The First Lie
Read Genesis 3:1-7.
We blame the Devil for the Fall of humanity, and Genesis leads us to think that way: "The serpent was more crafty..." Adam and Eve, the first man and woman, were put in an idyllic garden, a place of beauty and perfection, and were given free reign. They could avail themselves of anything in the garden—except for one tree, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. That one they were supposed to leave alone.
Why did God even put that tree there? Why leave temptation just laying around? God doesn't tell us (and God doesn't have to tell us), but my sense is that this one thing is what made us free agents. With this single tree, we were given a choice as human beings. We could listen to God, obey God, fellowship with God—or we could choose to turn away from all that, all for the sake of the fruit of one tree.
We might ask why God allowed the serpent into the Garden...and I'd answer the same way. The serpent, Satan, the Devil, whomever—is a free agent as well. To restrict his movement would be to take away free will once again. God wants us to love him and to respond to him freely, not as robots or automatons. And so the tree. And the serpent. And the first lie.
Did you notice who the first lie in history came from? It's not from the serpent, as we might assume. The first lie comes from Eve, the woman (though it could just as easily have come from Adam, so don't go blaming the woman!). It's subtle, and for years I didn't even notice it. All the serpent does (and I think he still uses this strategy most often) is ask a question: "Did God say...?" Well, that's a simple question and it could have had an even simpler answer. "No, that's not what God said. Now leave me alone, serpent." But that's not the way Eve chose to respond.
Eve adds to what God says; that's the first lie. She claims God said, "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." But search back in the text and you will find God didn't say anything about touching the tree. We don't know how much time passed between Genesis 2 and Genesis 3, but somewhere along the way, Eve and Adam have added additional rules about the first rule to try to make sure they don't break that first rule. And they've come to believe God said what they added, and that's where the serpent finds his way in. Eve lies by adding to what God has said.
And humanity falls because of that first lie. Sin enters the picture and becomes our "default" setting.
And isn't it fascinating that one of the last commands in the Bible is to not add or take away from what has been written, what God has revealed (Revelation 22:18-19)? The first lie becomes the occasion for one of the last commands. The message: don't add to what God has said. But you must make a choice to follow and obey him. It's up to you. He will not push or demand his way into our lives. He waits for us to choose to live his truth rather than our lies.
We blame the Devil for the fall of humanity, but it really rested on the one little lie that our ancestors told. We are to blame for the Fall, but thank God that he came in Jesus to make it right when we couldn't.
We blame the Devil for the Fall of humanity, and Genesis leads us to think that way: "The serpent was more crafty..." Adam and Eve, the first man and woman, were put in an idyllic garden, a place of beauty and perfection, and were given free reign. They could avail themselves of anything in the garden—except for one tree, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. That one they were supposed to leave alone.
Why did God even put that tree there? Why leave temptation just laying around? God doesn't tell us (and God doesn't have to tell us), but my sense is that this one thing is what made us free agents. With this single tree, we were given a choice as human beings. We could listen to God, obey God, fellowship with God—or we could choose to turn away from all that, all for the sake of the fruit of one tree.
We might ask why God allowed the serpent into the Garden...and I'd answer the same way. The serpent, Satan, the Devil, whomever—is a free agent as well. To restrict his movement would be to take away free will once again. God wants us to love him and to respond to him freely, not as robots or automatons. And so the tree. And the serpent. And the first lie.
Did you notice who the first lie in history came from? It's not from the serpent, as we might assume. The first lie comes from Eve, the woman (though it could just as easily have come from Adam, so don't go blaming the woman!). It's subtle, and for years I didn't even notice it. All the serpent does (and I think he still uses this strategy most often) is ask a question: "Did God say...?" Well, that's a simple question and it could have had an even simpler answer. "No, that's not what God said. Now leave me alone, serpent." But that's not the way Eve chose to respond.
Eve adds to what God says; that's the first lie. She claims God said, "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." But search back in the text and you will find God didn't say anything about touching the tree. We don't know how much time passed between Genesis 2 and Genesis 3, but somewhere along the way, Eve and Adam have added additional rules about the first rule to try to make sure they don't break that first rule. And they've come to believe God said what they added, and that's where the serpent finds his way in. Eve lies by adding to what God has said.
And humanity falls because of that first lie. Sin enters the picture and becomes our "default" setting.
And isn't it fascinating that one of the last commands in the Bible is to not add or take away from what has been written, what God has revealed (Revelation 22:18-19)? The first lie becomes the occasion for one of the last commands. The message: don't add to what God has said. But you must make a choice to follow and obey him. It's up to you. He will not push or demand his way into our lives. He waits for us to choose to live his truth rather than our lies.
We blame the Devil for the fall of humanity, but it really rested on the one little lie that our ancestors told. We are to blame for the Fall, but thank God that he came in Jesus to make it right when we couldn't.
Hmm, I never noticed that. Very interesting!
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