So, on this topic we have explored the famous and deeply theological book of Romans, really just skipping through some of the passages that deal with sin and salvation. We could spend countless hours trekking through Scripture and just begin to understand our own sin, and I want to get to 1st John, but before we do, let's jump back to the book of Genesis and talk through the Fall, Gen. 3:1-7 and get a better understanding of the conception of evil in this world and the paths that sin takes into the human heart. This is in the vein of "know your enemy," and "I would not have you be ignorant brethren..." and "I write these things to you so that you may not sin..."
The Genesis account, being so foundational to all aspects of life and therefore relevant to our entire framework of thought, explains to us how sin entered the world. So, if you haven't read the text of the Fall, and even if you have, do it now...............................Ok, hopefully, you actually read it. So, we see the serpent enter. This is undoubtedly Satan, since the creatures were not yet subject to a fallen state. And from Eve's lack of surprise at being spoken to by one other than her husband, we can safely assume that she was used to communing with spiritual beings; namely, God and the angels. Earlier in the account we are told that the Lord (Jesus, the Son) would walk and talk with Adam and Eve in the 'cool of the day'. However, she should have called upon Adam to listen and help her discern. He may have been nearby, and it is a deep failure on his part that he did not intervene. Anyways, the Enemy approaches Eve and poses a question, "Indeed (drawing her into a confidence-you can almost see the surreptitious glance, the lean, the twinkle in the eye, and she leans in, thinking, 'how interesting')...Indeed, has God said, 'You shall not eat from any tree of the garden?'" What a LOADED QUESTION, like a double-barreled shotgun of death. The first four words subject the Word of God to human judgment for the first time in history, and the question itself is set up to plant doubt in Eve's mind as to the actual command of God AND His motives. He is really insinuating, "Hasn't God put a bunch of restrictions on you? That's not fair or loving...I'm sure you can find those thoughts wandering through your own consciousness in different moments of the day-'not fair', 'my rights...'
Eve, at that precise moment, had already fallen in her heart, though the actual act of disobedience had yet to be committed, and the change in that moment was the loss of innocence. Obedience to and love for the Creator and His authoritative Word had previously been as natural as breathing. The human will was perfectly surrendered to God in all moments, and that dance of free choice, of volition and surrender, had been beautiful. Adam and Eve had been in complete control of their own hearts and minds, and consequently had dominion over the rest of creation.
Now, as Eve listens to the serpent (1st mistake), she allows herself to question God's Word, that innocence is lost and her response shows how Satan's temptation as already at work. She says, "God has said, 'you shall not eat from it or touch it, lest you die.'" Did you catch the editing of God's command in her response? It's there. Go back and read God's command in Gen. 2:16,17. If you practice this kind of Berean discernment, you will become less vulnerable to deception. Read and re-read to know what God has said! So, the edit/lie is "or touch it". God never said that. We can see Eve thinking and expressing, "yeah, you're right serpent, we can't EVEN TOUCH IT!" And here the Enemy knows he has her, and he presses the attack before she can recover her wits. He shows his true nature as the father of lies and tells the 2nd recorded lie, saying "You surely shall not die!" This is a direct contradiction of the truth. And then he goes on, "For God knows that in the day you eat of it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." Satan is giving Eve the justification she already is seeking to go ahead and take the fruit and eat it.
For a powerful example of this exact situation, read The Last Battle, by C.S.Lewis and the encounter between the White Witch and Digory over the eating of the fruit Aslan had commanded be brought to Him. The temptation is the same-God is really just holding out on you, and His commands are oppressive; if you take what He has said is to be used for a specific purpose, and use it for your own benefit, you will really be pleasing God, because you will show Him that you have a higher knowledge, a stronger mind, and in that strength, you will be LIKE HIM. 'Become free' is the cry of the self, but in attempting to break free of God's authority, the very Source of life and the power to enjoy it is cut off, and only death and utter destruction can be the end result.
In Part IV, we will look at the three gateways sin took into Adam and Eve's heart.
No comments:
Post a Comment