In whom or what do you put your trust? Man, Scientists, Politicians, the Bible, or your own personal experiences and reasoning. Sometimes thing written in the Bible seems to defy what we have experienced or observed. And many times, what we read in the Bible sound so unbelievable. But because these things conflict with your reasoning and experiences does it mean that what is written in the Bible is not true?
In this new series, we address an age-old concern that we all have: the concern for sin, evil, death, and what happens after we die. Is there hope after death? When God created us, humans, he intended for us to live forever in a loving relationship with him. But this relationship has been broken by sin.
Here, we address the origin of sin, and we look more closely at death and dying.
But, instead of looking at death in a negative way, we look at it in the context of hope, the promised hope based on what Jesus did for us when he died and came back to life again.
From the Sabbath School Adult Bible Study Guide 2022 Quarter 4: Sabbath.School
See also Hope Sabbath School and 3ABN Sabbath School
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Inviting the Holy Spirit’s Presence
Holy Father, open our eyes of understanding that we may see you and be drawn into a closer relationship with you. In Jesus Name Amen. (Split)
The Creator God made the earth perfect according to Genesis 1:31.
31 Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day. (Genesis 1:31)
Adam and Eve had never encountered death; thus, it was a concept difficult for them to conceive. Nevertheless, God warned Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden about death, if they should eat from the tree in the middle of the garden, the tree of the knowledge of God and evil. (Split)
We find God’s instruction in Genesis 2: 16 and 17
16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat;
17 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.” (Genesis 2:16, 17).
Did God need to warn Adam and Eve? Again, the issue of free will presents itself. Because of the right God had given them to choose it became necessary for God to warn them against eating from the tree. Not only did he warn them, but he also let them know what would happen if they ate from the tree. Of course, having not seen death became a matter of tension for Eve.
As we see sometime later after the warning from God, Satan disguised himself as a talking snake and enters Eden. In other words, Satan uses the snake or serpent as a medium to entice Eve. So, Eve sees the snake eating the forbidden fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Interestingly enough, from Eve’s perspective, the snake seem to be really enjoying it and he was not dead, and He was not dying.
Now put yourself in Eve’s shoes. You have never seen death, and now the serpent is eating the fruit that God has said that when they eat it you will surely die. But the serpent is still alive. Who is telling the truth? God or the serpent?
What do you think was going in Eve’s mind as she was listening to this snake?
Genesis 3:1–4 tells us what happened.
1 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”
2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden;
3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ”
4 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. (Genesis 3:1–4)
Looking at this from human logic, the snake’s argument sound pretty convincing.
First of all, up to this point, there was no evidence in the natural world of the existence of sin or death. And second, the snake himself was actually eating the forbidden fruit in front of Eve and he seemed to have been enjoying it very much. So, apparently, in the mind of Eve, she could not see why she should not be enjoying it, too. Like many of us, Eve felt that God’s command was too strict. She didn’t understand why God would limit her freedom.
Sadly, to say, with much injury to us, Eve made the wrong choice. She disobeyed God and ate the fruit.
Eve ignored three basic principles:
(1) Human reasoning, human thinking is not always the safest way to evaluate spiritual matters.
(2) We may not always understand the reasons for God’s commands. The Word of God may appear to be illogical and senseless to us, but it is always right and trustworthy.
(3) God often gives us tests to see if we will obey Him. There are things that are not evil or wrong in and of themselves, but God at times chooses them to test our obedience.
Eve’s curiosity was aroused. But, Instead of fleeing from the spot, she listened to hear a serpent talk. It did not occur to her mind that it might be that fallen enemy, using the serpent as a medium. It was Satan that spoke, not the serpent. Eve was beguiled, flattered, infatuated.
Had she met a commanding dignitary, possessing a form like the angels and resembling them, she would have been on guard. But still, that strange voice should have driven her to her husband’s side to inquire of him why another should thus freely address her. But she entered into a controversy with the serpent.—The Story of Redemption, p. 33.
What is the lesson here for us? We must stay away from the things that God forbids. The experience of Eve in the Garden of Eden is not a single case in time. Every day, and even every moment, we are deciding between God’s word, the Bible, and the culture or the lives we see around us. Often God’s word for many can be unpopular in this enticing world. Nevertheless, our choices have eternal consequences, they can change our lives forever.
It is important to know that… Satan works in the children of disobedience, not merely having access to their minds, but working through their influence, conscious and unconscious, to draw others into the same disobedience. If evil angels have such power over the children of men in their disobedience, how much greater power do the good angels have over those who are striving to be obedient…
The human family has all the help that Christ had in their conflicts with Satan. We need not be overcome. We may be more than conquerors through Him who have loved us and given His life for us. “Ye are bought with a price” (1 Corinthians 6:20). And what a price! The Son of God in His humanity wrestled with the very same fierce, apparently overwhelming temptations that assail us. . . . We all will be tempted, but the Word declares that we shall not be tempted above our ability to bear. We may resist and defeat the devious enemy. —Selected Messages, book 1, pp. 94, 95.
Are there teachings in the Bible that conflict with your thinking or reasoning? Make it your determination to live in harmony with God’s word. Put your trust in him. He created us; thus, he knows what is best for us. Contrary to Satan, God desires our good.
How then can we avoid falling into the same trap as Eve? Find out More in Day 3: Deceived by the Serpent.
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