Genesis 2:20-4:2
Amazing Women Here We Come!! Well we're kicking off a brand new 4-week series on Back to the Bible called The Amazing Women of the Bible. As always we'll be following right along in our P4 readings, and what better place to start then right at the beginning with Eve? Eve is known for sinning under the influence of Satan. But that's not the end of her story. God didn't set Eve aside because she sinned. He used her in a mighty way. Think about it. Without Eve we would never have gotten to Jesus.
So what does the story of Eve show us about God and our relationship with Him? Is there something we can take from Eve's story and put into practice in our own lives? Tami W.
P.S. Be encouraged today. God is the God of second chances.
That God wanted us to fellowship with him and to praise and glorify Him.
I guess what really sticks out to me is that Satan knew who to go to. He knew that Adam heard from Gods mouth not to eat of that tree. But Adam chose to disobey God. Eve for what ever reason whether it was cause she did not really understand the full consequences of her actions or she chose to listen to satan cause of his craftiness. Maybe Adam did not explan it clearly enough on how serious it would be who knows.
It just leads me to beleive that it is so important to have really good communication in a marriage and in any relationship we have with people. God communicated very well with Adam about what would happen if this was done. Satan can and will twist everything to meet his needs.
And yes God is so good to give us all second and third and chance after chance to do what is needed to get ourselves right with him.
Thank you Lord you are an Awesome God.
I was just reading from the book I received from BBTB this week, The Strategy of Satan, in chapter two about God's grace. This reading in Genesis this morning goes right along with what I had just read about in that chapter. Satan targets our bodies, in this case fruit, good to eat and pleasing to the eye, to lure Eve and Adam into sin. But even though they would have to live the rest of their lives with the consequences of that sin, God's Grace covered them like the garments of skin He made to clothe them.
This was a perfect match to go with my reading in The Strategy of Satan to really cement how much I am covered by His Grace as well. I live with the consequences of the sins of my past, but God's grace is sufficient and such a gift. It is our defense against Satan. God didn't send Adam and Eve out of the garden alone, they were covered and defended by His Grace.
Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within;
Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that is greater than all our sin.
(chorus from GRACE GREATER THAN OUR SIN)
What does 3:22 mean? "Then the Lord God said, Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—”?
I noticed that while being tempted, Eve was looking at the tree, putting it into her mind how nice it looked: lusting for all it could give her. That never helps when fighting temptation! This reminded me how we first must be aware to protect our "eye-gate" and "mind-gate", when it really is easiest to say "no", before temptation really takes firm root in our lives.
Great comments and great teaching on Eve today on the show. Thanks, Tami for letting us know. Thank God He does give us opportunity to learn and grow.
If we only look at the second chance given Adam and Eve, we miss a significant theological opportunity to grow in our spiritual life. Yes God forgave Adam and Eve and provided for them even as they were driven from the garden. Yes there is the concept of communication within marriage. These are all excellent points. Yet I believe one must look deeper and beyond those examples. How does this verse apply to us? Is there any reproof for us to be found? Is there any instruction for us? I am not speaking of the type of instruction in which one learns something new; instead I am speaking of the type of instruction that grows us spiritually, the kind that pierces us through and through. It is through that type of instruction that one truly grows.
What was God's action toward the two who had deliberately turned their back on Him and did what they desired to do ( Adam and Eve)?
He held them accountable, yet He gave them a second chance. How do we react to those who have done the same? How do we react to the divorcee? How do we react to the child molester who is released and begins to attend our church? How do we react to those who come gravely wounded and sit on the back aisle fearing contact with others because they know that their hidden sin will never be forgiven by well meaning church attendees? These people and many other are among us, fearing that their secret will be found, they will be condemned for what they have done, and rejected by the members of the church they attend. All of us have blackness in our souls and all of us need the kind of forgiveness from each other that God gave Adam and Eve. I don't know about anyone else, but I struggle with providing forgiveness to all people. This is a great lesson for me.
Just my personal comments and I am not sure if I am responding correctly, so forgive me, I am still learning. Re Chuck's last paragraph on our reaction to persons who have sinned and attend our churches. What comes to mind is John 8:1-11 (The woman caught in adultery) When the Pharisees informed Jesus that this woman had committed adultery and that according to the Law of Moses she should be stoned, Jesus stooped down and with His finger wrote on the ground as though He heard them not. They continued asking Him and His response was, "He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her". When Jesus lift up himself and saw no one, He asked her, "Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man comdemned you?" She responded that no man had condemned her, Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn thee, go, and sin no more."
These people mentioned above come to Church because they want to be with God and seek His forgiveness and if we show them anything but love we too should be condemned. They are in the right place and as Christians we should welcome them with open arms. When they see a Church full of people who are blessed then they too would want some of that blessing. God bless you all.
Julie,
Here are some thoughts on your question.
The facts of the situation are simple: God didn't want Adam and Eve to live forever in their fallen physical bodies. But the "why" part is more complicated and requires some educated guesswork--so accept this as such.
It appears that the longer people lived, the more evil they became (kind of like a snowball rolling down hill). The people between the time of Adam and the flood lived for centuries (Adam lived to be 930 years old, Adam's son Seth lived for 912 years, Methuselah lived to be the oldest at 969 years). But as evil got its foothold in the lives of people, it seemed to lead to greater wickedness until "every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually" (Genesis 6:5). Think what it would have been like if these people were to have lived forever in their fallen bodies. The one blessing we can say of death even today is that it puts an end to the lives of evil people. The Hitlers, the Stalins, the Phol Pots all have a limited time to inflict the earth with their wickedness.
In addition, we have to remember Christ came as a human being to redeem us. This redemption involved His death on the cross. If humans lived in eternal physical bodies could that death have taken place? Maybe not. If that were the case, we would be unredeemable. Some have asked why Christ died to redeem humans but not angels. Perhaps part of the answer may be that angels have bodies that never die. Christ could not have died as an angel to redeem them because they don't die. It's possible if Adam and Eve had eaten of the tree of life, the same would be true for us.
Allen, Biblical Correspondent at Back to the Bible