SIN INTO PERFECT CREATION?

In our previous study called Did God create the Devil?, we learnt that Lucifer [Satan] was “perfect in...[his]...ways from the day...[he]...were created, till iniquity[sin] was found in...[him].” – Ezekiel 28:15. “...the devil sinneth from the beginning...” – 1 John 3:8. In this study, we are going to look at the origin of evil in this world we are living in.

1 In the Garden of Eden, what did God put in place as a test of loyalty?

“And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” – Genesis 2:16.

Note: God gave Adam and Eve the simplest test. They were allowed to partake of all the trees, except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. For as long as they remained obedient, they could be allowed to eat of the tree of life, and thus living forever. We will talk about the tree of life later on in this study. God placed the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, not so that they may disobey, but so that they may have choice to either serve Him or disobey. “He [God] takes no pleasure in a forced allegiance, and to all He grants freedom of will that they may render Him voluntary service.” In expression of their love, they were to obey God, as the Saviour once said,“If ye love me, keep my commandments.” – John 14:15. The act of disobedience was what would bring death, not merely the fruit itself. Remember that every tree was “good for food” including the fruit from the tree which was in the midst of the garden [see Genesis 2:9; Genesis 3:6]. God could have put His iPad in the midst of the garden, and ask them not to check His e-mails. Same principle would still apply; by them disobeying, they would be going against the will of their Maker, and thus sinning.

2 What lie did the serpent tell to the woman?

“Now the serpent was more subtil 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? 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: for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall as gods, knowing good and evil.” – Genesis 3:1-5.

In our previous study we learnt that “the dragon...[is]...that old serpent, called the Devil and Satan...” – Revelation 12:9. Satan used the serpent as a medium to reach Eve. There are those who believe that this lie of Satan “ye shall not surely die” was actually the truth, and God lied by saying, “thou shalt surely die” – Genesis 2:17; we will deal with this issue shortly. But for now we shouldn’t overlook the fact that Satan was the one who promised life in disobedience. The serpent shook Eve’s confidence in the Creator’s divine sentence in order to get her to disobey: “hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” By him saying this, he knew that Eve would be quick to correct him, and thus entering into a conversation. “Had Eve refrained from entering into argument with the tempter, she would have been safe; but she ventured to parley with him and fell a victim to his wiles. It is thus that many are still overcome. They doubt and argue concerning the requirements of God; and instead of obeying the divine commands, they accept human theories, which but disguise the devices of Satan.”

3 What promise did the serpent make to mankind if he chooses to disobey God?

“...your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” – Genesis 3:5, NKJV.

Note: He promised mankind some enlightenment. He promised them that they would be exalted to a higher state of existence. He made them feel as if God was keeping something good from them by not allowing them to eat from the tree. When Eve saw a talking snake, she must have imagined that, ‘If the fruit had made the snake to talk, what more could it do for me’; and then she decided to partake of the fruit.

4 What three things led Eve into eating of the fruit?

“And when the woman saw that ⁽¹⁾the tree was good for food, ⁽²⁾and that it was pleasant to the eyes, ⁽³⁾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 did eat.” – Genesis 3:6.

Note: Satan learned her senses in order to trap her. A late former Satanist called Roger Morneau, was once told the following by the Satanic high priest: “The spirits [demons] would encourage people to listen to their feelings instead of the word of Christ and His prophets.” – Trip to the supernatural. After Jesus resurrected, He met two individuals who were having a chat about His death; “And they talked together of all these things which had happened. And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them. But their eyes were holden that they should not know him. And he said unto them, What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad? And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said unto him, Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days? And he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people: And how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him. But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done. Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the sepulchre; And when they found not his body, they came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that he was alive. And certain of them which were with us went to the sepulchre, and found it even so as the women had said: but him they saw not. Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself." – Luke 24:14-27. We would expect Jesus to have performed a miracle in order to convince these people that it was Him, but instead He opened the Scriptures, and taught them; and this is a lesson that Scripture supersedes our experiences, and it [the Scripture] is more reliable than our feelings. Jesus wanted these individuals to put trust in what God says, and not to rely on our feelings like Eve did. “We have a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed...” – 2 Peter 1:21.

5 How does disobedience (sin) affect the relationship of mankind and God?

“Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, neither His ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not hear.” – Isaiah 59:1,2.

Note: When Adam and Eve sinned, they hid themselves [Genesis 3:8]. No longer could mankind see God face to face for his sin has separated him from his heavenly Father. Ever since, prayer was the medium of communication between man and God; although at some cases God used dreams, visions, etc. to communicate with mankind.

6 What is the consequence of disobedience [sin]?

“...the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” – Romans 6:23.

Note: Contained in sin was nothing but death:“...by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men...” – Romans 5:12. When death entered into the world it ruined everything in the world: The sun that was meant to refresh the earth could now bring an intense heat giving rise to the desert; the animals [like lions] that used to play with mankind, became extremely violent; the leaf of the tree that was ever green turned brown; all that was “very good” began to suffer the terrible results of sin.Read Genesis 3:16-19. THE EVIL THAT WE SEE IN THE WORLD TODAY IS THE EFFECTS OF SIN. The day Adam sinned, death came to power. The Creator declared, “dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” –Genesis 3:19. It is also remarkable that sin ruined all the aspects of mankind:

Social aspect: The beautiful poem, “bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh” – Genesis 2:23 which was spoken by Adam turned into a blame [see Genesis 3:12]. The disease of putting blame on others for our own errors came into existence.

Spiritual aspect: Adam and Eve hid themselves from God [Genesis 3:8-10]; and the communication with heaven was now limited.

Physical aspect: Man started to become weaker and weaker. When we look at the ages of the antediluvians [those who lived before flood], we see that they lived for many years [Genesis 4]. Because of sin, the lifespan of humanity started to diminish [Genesis 6:3], up until where we are today.

Mental aspect: Today we are using less than 10% of our brains. Our society is so much driven by stimulative substances; God designed mankind in such a way that the higher powers should overrule the lower powers, but because of sin, we find the opposite taking place.

The Creator warned in advance, “in the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” – Genesis 2:17. This was not just a mere threat as we have seen. “After Adam and Eve disobeyed God, their eyes were opened to discern their folly; they did know evil, and they tasted the bitter fruit of transgression.”. Man could only partake of the tree of life for as long as he was obedient to the commandments of God. “Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life...” – Revelation 22:14 KJV. When man became disobedient he was cut off from partaking from this life giving fruit, and from that time he became subject to death [Genesis 3:24].

7 Between God and Satan, how do we determine whose side we are on?

“Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” – Romans 6:16.

Note: When Adam and Eve obeyed the Enemy, whose servants did they became? They became the servants of Satan. “When man transgressed the divine law, his nature became evil, and he was in harmony, and not at variance, with Satan. There exists no natural enmity between sinful man and the originator of sin. BOTH BECAME EVIL THROUGH APOSTASY.” The dominion that was delivered to mankind was lost as a result of disobedience. “Thou [Lord] madest him [mankind] a little lower than the angels; Thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands: Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet...But now we see not yet all things put under him.” – Hebrews 2:7,8. Because man obeyed Satan, the dominion was now claimed by Satan; Satan became “the god of this world...” – 2 Corinthians 4:4 and “the prince of this world” – John 12:31. See John 14:30; John 16:11.