Genesis 3:1-24,4:1-7. Continuation
And God looked, when all that He created was good, and saw that it was perfect. How then has it become like it is today?
Of all God's creation mankind was the only one given the faculty of logic. The animals, plants, etc., were to serve Him-Gen.1:27-30. It was this ability in humans to reason and make decisions that brought about their downfall. Why did God work things that way? What is the answer?
God did not deprive man of his free will. Man had the ability to choose, to follow and make decisions. God was not interested in making robots: they are made to serve, not to love. That is why humans stand out as being different from all God's other created beings. However, this free will had to be tested and proved in the same way we are tested by God time and time again during our earthly life.
From Gen.2:16-17, we surmise that there was nothing evil about the tree; but what it stood for, a means of gaining knowledge and man used his free will to choose to disobey God's command. Therefore evil entered the world because of man's decision to partake of that source of evil. How?
Through intimate communion and a tangible contact-taste. The first reference as to how sin is committed through the members of our body. Preceding that action an inner decision took place-Lusting, concluding that the fruit was harmless.
Chapter 3:1, begins with an almost casual but awesome statement, 'The serpent was more....' . We naturally think of serpents in terms of evil, crawling, poisonous, deadly creatures. A careful look at these verses conveys a different picture. Of all the animals in the garden, the serpent was the most intelligent. Remember the words of Jesus? 'Wise as serpents...' . It probably had the ability to communicate and not crawl on the ground. It was not an evil looking creature or Eve would have had second thoughts about chatting with such a creature. Satan simply found a suitable vehicle to work through and tempt Eve. Why was the serpent readily used? Was there a wider plot in the garden? We can only surmise; but our intelligence and wisdom do not always work for our good -
1 Cor.2:6-8.
At this point in the account Satan enters the scene in the Garden of Eden. Why did God allow Satan to interfere with His creation? What was the whole point, He could have surely stopped it.
Satan is a powerful being and we must not underestimate his power and cunning, as some Christians do. In actual fact Satan's power and authority is always limited by God's authority so he can only do what God allows him to do-Job 1:6-12. However, we note that Satan had access to the Garden of Eden. He is free to enter Churches and interfere with our worship and also with our lives.
To be continued
And God looked, when all that He created was good, and saw that it was perfect. How then has it become like it is today?
Of all God's creation mankind was the only one given the faculty of logic. The animals, plants, etc., were to serve Him-Gen.1:27-30. It was this ability in humans to reason and make decisions that brought about their downfall. Why did God work things that way? What is the answer?
God did not deprive man of his free will. Man had the ability to choose, to follow and make decisions. God was not interested in making robots: they are made to serve, not to love. That is why humans stand out as being different from all God's other created beings. However, this free will had to be tested and proved in the same way we are tested by God time and time again during our earthly life.
From Gen.2:16-17, we surmise that there was nothing evil about the tree; but what it stood for, a means of gaining knowledge and man used his free will to choose to disobey God's command. Therefore evil entered the world because of man's decision to partake of that source of evil. How?
Through intimate communion and a tangible contact-taste. The first reference as to how sin is committed through the members of our body. Preceding that action an inner decision took place-Lusting, concluding that the fruit was harmless.
Chapter 3:1, begins with an almost casual but awesome statement, 'The serpent was more....' . We naturally think of serpents in terms of evil, crawling, poisonous, deadly creatures. A careful look at these verses conveys a different picture. Of all the animals in the garden, the serpent was the most intelligent. Remember the words of Jesus? 'Wise as serpents...' . It probably had the ability to communicate and not crawl on the ground. It was not an evil looking creature or Eve would have had second thoughts about chatting with such a creature. Satan simply found a suitable vehicle to work through and tempt Eve. Why was the serpent readily used? Was there a wider plot in the garden? We can only surmise; but our intelligence and wisdom do not always work for our good -
1 Cor.2:6-8.
At this point in the account Satan enters the scene in the Garden of Eden. Why did God allow Satan to interfere with His creation? What was the whole point, He could have surely stopped it.
Satan is a powerful being and we must not underestimate his power and cunning, as some Christians do. In actual fact Satan's power and authority is always limited by God's authority so he can only do what God allows him to do-Job 1:6-12. However, we note that Satan had access to the Garden of Eden. He is free to enter Churches and interfere with our worship and also with our lives.
To be continued
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