send to the world.但耶穌，從來沒有犯過罪，卻為我們成為罪，並在十字架上為我們受了懲罰。對主耶穌來講，那是一個極度痛苦的死亡，但他愛你，知道他所受的痛苦能贖你的罪。主耶穌在十字架上受苦並受死，但他三天後又復活了！耶穌是活的救主，能夠救你脫離永遠的死亡，不再與神隔離。耶穌就是神應許亞當和夏娃他要派到世界來的那位特別的人。What a marvelous promise God made to the world, even as He also had to pronounce punishment for sin. God told Eve she would suffer pain as she gave birth to children, and that her husband would rule over her. To Adam God said, 「Because you listened to your wife, and disobeyed Me, cursed is the ground for your sake.」 Now Adam would have to work hard to get food to grow. There would be thorns, and weeds, and other hardships he had never known before. Adam and Eve would know great sorrow for the rest of their life because of their sin.即便上帝宣稱要對罪進行懲罰，但他對世人的應許依然是多麼得奇妙啊！上帝對夏娃說他將增加她懷胎生產的苦楚，她也要受丈夫的管轄。對亞當，上帝說，「你既聽從妻子的話，吃了我吩咐你不可吃的樹上的果子，地必為你的緣故受咒詛；你必終生勞苦，才能從地里得吃的。」地里也長出了荊棘和蒺藜，亞當要經歷從未有過的勞苦。因著他們的罪，亞當和夏娃將在極大的悲痛中度過他們的餘生。Did God still love them？We know He loved them, for even after their sin, God Himself made clothing for Adam and Eve out of animal skins. As we close our lesson today, we read that God did another loving thing for Adam and Eve. He made them leave the Garden of Eden. He knew that if Adam and Eve ate of the tree of life in the middle of the garden, they would live forever in their sin. Genesis 3：24 says, 「..and he (God) placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way to keep the way of the tree of life.」 神還愛他們嗎？我們知道他仍然愛他們，因為即使他們犯罪以後，上帝親自用動物皮為亞當和夏娃做了衣服遮蓋他們。在今天課程的尾聲，我們讀到上帝為亞當和夏娃所做的另一件可愛的事情。就是他讓他們離開了伊甸園。因為上帝知道，如果亞當和夏娃吃了園子當中生命樹的果子，他們就會在罪中永遠活著，那將是更加悲慘的事。創世紀3：24說，神「又在伊甸園的東邊安設基路伯和四面轉動發火焰的劍，要把守生命樹的道路。」Life on this earth would never be the same for Adam and Eve. They would be the only people to know how wonderful it was to live in a perfect world, and then to know the deep sorrow of what their sin had done to the world. Adam and Eve would see some of the terrible things that sin brought into the world：fighting, killing, sickness, decay, death, and many other sorrows. All of these terrible things are a result of sin.亞當和夏娃在地上的日子完全改變了。只有他們知道犯罪前完美世界的奇妙生活，也只有他們最清楚所犯的罪帶給世界的深深災難。亞當和夏娃將看到一些罪帶給世界的可怕事情，如爭戰、殺戮、疾病、衰老和死亡以及很多其他的慘事。所有這些都是罪的後果。Adam and Eve must have found great hope in the promise God made to send Someone to break the power of sin. Probably they did not realize that it would be the very Son of God, Jesus Christ.亞當和夏娃一定從神的應許中看到了巨大的希望，這個應許就是神將會派一位來打破罪的權勢。也許他們那時並不知道那將要來的竟是神的獨生子耶穌基督。If you have believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, He has forgiven your sin and made you His child. You have the wonderful hope of being in Heaven with Him someday. As you read God’s Word and obey Him each day, you will see Him working out His wonderful plan for your life. Even though you see the terrible results of sin in this world, you can thank God that you have been saved from sin’s punishment!如果你相信主耶穌基督，他就會饒恕你的罪，接納你作他的兒女。將來你就有希望與他同在天國里。你若每天讀神的話（就是聖經）、遵行他的道，你就會看到他在你的生命中所實施的奇妙計劃。即使你在這個世界裡常常看到可怕的罪惡，你仍然會感謝神將你從罪的懲罰中拯救出來。