God had given Adam and Eve the entire Garden of Eden. In Genesis 2:16-17, God says, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.”
In Genesis 3:4 Satan tells Eve, “You will not surely die.” Satan contradicts God’s Word and his promises. If God tells you one thing, Satan will try to convince you of the opposite. One of Satan’s greatest lies is to convince you that he does not exist. But God’s Word is very clear that Satan is very real and is working in this world at this very moment. But many have believed the lie that Satan is not for real. There is no such thing as evil. There is no such thing as hell.
Although Eve would not die immediately, she would ultimately die from eating the fruit on the tree. God’s Word is fulfilled sometimes immediately, sometimes eventually, but always ultimately. Eve did die. She didn’t drop dead in the moment she ate the fruit (notice it doesn’t say apple), but in the moment she ate it, she had set her life on a course from which there was no turning back.
There is no doubt the fruit was pleasing to the eye for Eve. Of all the trees in the garden, the fruit of this tree might have been the most desirable. Why does it work out that way? Sometimes, the things that look the best to us are the things we can’t have. But as desirable as sin maybe, there is always the hidden consequences.
I included this picture of the apple and the snake. The eye certainly looks pleasing enough to take a bite out of. But if you take a bite out of this apple, you are going to get bitten by the snake.
When Eve does eat the fruit, it says her eyes are opened. Sin is an eye opening experience. We don’t understand the real consequences of our sin, until the moment we are stuck in those consequences. When we are sitting on the side of temptation, we see the pleasure that a sin might bring us. But when we cross over to the other side and give in to our temptation, we will also understand and experience the consequences of our sin as well and the dark side of it.
Sin will cause us to turn and to flee from the Lord. When God came into the Garden, Adam and Eve hide because they said they were afraid. Sin will cause us to flee from the one who can help us. It will cause us to flee from our creator, from the cross, from the church, and from the Word. When we turn to the book of Revelation, the story is the same. When God returns, the people hide in the rocks and in the cliffs (Rev 6:15-17).
There are some who may be hesitant to step foot in a church, because they are not sure if God can forgive them. They are embarrassed they don’t match up to what they perceive they should be. But God does not desire that we run away from him. Nor does he desire us to make excuses or to blame someone else for our sin. He sees through it all anyways.
What God desires is that we turn to him, that we are honest and upfront with him. That we don’t hide anything or try to be something that we are not. We make mistakes. We are not perfect. We are given to sin. But when we come just as we are, it is then that God can speak his Word of truth into our lives and pour out his grace from the cross of Christ. For Jesus came to seek and save to lost. He came to die for sinners and those who turn to him in faith.
I have heard of people who go to the doctor, but are not really honest with the doctor about their ailments. They try to hide there hurts from him. I am not sure why. It’s something of human nature. Probably goes along the line of admitting our faults. But a doctor cannot bring healing, unless he can first diagnose the issue. It is being upfront and honest, rather than hiding or pretending.
In spite of their sin, God provided for Adam and Eve. He made garments of skin for them (Genesis 3:21). Which was a step up from the fig leaves Adam and Eve had tried to cover themselves with. God does a much better job of covering our sin than we could ever do. So don’t try to hide your sin, but allow the great physician to bring his healing into your life.
In Genesis 3:4 Satan tells Eve, “You will not surely die.” Satan contradicts God’s Word and his promises. If God tells you one thing, Satan will try to convince you of the opposite. One of Satan’s greatest lies is to convince you that he does not exist. But God’s Word is very clear that Satan is very real and is working in this world at this very moment. But many have believed the lie that Satan is not for real. There is no such thing as evil. There is no such thing as hell.
Although Eve would not die immediately, she would ultimately die from eating the fruit on the tree. God’s Word is fulfilled sometimes immediately, sometimes eventually, but always ultimately. Eve did die. She didn’t drop dead in the moment she ate the fruit (notice it doesn’t say apple), but in the moment she ate it, she had set her life on a course from which there was no turning back.
There is no doubt the fruit was pleasing to the eye for Eve. Of all the trees in the garden, the fruit of this tree might have been the most desirable. Why does it work out that way? Sometimes, the things that look the best to us are the things we can’t have. But as desirable as sin maybe, there is always the hidden consequences.
I included this picture of the apple and the snake. The eye certainly looks pleasing enough to take a bite out of. But if you take a bite out of this apple, you are going to get bitten by the snake.
Sin will cause us to turn and to flee from the Lord. When God came into the Garden, Adam and Eve hide because they said they were afraid. Sin will cause us to flee from the one who can help us. It will cause us to flee from our creator, from the cross, from the church, and from the Word. When we turn to the book of Revelation, the story is the same. When God returns, the people hide in the rocks and in the cliffs (Rev 6:15-17).
There are some who may be hesitant to step foot in a church, because they are not sure if God can forgive them. They are embarrassed they don’t match up to what they perceive they should be. But God does not desire that we run away from him. Nor does he desire us to make excuses or to blame someone else for our sin. He sees through it all anyways.
What God desires is that we turn to him, that we are honest and upfront with him. That we don’t hide anything or try to be something that we are not. We make mistakes. We are not perfect. We are given to sin. But when we come just as we are, it is then that God can speak his Word of truth into our lives and pour out his grace from the cross of Christ. For Jesus came to seek and save to lost. He came to die for sinners and those who turn to him in faith.
I have heard of people who go to the doctor, but are not really honest with the doctor about their ailments. They try to hide there hurts from him. I am not sure why. It’s something of human nature. Probably goes along the line of admitting our faults. But a doctor cannot bring healing, unless he can first diagnose the issue. It is being upfront and honest, rather than hiding or pretending.
In spite of their sin, God provided for Adam and Eve. He made garments of skin for them (Genesis 3:21). Which was a step up from the fig leaves Adam and Eve had tried to cover themselves with. God does a much better job of covering our sin than we could ever do. So don’t try to hide your sin, but allow the great physician to bring his healing into your life.
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