Did God really say…

” ‘Did God really say, “you must not

eat from any tree in the garden?’

The woman said to the serpent,

‘We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,

but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit

from the tree that is in the middle of

the garden, and you must not touch it,

or you will die.’ ” Genesis 3:1-3 (NIV)

It started in the garden.  The earth was days old and already God’s word was maligned, misquoted, and misinterpreted.  Things haven’t improved much since that day in Eden.

The exchange between Satan and Eve does provide an interesting look at the dangers of not knowing or understanding scripture.

Satan, in the quise of the serpent, begins the apostasy with a simple question, “Did God really say…?”.  This ploy of the Devil is a tactic he uses with people to this day, counting on our ignorance of scripture to make it wildly successful. 

His question has done more damage in history than any other scheme he has tried.  Our lack of knowledge of God’s Word, coupled with a lack of faith, just aids the effort.

As I reflect on all the areas where that simple misleading question has permeated, it is truly staggering.  So many denominations setting aside parts of God’s Word as fable, untrustworthy, or unneccessary.  So many Christians espousing worldviews contrary to a biblical view because “God didn’t really mean what He said when…”.

This trap, that the enemy has devised is what the writer of Hebrew’s must have had in mind while admonishing the jews in the church he was addressing.  He was taking them to task for not growing in their faith.  They were still infants “needing milk”, not “solid food”, the solid food of the deeper truths of God’s Word.

The writer describes mature believers, devoted to the study of God’s Word in this way; “But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.” Hebrews 5:14(NIV).  The deep study of scripture is what is needed to avoid the enemies’ trap.

Misleading questions by the serpent were not the only problem in the garden.  The other problem lay with Eve.  It was a similar issue, having a common root, the lack of knowledge of God’s Word.  It, too, is a pervasive problem still resonating today.

Eve tried to use God’s Word when answering the serpent’s question.  Eve can be commended for answering temptation in the manner she chose, Christ, himself, used scripture when confronted by Satan in the wilderness.  Her problem was not getting it right when she said that she must not eat of the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden, and not touch it.  She didn’t know God’s Word and in error added things that God never said.

God’s only prohibition in the garden had to do with the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  He told Adam; “…You are free to eat from any tree in the garden, but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.”Genesis 2:16-17(NIV)

Eve’s version never specified which tree, she only vaguely described a tree in the middle of the garden, in fact there were two trees in that location, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and the tree of life.  She also added to God’s word the admonishment to not “touch” the fruit.  That was never part of God’s warning.

Misquoting scripture, misinterpreting scripture,adding to scripture, and subtracting from scripture are all problems that have plagued the world through history.  It all started in the garden.

Yours in Christ,

Todd

 

Beginnings

I’ve fired a shot across the bow of christianity as it exists today, especially in the United States, calling the body of Christ out for chasing materialism and worldly pursuits and seeking fulfillment everywhere but where it matters.  I’ve offered criticism, now I want to offer solutions.

I now want to begin the search for what God originally intended, where we went wrong and, most importantly, the path to restoration.

Where to begin the search is rather easy,  I choose to begin at the beginning.  Genesis recounts the beginnings of many things. I’m more interested, however, in the “whys” of Genesis.  Why, for instance, did God choose to make man, knowing he would fall in disobedience and require Christ’s death on the cross to repair the damage his creation caused.  Why even have a redemption plan?  Why did he not immediately end the mess in the garden?  Why put a tree in the garden that might lead to fall in the first place?  The list can go on and on.

The answers to these questions lie with the God of relationships. God desired a creation that he could fully express his nature to, for his glory. That creation was man.

As in any serious relationship, each individual must be able to express his or her self fully, without inhibitions, to the other.  A lack of such complete intimacy would always stand in the way of total committment.  This is true in a friendship, a marriage and, of course, how we relate to God.

As we enter into a faith covenant with God, it is not a business deal.  We are not developing a contract such that if we keep our side, God will grant certain provisions.  God describes the relationship we have with him in the most intimate terms.  He calls us his children in John 1:12. In other places in the word, he describes our relationship as a bride and her bridegroom (Revelation 19:7).  Clearly, our heavenly Father seeks more than just a band of pre-programmed worshippers.  He seeks, rather, the most intimate relationship that can be had.

This brings us back to the questions I asked earlier.  They all have the same answer.  To have a true, totally intimate relationship, God needed to reveal his complete nature to man.  Why a redemption plan?  The answer is that God can express his love, forgiveness and mercy.  Why not end it when the fall occurred?  Through those events God can express his grace and justice.  Why plant the tree?  By giving us a choice, God can show his righteousness, judgement, wrath, compassion, holiness…. the list goes on and on.

Does this mean that God created the tree so that we would sin, thus luring us into the inevitable fall? Absolutely not!  Scripture is clear on this point. God does not tempt us. James clearly states in his letter to the Jews; “When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me,’ for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone;” James 1:13 (NIV).

God had to allow us the freedom of choice, including the ability to choose sin, so that he can fully express his nature to us. Grace arrives in the story, in that God knew what his creation would do and what it would cost Jesus to fix it, yet he still proceeded with the creation.

Simple faith and worship begin when we realize that the God we serve wants to have a full, deep, love relationship with each of us, just as we are.  Our acceptance of his sacrifice on the cross and faith in his promises are all that is required to begin that walk.

The call for simplicity

‘Tis a gift to be simple,

‘Tis a gift to be free,

‘Tis a gift to come down where we ought to be,

and when we find ourselves in the place just right,

‘Twill be in the valley of love and delight.

When true simplicity is gained,

to bow and to bend we shan’t be ashamed.

To turn, turn, will be our delight,

‘Till by turning, turning we come ’round right.

Those are the lyrics to an old Shaker folk tune, written in 1848 by Elder Joseph Brackett while he lived in the Shaker community in Alfred, Maine.

I have been considering  these lyrics for some time now, pondering their message.  They seem more poignant as I consider the state of the christianity today.

I have been watching as the body of Christ has strayed away from God, and striving for his way,  as our world has grown more and more complex.  Sadly, it has become difficult to spot a christian today.  We have become so worldly, there is little difference between the people of God and non-believers other than where we park our cars on Sunday.

We have set our hearts on achieving what the world defines as valuable, and have put aside the ways of the Lord.

Christians today are more concerned about the performance of their 401k then they are about laying up treasures in heaven.  We also have developed a  case of the “I wants” as bad as our unbelieving neighbors.  This worldly focus has us chasing big screen televisions, new cars, bigger homes, elaborate vacations, and a life of leisure, as much as any of the pagan fellows we pass on our way through the store’s glass doors on “black friday”.

We eagerly follow our favorite television shows, know every name and stats of every player on our favorite sports team, yet we can’t navigate our way through the books of the Bible, let alone give good explanations of the doctrines we believe.

The writer of the book of Hebrews felt this same frustration around 67 A.D. when he had to stop his dissertation on Melchizedek because he realized his audience couldn’t understand the point.  They had been christians for 20 to 30 years but he said; “…though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truth’s of God’s word all over again.  You need milk, not solid food!” Hebrews 6:12 (NIV).

The Barna research group has done some polling on modern Christianity.  His survey’s show some disturbing trends.  I have attached a link to the Barna information.  http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/18-congregations/103-barnas-annual-tracking-study-shows-americans-stay-spiritually-active-but-biblical-views-wane

I realize I am painting with a broad brush, however, God has burdened my heart regarding this issue.  I fear we have become the Laodicean church spoken of in Revelation 3:14-21.  Jesus had harsh rebukes for that church that resonate today;  “You say, ‘I am rich; I  have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’  But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked.”  Revelation 3:17 (NIV).

Christ also had a dire warning for that church, reminding them that God will not allow us to be cavalier in our faith and ignore him for very long.  He will discipline his church as a father disciplines a wayward child.

I want to use this blog to call the Church back to simpler, humble lives.  I intend to explore how God intended his Church and his children to live.  I plan to do this using God’s own word as a guide.

I want to avoid drifting into legalism and lists of do’s and don’ts.  We have freedom in Christ by his death and resurrection.  I want, rather, to start developing an understanding of what the prophet meant when he said; “…to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8b (NIV).  Additionally, I wish to define how to live simply and worship with a simple faith.

In Christ,

Todd