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SGA Chapel - 9/11/2025 — 9/11/2025 10:00 AM
Today's chapel is led by Cedarville University's Student Government Association. SGA Chaplain Ethan Foster teaches from Genesis 3 that the Deceiver's goal is to make us believe lies, and shows the great cost to us when we do so.
Notes
Chapel Recap: The Mission of God in Genesis 3
Today in chapel, SGA Chaplain Ethan Foster guided us through Genesis 3, helping us recognize the brokenness of the Fall, the powerful deception of Satan, and the hope of God’s mission to redeem His people.
In Genesis 3, we see the devastating results of the Fall. Shame enters when Adam and Eve hide from God (v.8). Where there was once intimacy, there is now shame. Blame follows as Adam accuses Eve and Eve accuses the serpent (vv.12–13), fracturing human relationships and leaving them broken. Finally, pain fills the world — both in daily struggles and in the reality of death (vv.16–19). Shame, blame, and pain now define life for humanity.
Foster also highlighted a critical pattern of how the deceiver lies: before the Fall, God declared Adam and Eve’s identity, but Satan sowed doubt about it. The same pattern reappeared in Matthew 3 and 4. God declared Jesus’ identity: “This is my Son.” But Satan immediately challenged that truth: “If you are the Son of God...” Unlike Adam and Eve, Jesus resisted temptation and passed the test perfectly.
Foster then applied the message to us. As believers, our identity is declared by God: We are “children of God” (1 John 3:1). Yet Satan still seeks to make us doubt who we are in so many ways. The difference between us and Adam is that we now live in the victory of Jesus, who overcame temptation and broke the curse of the Fall (Galatians 2:20).
Foster encouraged us to fight the lies of the enemy by:
- Admitting we cannot do it on our own.
- Looking to Christ, who perfectly passed the test.
- Recognizing our secure identity in Him.
God’s mission is also revealed in Genesis 3. As from the very beginning, God had a plan. In Genesis 3:15, He promised that the Seed of the woman would crush the serpent. Jesus is that fulfillment.
Though shame, blame, and pain entered the world through sin, the mission of God is to undo the curse through Christ. Praise God for His victory.