Did God Really Say?

Throughout the history of mankind this question has wreaked more havoc, destroyed more lives and set the course of more rebellion in human beings than any other question ever asked.

It is a lie spoken by the father of lies.  

We find the first use of that question in the book of Genesis.  And if you don’t believe in the Creation and the Creator, you are a victim of this ancient lie in the worst way.  When we  understand the fact of Creation, we know we have all been duped over and over again.  

The author of that question has been very successful in causing the Creation to doubt the Creator and His perfect plan. 

Genesis 3:1-6

"The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made.  One day he asked the woman, Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?”

“Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied. “It’s only the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat.  God said, “You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.”

“You won’t die!” The serpent replied to the woman. “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”

"The woman was convinced.  She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her.  So she took some of the fruit and ate it.  Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it too.  At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness.  So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves."

The first thing to understand about this passage of Scripture is that it is not an allegory.  

We know from Revelation 12:9 that this serpent was the devil. 

"So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world…"

The name Satan means ‘the deceiver.’   We are warned by his name.  This is what he does.  He is good at it, and he has been using the same successful technique with every human since this event in the Garden.

Did God really say…?

He attacks God’s word and authority.  In essence, he suggests that God did not really mean what He said.  Then he misrepresents what God did say.  ‘What!?  God said you can’t eat the fruit of any of the trees?’  He puts the thought in her mind that God is withholding something good from them.  Eve responds as a victim.  She elaborates by adding that they are not even allowed to touch the tree in the middle of the garden.  She puts words in God’s mouth which He never said. 

You won’t die! 

He calls God a liar and contradicts the consequences and judgment of disobedience.  In Genesis 2: 16 and 17 we read…"And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

This death refers to both physical death and spiritual death.  They didn’t die physically in that moment of disobedience, but the dying process began immediately.  The spiritual death, however,  happened instantly because their disobedience separated them from Holy God.  Atonement was now necessary.

Eve responds to the temptation with the lust of the flesh (the fruit will taste so good), the lust of the eyes (it was beautiful), and pride (it will make her wise.). She took it and ate it.  It was her choice to commit the first sin because she was deceived.  When Adam ate the fruit he willfully rebelled against God.  When their eyes were opened what they felt was shame, not wisdom.  Their first action was to cover themselves and hide. 

You will be like God.

The lie the serpent spoke, ‘You will be like God,’ was in truth, ‘You will be afraid of God.’  The father of lies tells them they will know good and evil.  Up until this time they had known only good.  The idea of being like God was such a twisted thing for the liar to tell them.  They were already ‘like God.’  

Genesis 1:26

"Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness…”

They were choosing to know evil.  The garden was paradise.  All of their needs were met.  They had a relationship with God that was filled with love and joy.  They were ageless, disease-less, lacked nothing and were not threatened by their environment.  Until they succumbed to the lie.

Many a foolish man has said, “If only I could be the one who was tempted!  I would have chosen to obey!”  One such man has been quoted saying, “When I get to heaven, I’m going to punch Adam in the face!”  Any man or woman who thinks these thoughts has not examined their own life choices.

We succumb to the lie every day.  The liar has not had to change his strategy.  We make the same wrong choices Adam and Eve did.  The lust of the flesh manifests itself through food, alcohol, sex, drugs, and other indulgent choices which enslave us and separate us from Holy God.  

The lust of the eyes draws us toward that ‘shiny object’ we cannot let go of.  Surely this new house, spouse, vile TV show or movie will satisfy us and make us happy.  These choices become idols, separating us from Holy God.  All of these previous choices are based on the final one which shapes our lives.  It is pride and believing we can be our own god.  

The stories of the Old Testament kings are sad and full of death.  The majority of them believed that they knew better than God.  It is the truth of the world we live in today for the same reason. Families, governments, empires are all ruined because people think they can be gods.  

Same thinking…same tragic result.  

Did God really say … there’s a solution to all this?

Did God really say … He would send a Messiah to atone for the sins and rebellion of all mankind?  Yes, He did!  Hundreds of years before the crucifixion He spoke through His servant Isaiah.  

Isaiah 53:5, "But He was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins.  He was beaten so we could be whole.  He was whipped so we could be healed."

Did God really say … He can be trusted for your life?

Proverbs 3:5-7, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.  Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.  Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom.  Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil."

Did God really say …  He loves us and wants an eternal relationship with us?

John 3:16-17, "For this is how God loved the world; He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.  God sent His Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through Him."

The miracle of Genesis 3 is that even after the terrible rebellion of God’s beautiful creation, He pursued them.

Genesis 3:9, "Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?”

Adam’s answer breaks my heart. Why?  Because I have answered God’s call in the same way many times.

Genesis 3:10, "He replied, “I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid.  I was afraid…”

Adam and God walked the Garden together before sin separated them. 

The relationship was broken.

Genesis 3:11, “The Lord God asked.  “Have you eaten from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat?”

Of course, God knew the answer, but He encouraged them to confess their wrongdoing.

We are not surprised that they played the blame game. It’s what we do.

The man blames the woman and the woman blames the serpent.  The devil made me do it!  

As He did then, God also continues to pursue us when we sin.  He calls to us and restores us through His mercy and His grace.

Sadly, there are consequences to sin and God explained how their lives would change,  recording the first Messianic prophecy.  There would now be struggle, and the world would need a Savior.

Genesis 3:15, "And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring.  He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel."

Jesus Christ will end Satan’s terror and manipulations.  He will destroy him.  Satan will cause Christ to suffer as He becomes the blood sacrifice and atonement for all who believe.

God’s mercy and grace overflow as He Himself makes clothing for Adam and Eve.  He covers their sin with animal skins, the first animal sacrifice, the first death in His creation by His own Hand.  This is a picture of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Who put Himself on that brutal cross to die for our sins…to be that blood sacrifice required by Holy God.  

Jesus Christ is Holy God.  

The same Creator Who loves His creation so much made a way to save His creation.  

Romans 5:8, "But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners."

Romans 5:18, "And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love.  Neither death nor life, neither angels not demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow-not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love."

God’s plan includes each of us.  He has made a way for you and me to walk with Him and have that eternal life He intended all along.