Friday: Further Thought ~ The Fall
Further Thought:
Consider the connection between “the tree of life” and “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” This relation is already suggested through the fact that they are both located “in the midst of the Garden” (Genesis 2:9).
Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com
But there is more between the two trees than just a geographical relation. It is because humans have taken the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, because they disobeyed God, that they lost access to the tree of life, and could not live forever, at least in this condition. This connection underlies a profound principle. Moral and spiritual choices have an impact on biological life, as Solomon instructed to his son: “do not forget my law, but let your heart keep my commands; for length of days and long life and peace they will add to you” (Proverbs 3:1-2, , NKJV). This connection reappears in the future heavenly Jerusalem, where only the tree of life is present “in the middle of its street” (Revelation 22:2, NKJV).
“When God created Eve, He designed that she should possess neither inferiority nor superiority to the man, but that in all things she should be his equal. The holy pair were to have no interest independent of each other; and yet each had an individuality in thinking and acting. But after Eve’s sin, as she was first in the transgression, the Lord told her that Adam should rule over her. She was to be in subjection to her husband, and this was a part of the curse. In many cases the curse has made the lot of woman very grievous and her life a burden. The superiority which God has given man he has abused in many respects by exercising arbitrary power. Infinite wisdom devised the plan of redemption, which places the race on a second probation by giving them another trial.” — Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 3, p. 484.
Discussion Questions:
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The danger of the story of the fall is that we dismiss it as a kind of "cute" little story, when it embodies the essence of the battle between good and evil. Many years ago Jack Provonsha, a highly respected Seventh-day Adventist Physician and ethicist, took a seminar that I attended where he said that "The battle between good and evil is a much more close fought thing than any of us imagine".
While we are primarily concerned with the battle as it is fought here on earth, it is essentially a cosmological battle. We can argue the scenarios for this, but it is a bit like trying to find out what is inside a box by shaking it. We are going to have to wait until we find out a lot more information.
The story of the fall brings the battle to a personal level. We can argue the cosmological consequences, but we have to live with the battle within ourselves. I can understand the Christadelphian notion that Satan is really "self". I don't agree with them but I see the importance of understanding that the main consequence of sin is that we have this battle within our own minds. We have to deal with self, it's subtilies, it's inconsistencies, it's irrationalities, and its self-seeking.
Genesis 3:15 is put in the language of God talking to the snake,
but it is more than that. It encapsulates the battle between good and evil in our own mind. This is where good must triumph over evil.
And Paul responds:
Amen 🙏
Romans 16:19-20 (CSB)
19 The report of your obedience has reached everyone. Therefore I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise about what is *good* and yet innocent about what is *evil*.
20 The God of peace will soon *crush Satan under your feet* . The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.
Be wise in what is Good
Be innocent in what is evil
It seems satan is crushed internally in cognetive minds and externally in entropy.
Interesting - the Bible narrative begins and ends with the Tree of Life. The central issue of this narrative is eternal life, to be or not to be! The gift of God is eternal life and because He is Love He gives it to those who acknowledge and accept Him as the Supreme Authority in their lives.
In my treasure hunt in the Word of the LORD I have discovered His character combines the requirement to be perfect like Him and mercy when I miss the mark.
These are two passages that have helped me understand how He can be just and the justifier.
Ex 34:4-7; John 3:16-21
Thank you sharing those scriptures ..
Here is mine that shows he just and justifier.
2 Corinthians 5
18 Everything is from God, who has reconciled *us to himself* through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation.
19 That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the *world to himself*, not counting their trespasses against them, and he has committed the message of reconciliation to us.
Colossians
For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him,
20 ¶ and through him to reconcile *everything to himself* whether things on *earth or things in heaven*, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross
21 ¶ Once you were alienated and *hostile in your minds* expressed in your *evil actions.*
22 But now he has reconciled you by his physical body through his death, to present you holy, faultless, and blameless before him —
Shalom 🙏
Eve = us. We are naive and proud, with a lot of talents but without being concious that all we got comes directly from God Himself! Once we deliver our habilities (life itself) at the feet of Jesus, perhaps He can give us back even more! Because He is able to use us as perfect instruments, for His and our sake!
First science based evidence displayed in the garden of Eden.
Serpent: “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”
Eve: Who is talking?
Serpent: I am the creature of God who is able to talk because I ate from the forbidden tree.
Satan through the serpent made the claim here is the evidence based result of eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Satan is consistently sharing with humanity his half baked truth. Unfortunately error and truth are intertwined which makes it difficult to know the error unless we yield to the Spirit of God to work in our heart and mind.
Satan was correct we became like god knowing good and evil (Genesis 3:22) but we also lost life eternal by our disobedience.
Today science is leading out by the assumptions made on evolution act as though they have something better to offer. At the end of the day science is offering death and returning back to nothingness.
My conviction is on the fact there is a God who has created me in His image, loves me with an everlasting love, His evidence of that love is proven through the cross; therefore, I know I can trust Him.
Choose him who is life eternal.
Eating of the Tree of Life
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God. Revelation 2:7.
This message concerns all our churches. You can never employ your faculty of hearing better than in hearkening to hear what the voice of God speaks to you in His Word. There is a rich and abundant promise to those who overcome. It is not enough to enter upon this warfare, we must pursue it to the end. We must know nothing of yielding. We must fight the good fight of faith to the very end. To the overcomer is promised the triumphal victory. “To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.” Whatever was lost in the fall of Adam is more than restored in redemption. He that sitteth on the throne saith, “Behold, I make all things new” (Revelation 21:5).
Let us look closely and critically to ourselves. Are not the vows we entered into at our baptism violated? Are we dead to the world and alive unto Christ? Are we seeking those things which are above, where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God? Is the cable cut which anchored us to the eternal Rock? Are we drifting with the current to perdition? Shall we make no effort to press and urge our passage upstream? Let us not hesitate longer, but vigorously apply the oars; and let us do our first works ere we make hopeless shipwreck.
It is our work to know our special failings and sins, which cause darkness and spiritual feebleness, and quenched our first love. Is it worldliness? Is it selfishness? Is it the love of self-esteem? Is it striving to be first? Is it the sin of sensuality that is intensely active? Is it the sin of the Nicolaitans, turning the grace of God into lasciviousness? Is it the misuse and abuse of great light and opportunities and privileges, making boasted claims to wisdom and religious knowledge, while the life and character are inconsistent and immoral? Whatever it is that has been petted and cultivated until it has become strong and overmastering, make determined efforts to overcome, else you will be lost.—The Review and Herald, June 7, 1887.
E.G. White ..
Today's lesson states:
What is the reality that this statement is referring to? Is it merely that God had 'commanded' (as we typically understand the notion of command/commandment) that they not eat of the tree and because they disobeyed God's 'commandment', they had to be punished? Or is there much more going on?
The incident in the garden - "the fall" - is intentionally prefaced in Genesis 3:1 with the highlighted statement that the serpent was more "crafty" than any creature God had created. This craftiness draws attention to both (a) the incredible subtleness of the way in which the serpent operates and (b) that such craftiness was reflective of something outside of God's Ways of beneficence - it was designed to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10).
If we merely look at the surface, we are likely to arrive at one view of things regarding the nature and character of God and of the reality that is God's Way - the Way and Ways of the Kingdom of God. However, if we look more deeply at the things designed by the serpent to 'fly under the radar', we are likely to see a different view of things that reflect God's "higher ways" (Isaiah 55:8-9). This invitation, for those who may be interested, will continue through this quarter's lesson study.
My thoughts this week, putting myself in the Garden of Eden, how would I have resisted the devil? James 4:7. 1st I thought I have the testimony of the consequences of taking of the forbidden fruit, based on the history lesson of the Bible, I would picture a ring of distructive fire around the off limits tree. Now that would be taking the battle in our own hands, and that wouldn't work for long, because it would be fighting with arrogance, presumption, and pride: "I can resist the Devil and he will flee." We have then not read James 4:8. "Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded."
We need to be single minded.
Don't sit there in the sin and try to overcome it. Rather, focus on the One who overcame sin. Don't let sin dominate your thoughts rather let Christ dominate your attention. Romans 8:5-8. Thus we are turning the resistance over to Christ who has already won.
"Commit thy way unto the Lord ; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday."
Psalm 37:5-6.
As a result of letting Christ resist for us we escape the fowler. Psalms 124:6-8. There is no other way to avoid being caught as prey.
I especially like and needed the message contained in these sentences.
"We need to be single minded. Don't sit there in the sin and try to overcome it. Rather, focus on the One who overcame sin. Don't let sin dominate your thoughts rather let Christ dominate your attention. Romans 8:5-8. Thus we are turning the resistance over to Christ who has already won."
Thank you John Herscher for allowing God to speak to me through you!
Amen, Maurice Ashton.
There is the simple realization: The Creator and Judge of the Universe became Sacrifice for Sin, on my behalf . . . on our behalf!
Today, He calls me by name! Today, He cares about my unique circumstances. Today, I choose Him, again, in order to maintain spiritual winning power. I want to spend eternity with Him!
Psalm 104: 1-34
Praise the Lord!