The Great Deception
Genesis 3:5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God , knowing good and evil.
We really don’t know how long Adam and Eve may have lived in the garden up to this time. They may have been tempted by Satan and other fallen angels before, but sad to say, this time they failed the test. They gave in to Satan’s temptation to no longer trust and obey God, and they sinned against God. Sin is doing what God said not to do, or not doing what he said to do. Most people don’t think about sin in the rebellion of not doing what God said to do. Either way it is still rebellion and sin. To sin one time means we become a sinner deserving of punishment and needing a Savior. This is what the Bible means when it says that if we break a law we have broken the whole law. (James 2:10) One sin and we are no longer righteous and holy as God created us.
Satan had found a taproot for enticing people to sin against God. Satan simply suggested to them that God really didn’t have their best interest in mind for them and he could not be trusted. While Satan knew that this was not true, he just planted the seed and then Adam and Eve watered it. The more they thought about it the more they questioned God’s integrity toward them. Their free will led them to chose to disobey God. Satan doesn’t make us sin! He simply encourages us to do it and it is up to us to not sin or to sin. This is why James 4:7 tells us to resist Satan, and he will flee from us. You might say, “Why doesn’t God just take away free will in creation,” because all creation has a free will. Well the answer comes down to just one thing and it is that without free will a person can not love God. This is why God created us. God didn’t need servants or someone to worship him. God created us to have a personal relationship with him based on love for him and he for us. Satan is still using this taproot of doubting God’s love and truthfulness. We need to recognize this lie for what it is and reject every aspect of it. God created us for eternity with him in a loving relationship. Hell was created for Satan and the fallen angels that rebelled against God. (Matt 25:41) Anyone that will go to hell chooses it rather than eternity in heaven with God.
If you question this just think how terrible heaven would be for people that hate the idea of going to church to worship the Lord? Trust and obey the old song goes for there is no other way, and it is still right. Not only is it better for us in the life we live, but also to bless the one who loves us the most.
Prayer: Jesus please help to always trust and obey you, and never doubt your intentions for us. Please help us to love you more every day and rejoice in the knowledge that your love for us is beyond question!
