Why Were You BORN?
Is there PURPOSE for human life? Does life, after all, have real meaning? Here is the awesome truth!
Part 11 of 23. The Subtle Temptation
satan subtly went first to the woman. He got to the man through his wife. "and he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods (Hebrew: Elohim, God), knowing good and evil" (verses 1-5).
The narration here attributes astute subtlety to the devil. First, he discredited God. In effect, he said, "You can't rely on God's word. He said you are mortal and can die. He knows better than that; he knows your minds are so perfect that you can be God."
It is the prerogative of God alone to determine what is right and what is sin---what is good and what is evil. God has not delegated to man the right or power to decide what is sin---but he comples us to decide whether to sin, or to obey his Law.
So that all could rightly determine what is good the creative power had to produce and set in motion inexorable spiritual law---a law which automatically causes good if obeyed, and evils when disobeyed!
Adam and Eve had only God's word that they were mortal and could die. Now satan disputed this. He said they were immortal souls. Whom should they believe? They had no proof, except God's word. But now Satan discredited that, and claimed just the opposite.
satan said their intellectual powers were so great they could determine for themselves that is good and what is evil. That is a God-prerogative. "You can be God!" said satan.
Thus satan was appealing to their human vanity. Remember, they had just been created, with perfect human minds. Not God minds---but perfect human minds. They allowed the though to enter their minds that they possessed intellectual powers so great that they could assume the God-prerogative of producing the knowledge of what is good and what is evil!
Intellectual vanity seized them. They were enthralled, intoxicated with vanity at the grand prospect. How, after all, could they be sure God had told them the truth?
They say (verse 6)---they used observation---that the forbidden tree was good for food, pleasant to their eyes, and desired to make them wise. Intellectual vanity was stirred. In their vanity they put their trust in human reason. They decided to reject revelation imparted by God, and to make the very first scientific experiment!
They took the forbidden fruit and ate it.
They took to themselves the prerogative of deciding what is good, and what is evil. In so doing, they rejected the God-centered way of God's spiritual law, and, rejecting it, of necessity they chose the way that transgresses it.
They pioneered in deciding for themselves what is right and what is wrong---what is righteousness and what is sin. And humanity has been doing what seems right in it own eyes ever since.
And how did they do it? They 1) rejected revelation and relied totally on 2) observation, 3) experimentation and 4) human reason. And that is precisely the basic method of reasoning used by modern man!
And the final result of that experiment? They died! But not before producing the first child delinquent---the first criminal and murderer: Cain, who slew his brothe Abel (Gen. 4:8).
The most vital dimension of knowledge was missing from their "scientific" procedure!
Hot Forum Topics
