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And then there was Sin
by Jack Vorster Dialogue and Doubt The serpent was an animal that walked upright and it was intelligent. Adam and Eve were able to communicate with it, whether by speech or thought, we don't know. What we do know is that Satan had taken over the mind of this animal and used it to pose a question or two to the first couple on earth. He had a motive up his sleeve and he was the master of deceit. "Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?" (Gen 3:1) Denial and Delusion Taken aback by the brazen authority of the serpent, the woman pondered and weighed up the possibilities. Perhaps the serpent knew something they didn't. Perhaps he was right. "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:" (Gen 3:2-4) Desire and Decision She turned her gaze from the serpent to the fruit of the tree while considering the potential thereof. Her decision was already made. She did not know that she was a free moral agent and was about to use her free will to establish a new direction for mankind. Of course, her husband followed suit, for he did not even question the decision. "And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat." (Gen 3:6) Death and Destruction A sudden change came over them. They had knowledge they never had before and an awareness of wrongdoing. They had opposed the One Who created them and favoured the one who deceived them. They gave up their fellowship with the God of love, mercy and grace to follow a created, fallen angel the father of lies. "And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons." (Gen 3:7) They moved from spirit to flesh and from life to death. Unwittingly, their allegiance switched from God to Satan and the wickedness that came with it. All of mankind their offspring would now be prone to spiritual death followed by physical death and damnation. There was nothing they could do to reverse the process. And then the Word was made flesh About four thousand years later the Word of God, Jesus Christ, was born into the earth. He was the next and last Adam. He created the world and everything in it. He was the very Word that commanded Adam and Eve not to partake of the forbidden fruit. But His love for man was so great that He simply had to offer redemption by taking the death penalty upon Himself, in man's place, so that man could be set free. He was without sin, therefore, had the power to rise from the dead and so impart spiritual rebirth and eternal life to man. Yes, it took just one Word - the Word of Life to reverse the process. Alas, a great many are still walking around naked, hiding from the One Who loves them and siding with the one who wants them dead and buried and eternally removed from the One in whose image they were created. Their only hope is to make a decision before that moment of physical death arrives a death that might come without notice. He is coming back soon. And then the fire. "In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;" (2Thess 1:8,9) Not later, but "NOW is the acceptable time; behold, NOW is the day of salvation." (2Cor 6:2) Now retired, Jack Vorster has a background in marketing in the field of newspaper advertising. As a result of a life-changing experience he turned his attention to the study of the human make-up and the realities connected to human behaviour based on the Word of God. Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |