Genesis Bible Study For Youth – Lesson 2: Genesis 3-4

Lesson developed byJill Olds, Victoria Crook and Zachary Ludwig

Materials Checklist

Bibles or copies of the focal scripture
Several photos or card with words written on them that youth will have to chose between (i.e. cat or dog; vegetable or chocolate; doing homework or not doing homework, etc.)
Video clip from The Matrix of the “The Pill Scene”

Exercise 1: “Deciding the Right Option” Game

Have several pictures or cards with words that you may hold up. These should be two options that the students will have to decide between. Most of these should be subjective ideas: cat or dog, apple or orange, etc. Have a few that have “right” answers: vegetable or chocolate, doing homework or not doing homework, etc.
Go around allowing youth to answer
End with a difficult choice: one parent says to do the dishes, but a friend who is having a hard time texts you, and really needs to talk. You only have time for one; which do you do?
Afterwards, ask the youth to reflect on why they made the decisions that they did.
Was it hard to make those decisions?
Ask any of them if they had regret or wanted to change their minds. Discuss how decisions can be hard, especially when told conflicting ideas.

Exercise 2:

Watch together The Matrix –“The Red Pill, Blue Pill” scene, in which Neo makes a choice

Reflect Together on the Following Questions:

Did Adam and Eve make a mistake in this story? Why do you think so? What did they do wrong?
What can we learn about humans from this story? What does it tell us about our decisions? What does it tell us about God?
What do you think “knowledge of good and evil” means? How do you distinguish between those two things in your own life? (If the video clip was used: do we think everything becomes clear for Neo in that one decision? Or, does he learn more as Morpheus teaches him more about the Matrix?)

Close the lesson in prayer (either the leader or a group member)