Don't
Be Deceived! Genesis 3:1-6
3:1
Now the serpent was more shrewd than any of the wild animals that the LORD God
had made. He said to the woman, "Is it really true that God said, 'You
must not eat from any tree of the orchard'?"
3:2
The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit from the trees of
the orchard;
3:3
but concerning the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the orchard God
said, 'You must not eat from it, and you must not touch it, or else you will
die.'"
3:4
The serpent said to the woman, "Surely you will not die,
3:5
for God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will open and you will be
like divine beings who know good and evil."
3:6
When the woman saw that the tree produced fruit that was good for food, was
attractive to the eye, and desirable for making one wise, she took some of its
fruit and ate it; and she also gave some of it to her husband along with her,
and he ate it.
.
Where does sin come from? Are we sinners
because we sin or do we sin because we are sinners? Does it make a difference?
The third chapter of Genesis says it does. This chapter is a seed plot of the
Bible- the foundation of many cardinal doctrines of truth are found here. I
suppose that is one reason why so many try to rationalize, symbolize, and
allegorize it. One thing is clear- living by our own rules does not constitute
freedom.
This
is no fable or myth. Epic literature like the Gilgamesh epic has a serpent as
an antagonist, Tiamat of the Enuma
Elish and Leviathan of Ugaritic
texts are other examples. Interestingly the Sumerian god Ningishzida's name
means "lord of the productive steadfast tree".. He was considered the
"throne bearer of the earth". All these ancient stories may find
their origins in the REAL creation story. Remember that all the peoples of the
earth came from Adam and Eve and through time, corruptions entered their
versions of the creation story. In his book "Eternity in their
Hearts", Don Richardson calls this the "Melchizidek factor". He
shows many instances in ancient writings where references to the Biblical
story, while corrupted, remained influential in early history.
The
messenger of the temptation
The
serpent was the original cause of the temptation- not God nor Man. God does not
tempt (James 1:13-15) and man is not responsible for his or her own temptation.
That does not get us off the hook- for the Bible declares that we are
responsible for our sin- As Martin Luther observed, you cannot keep the birds
from flying over your head but you can keep them from making a nest in your
hair!
The
serpent is elsewhere identified in the Bible as Satan (Revelation 12:9) 2
Corinthians 11:13-15 says he can disguise himself. He is one who accuses, who
lays snares, and who is a destroyer. He is tricky and crafty and shrewd. We are
told to know our enemy well. Jesus called him a murderer and a liar.
The
message of the temptation
Everyone
is interested in freedom. When God created Adam and Eve he gave them the
maximum amount of freedom balanced with the maximum amount of responsibility.
They had absolutely no restrictions save the prohibition from eating of the
tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
People
have assumed this was an apple tree without any Biblical reason for thinking
that. Prohibition preachers preached that the tree was actually a vine and the
fruit was the grape and the sin of Adam was that of making wine! In our day the
general consensus of the culture
is that the original sin was sex. That may say a lot about the repressed guilt
with which our society operates in that area but it is totally contrary to the
context of the scripture. The Bible tells us that sex was a part of God's plan
from creation and before the fall!
This
prohibition was a case of restriction- the tree spoke to the fact that man was
a creature and as such was responsible to God. He had been given maximum
freedom to rule the world but he was to remember that he was ultimately
responsible to his creator. The beginning of our problem is found in the fact
that they refused to abide by the restriction and ultimately rebelled against
God.
The
temptation of Adam and Eve suggests a pattern that is characteristic of most
temptation even to this day.
Temptation
appears in a form that deceives
We
do not know what the serpent looked like before it was cursed to crawl in the
dust. We know from verse 1 that he was cunning. Neither do we have an
indication of how long Adam and Eve had lived in a state of innocence. It
didn't seem to take long for him to do his work , it seems. The first thing he
did was raise a question. This is the first question mark in the punctuation of
the Bible, so to speak. The first question raised in the history of the human
race had to do with questioning the word of God and His benevolent nature.
Look
at the verse and then contrast it with the actual command from Genesis 2:16.
What is happening? God said "I created this for you- you are free but
there is only one prohibition". Satan takes this positive statement and
turns it around to insinuate that God had evil motives. He casts doubt on God's
goodness. He insinuates that the restriction placed there by God was not good for the man and woman. Let us
understand something here. Something is right or wrong, good or evil because
GOD DECLARES IT TO BE SO. He declares rightly, based on his holy and righteous
and just character. Morality becomes corrupted when man begins to take control
over the declaration of what is right.
One
of Satan's most effective tactics down through the ages has been deception. He
is a master at making things appear what they are not. A mixture of truth and
error seems to serve his purposes much better than total error.
Donald
Grey Barnhouse illustrated this forcefully with the following story: 'Duveen,
the famous English art connoisseur, took his little daughter to the beach one
day, but could not get her to go into the chilly water. After persuasion
failed, he borrowed a teakettle, built a fire, and heated a little water until
it steamed beautifully. With much flourish, he poured it into the ocean.
Greatly impressed, his daughter went in without a murmur." Barnhouse then
made this application: Satan 'dilutes an ocean of unbelief with a steaming
teakettle of Christian ethics, and people go wading in, self-satisfied, but
unaware that they are bathing in unbelief." Satan will flood you with
truth to float one lie.
The
adversary is delighted when a person turns over a new leaf or engages in good
works, just as long as he continues to reject the provision of God's grace in
salvation. Somehow the sinner completely ignores the fatal error or not
trusting Christ because his life as been tempered with a teakettle of wholesome
resolves.
Our
Lord's words are very clear: '...he that believeth not is condemned already,
because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God"
(John 3:18). Don't be deceived by Satan's clever ploy. You cannot dilute an
ocean of cold unbelief with a little warm water of religiosity or good human
endeavor.
Temptation
causes us to doubt God's word
If
Satan can get us to doubt God's word, we are snared just like that! Satan knows
the Bible better than we do, and that is the source of much of what we see
today in the church. There is no excuse for this kind of Biblical illiteracy,
as the Holy Spirit is our teacher. Eve understood that Satan was not quoting
God correctly so she corrects Satan. So then Satan proceeds to the second stage
of his strategy by flatly contradicting what God has said! He calls God a liar!
The tempter knows his craft. After all, he has been practicing it since the
world began. He tries to get us to forfeit God's blessing by urging us to
ignore God's laws or by slyly getting us to add to them. He knows we can fall
into a ditch on either side of the road.
In
his chat with Eve, he first suggested that God didn't want her to enjoy any of
the trees in the garden (Gen. 3:1). Eve jumped to God's defense, explaining
that it was only the fruit of the middle tree that was off limits (vv.2-3). But
then she added that even touching the tree would bring death (v.3). God, though,
hadn't said anything about touching it.
In
comparing the exchange to God's original words, we can see that Eve's
temptation involves two critical things:
1.
She leaves out one of God's words-
"freely". This very word expresses a reference to the love and character of our Lord. Failing
to understand God's character is
the first step to sin, so this omission is not a minor point.
2.
She adds to God's words.
Some
of us try to defend God by being more strict than He is. We believe we are
holier if we go beyond His commands. As a result, we miss out on the orchard
because we are denied a single piece of poisoned fruit. Not only will we not
touch that tree, but we also will not touch the tree next to it or a tree that
looks like it. By doing so we dishonor God.
Proverbs
30 :5-6 tells us that God's word is pure and we are not to add to it. When we
change its content through reinterpretation of a text of scripture, that is
sin.Satan takes the idea of God's benevolence and denies it and then ties that false premise to his denial of the meaning
and truthfulness of what God said. He is saying that if the woman wants real
fulfillment for herself and her husband she would have to get it by
disregarding God's command. Sound familiar?
God
has given us all good things to
enjoy (1 Tim. 6:17). He's not pleased when we focus on what is prohibited and
fail to enjoy all His blessings. It is not only a shame but also a sin not to
enjoy life.
Temptation
denies that we will suffer any consequences for our sin
The
woman explained the rules to the Tempter. She and her husband could eat the
fruit of any tree in the garden, except for the special one in the middle. Just
touching it, she said, would bring death. Imagine Satan throwing back his head
and with mocking laughter saying, "You will not surely die" (Gen.
3:4). He then suggested that God was holding back something good from her
(v.5).
For
thousands of years the Enemy has repeated that strategy. He doesn't care if you
believe in the authority of the Bible as a whole, as long as he can get you to
disbelieve at the one sin standing between you and God.
"You
will not surely die," we are told. That is the theme of so many modern
novels. The hero and heroine live in disobedience to God but suffer no
consequences. In TV shows and movies the characters rebel against the moral
laws of God but live happily ever after.
So
what is the essence of this text? Does it have anything to do with apples,
inebriation or sex? No- what is involved is the truthfulness of the word of
God. Did God really say and can this God who spoke be trusted? The woman had
absolutely no reason to doubt what God had said. Nevertheless she did, and
rebelled. Sin is unbelief.
This is a fundamental issue. This is why we tend to blame God for the problem.
The mess is our fault. The fact that God does not get rid of the problem shows
He really does care and is concerned. He died on a cross to bring us salvation.
One
great motivating fact that compels us to live a holy life is the fact that it
was our personal sin that Jesus bore on the cross. This is a holy thing that we
cannot get around. Every sin that we willingly enter into is a slap in the face
of the savior. Every transgression was a nail in his flesh. We must lean the
gravity of our sin and the great obscenity that Jesus endured to release us
from its dominion! Talk about consequences! He gave the gift of salvation to us
freely- but His grace is not cheap. He paid the ultimate price for our
redemption.
Temptation
causes us to doubt God's character and motives
When
Satan tempted Eve, he did so by enticing her to doubt God's character. He told
Eve, "God knows that in the day you eat of [the forbidden fruit] your eyes
will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil" (Gen.
3:5). Satan was implying, "God has a hidden agenda, and it is an evil
one." The devil knew that once Eve doubted the goodness of God, the
temptation would work.
We
may not think we doubt God. But when events happen in our lives that make us
question Him, that's exactly what we do. We seldom stop believing in Him, but
we do stop believing in His goodness. And that is a faith-poisoning idea!
H.
G. Wells said "either God has the power to stop evil and doesn't care or
He cares and doesn't have the power." (paraphrased) Actually God does
care. He desires through His power to bring rebels into a position of
submission to Christ.
The
woman brought the fruit to the man and he received it. What was the nature of
Adam's transgression? Paul writes about this in 1 Timothy 2- he says clearly
that the woman was deceived, but not the man. Many women take this to say that
the Bible is sexist here and that it implies that women are inferior. Not so-
but more on that below.
Temptation
promises benefits through disobedience
The
devil implies that doing your will is the key to happiness.God says that every command and restriction is
for His glory and for our good. Man perverts any good thing the Lord has
ordained. Satan will use even good things
and twist them to his ends.
Paul
says that the woman was involved in the fall by the nature of deception. What
is he speaking of in 1 Timothy 2? Had Adam sinned first, the woman could have
made a case that she was just fulfilling her role as helper when she took the
fruit. If sin had come to her by her obedience to her calling she might have
had a weak case to be made- but Paul says it didn't happen that way. She sinned
in believing Satan, though she had no reason to. Everything she had ever
received was from the hand of God. She had no reason to doubt God's goodness in
any respect. She should have implicitly obeyed.
Maybe
she thought- hey here's how we can improve our lot- we'll understand good and
evil whatever that is. So maybe she wanted Adam to get ahead, so to speak.
Adam, by contrast has no excuses. It is implied that his sin is greater and it
is Adam that is held responsible though he fell second. He was NOT deceived.
Adam knew that the logic of Satan was categorically wrong! You cannot get ahead
by disobeying God! Adam in his unfallen state understood what the truth was.
When he sinned he sinned in the light, as we the redeemed do today. In utter
rebellion- Adam was saying as long as that tree is there it reminded him that
he was not God and he hated it. The tree was an offense to his dignity as a
human being. What he did in this act was to recapitulate the rebellion of Satan
when he said "I will be like the Most High" So women, if there is any
consolation in this, the Bible sees the man as being more like Satan than the
woman who was deceived by him. And have you ever noticed that it is Adam who is
ultimately held responsible for the fall? It is through Adam as the federal
head of the human race that we inherit a sin nature.
Temptation
appeals to our basic needs and desires
Satan
uses the natural, physical desires within us- our need for love, to eat, to
clothe ourselves and attacks and perverts them. He also attacks our internal
qualities like curiosity and creativity to seduce us. John the apostle gave us
an outline of human desire and need that fits this scripture cleanly in 1 John
2:15-17. This passage keys nicely with Eve's view of the forbidden fruit.
According to John the world system that wants to conform us to it consists of
three things:
1.
The lust of the flesh (physical) "good for food" (It will feel good)
2.
The lust of the eyes (emotional)"pleasant to the eyes" (it looks
good)
3.
The pride of life (intellectual) "desirable to make one wise " (it
will improve me)
So
sin is unbelief. But sin is also rebellion.. It is cosmic treason!
Sin
is a falling away from the original perfect state.This is a far different view
of how the pagan world saw
unrighteousness then and now. The Greeks said that sin is a failure to attain
the good. The Greek word for sin harmartia speaks of missing the
mark as in failing to hit a target. This is one flavor of the meaning of the
Greek and is perhaps responsible for the watered down way we look at sin today.
It implies the good may yet be attained. The Greeks associated sin with the
physical and material world. They thought that essentially mind and spirit were
good and the essence of sin was due to our imprisonment in the body. They spoke
of sin as being less than we are yet to be- we just have not arrived yet. But
the Bible says sin is falling away from what we originally were. The bible
speaks of our mindset to overthrow God's sovereignty in our lives as enmity
with God. We are God's enemies. Sin is rebellion and the only way we overcome
sin is by the creative act of the
God who created us originally.
There
is even a perfume called "My Sin." It's a fragrance "so
alluring, so charming, so exciting," the ads tell us, "we could only
call it 'My Sin.'" You would never guess that sin is a stench in the
nostrils of God.
One
more thing about sin- sin is also Pride. What brought it about? Eve looked at the tree and
saw it was desirable. Her attitude was that in the matter of the tree her
judgment was superior to God's. "Through my eyes and my mind, it seems to
me God is wrong.", she thought.
"There is a way that seemeth right to a man, but its end is the way
of death (Proverbs 14:12, 16:25)" the Bible says. So in the pride of
intellect she rebelled. Adam's pride said what Satan said- I am too good for
these restrictions this unjust and unreasonable God has placed upon me!
So
if sin is unbelief, rebellion, and pride- what is its solution? The exact
opposite characteristics were incarnated in Jesus Christ. Where there was
faithlessness and unbelief, He
came to be the faithful one of God, believing and obeying the Father perfectly.
Where we were rebels laughing all the way to hell, he came in submission to the
Father's will, being obedient even unto death on a cross. Where our pride was
our downfall, He came in simplicity and humility that we might have His mind
and not our own. In Christ our minds are renewed, our spirits set free and our
bodies are eventually glorified as
we are increasingly changed into the likeness of the Son of God.
Just
as in the beginning, temptation still seeks to overthrow us in our daily lives.
We can also see how this worked its way out in the life of the nation Israel. A
cultural idolatry still grips much of the church today in the arena of faith.
The arena is a place where you have to play by certain rules. Never let your
guard down- make sure you are placing your all on the right sacrificial altar.
There were three main false gods that seduced Israel.
Ashteroth represents sensuality. Her followers worshipped in
the high places through unimaginable sexual perversion. Ashteroth corresponds
the lust of the flesh. Beware her
influence in this sex obsessed society.
Ba'al represented materialism. He promised wealth and
success to all who worshipped him. This corresponds to the lust of the eyes. Beware him in our material culture.
Molech represents influence. Many tried to feed his ego with
the lives of their children in hopes of gaining power. This corresponds to the pride
of life. Beware the wiles of this idol
in this "me first" generation.
These are the enemies we face in the arena- how are you doing in your battle against them? They want to change your course, to deceive you- but God promises his power to overcome Mark 11:24, Luke 19:19, Ephesians 6:10-13 and many other places.
So
let's get real. What is Satan's strongest appeal in your life? Is there
something you know is wrong? God says walk away from it; surrender it. Do you
believe the word of God or the devil's lies? Before you yield to temptation, be
wise enough to ask yourself the following questions:
1.
Do I understand the consequences of this disobedience?
2.
If I yield to this temptation am I willing to pay the price?
3.
Is it really true that this temptation will give me satisfaction?
4.
Am I willing to expose the indwelling Christ to this sin?
If
you are wise you will walk away…