A STUDY IN GENESIS

Last week we discussed what happened to Lucifer and his fall to evil. Hollywood and many in the world might try to convince you that there is a struggle of two equals, right vs wrong and good vs bad. However, that is not the case. There is a cosmic war, there is a right team and a wrong team; but we should be clear there is no equals between God and Satan. In fact, Satan cannot even be measured in the same category as God. Satan could do nothing to God; thus, he went after God’s most treasured creation. Satan went after mankind.

Genesis 3:1-6 “Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” 2 The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; 3 but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’” 4 The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! 5 “For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.”

Right from the very beginning people might tell you that this is a story of analogy, that this needs to be spiritualized for personal reflection. They would be dead wrong. This is a very literal event that took place. The account is accurate as we will describe in a moment. Examine Paul’s account to the Romans.

Romans 5:12-21 “When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. 13 Yes, people sinned even before the law was given. But it was not counted as sin because there was not yet any law to break. 14 Still, everyone died--from the time of Adam to the time of Moses--even those who did not disobey an explicit commandment of God, as Adam did. Now Adam is a symbol, a representation of Christ, who was yet to come. 15 But there is a great difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gracious gift. For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ. 16 And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. 17 For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ. 18 Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone. 19 Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous. 20 God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were. But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant. 21 So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Paul is expounding on the principles of salvation; Paul’s foundation of his argument is found in the literal interpretation of Adam’s sin. This is now confirming the fact, that the reliability of the entire scripture is predicated on the idea of a serious interpretation of God’s Word. Where it is literal, it must be taken literal no matter how bizarre and uncomfortable it is. The book of Genesis has several more challenges for us in the future regarding historical events. However, Paul makes the events circulating around the fall of man to be literally documented and described accurately here in God’s Word in the book of Genesis.

Now you might be wondering, “What about Eve?” Allow me a moment to expound. Eve is first having the discussion with the serpent. The very fact they are having this discussion indicates a certain level of intellectual limitation that has now been placed on animals. This apparently was not always the case. Moving forward, Satan being the serpent must first attack God’s Word. Lucifer’s strategy has not changed, it is the same from Genesis chapter 3 to the present and future. Genesis 3:1b “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” Satan starts to lay doubt. Eve answers incorrectly, Genesis 3:2-3 “The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; 3 but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’” Adam, who was next to her, should have spoken up. This was his moment to be the hero and rescue his wife, but instead he stayed silent. Oh, how men today need to step up and be the spiritual leaders in their homes, how we stay silent when the world needs us to step up.

This has been our folly from the beginning gentlemen, this is our indictment. Adam should have corrected Eve, and accurately rebuked Satan by quoting God’s Word accurately, Genesis 2:16-17 “The LORD God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; 17 but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.”  Adam and Eve could touch it but couldn’t eat it. Do you see the subtlety? Not much of a change, but enough to get us off the correct interpretation and thus off of the correct path. This is why so many who claim Genesis must be read spiritualized or in some poetic allegorical interpretation, are already victims of Satan’s first attack against us. For those who are in churches that do not believe this interpretation of God’s Word, I would highly encourage you to flee, run, and escape from the grasps of the trap you are in. God’s Word must be taken seriously, or we will fall victim to Satan’s lies. Just see what happens to Adam and Eve when Satan realizes their mistake. Satan sees the slip up and goes for the vital attack, he throws in his own lies. Genesis 3:4-5 “4 The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! 5 “For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Satan promises us that we can become like God. The same lie is repackaged depending on the century. Satan gives promises, hope, and opportunity; and in all three cases they end in separation, misery, and death. Unfortunately, Adam did nothing and joined his wife. Both ate of the fruit and thus they handed dominion over to Satan. Adam gave his dominion to Lucifer and in exchange gave a birth right of death to all. For all of Adam’s decedents have sin within their DNA. Man failed to uphold God’s Word; thus man passes this curse down.

Mankind died that day, spiritually separated in our darkest hour. Satan had struck a crucial blow against the Lord. Lucifer who once praised God and led worship in Heaven was now attacking the Lord in the one area he could, God’s relationship with mankind.

Now there is an application that I believe we need to quickly discuss today. Let it sink in, that the angel in charge of worship in front of the Lord is the one who fell. I cannot help but make connection to worship music today and see a parallel between the two. How much of Christian music is scripturally accurate? How much is made and created by those who are not even saved. A Christian worship leader should be as invested in providing Biblical and accurate worship as the pastor preaching. And the Christ followers in the pews need to be as vigilant with the worship leader as they are with the pastor. Let us not forget that man’s original sin was first carried to us from a worship leader.

Finally, we need to be reminded that even though sin had entered the world, God had foreseen this and had put into creation the very process for salvation. Adam and Eve were unaware, but their anatomy already declared the crucifixion. Their body structure was already designed to hold the nails, the wood had already been created and grown of which the cross would be formed out of. The very metal used as the nails was imbedded in the earth awaiting His glorious sacrifice. Satan was the loser, and he didn’t even know it yet. Satan might have drawn first blood, but it would be the Lord God who would end the war before it had even begone.

Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming,

JL