By: Rev. Jose V. Velasco, Jr.
(Study of The Book of Genesis
3:1-10)
The Bible text begins with a mention of the serpent who is the villain in the story. We think of him as practically the source of all our personal troubles as well as troubles in the whole world. His name is Satan. Where did Satan come from? Did God create a bad guy like him? No, God did not create anyone bad. The Bible says that all God created was good. A refrain in the story of creation in Genesis 1 is “And God saw that it was good.” Traditionally he was known to have been created good by God. He was an angel. A usual reference used for him is Isaiah 14:12-14. Bible commentators surmise that the morning star in verse 12 may not be exclusively for Satan. It could mean king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia, too. But whoever he may be the morning star could also symbolize Satan. So he was an angel, but out of pride he rebelled against God. And what he does now is to seduce people to turn against God. Out text is the Bible’s story of how Adam and Eve were seduced and deceived to disobey God.
Satan is busy tempting people to disobey
and turn against God (1 Peter 5:8). In order to be able to defeat him it helps
to know some of his strategies.
From our Scripture text we see some steps that temptation takes.
1. Sowing of doubt that leads to unbelief. “Did God really say, ‘You
must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” (1). Did God really mean what
He said in these words? In our case we know some Christian duties we must
fulfill. For example, worshiping God in church on Sundays. Satan will ask us,
“Will it matter if you miss church half of the time because you have to do
extra job to make more money?” A lady deliberately took an item in a dollar
store without paying for it. Someone near to her noticed it and asked “why?”
She said, “Do you think this is a serious sin?
This is just a dollar store anyway.” If you yield to these doubts then
you are hooked.
2. Giving a direct lie. “You shall not surely die” (4). Just the
reverse of what God said (Gen. 2:17). As soon as Satan wins in the first step
he intensifies his effort and gives a direct lie. Here, it is God who becomes a
liar. So people transgress God’s commands because they think He was not really
serious about them. And so we do not take those commands seriously also.
What are some consequences of sin?
1. Godly values are reversed. God said that the forbidden fruit was
poisonous (Gen 2:17). But the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good
for food and pleasant to the eye, and desirable for gaining wisdom--“ (6).
How often do we say this is good when we know from God’s words that it is bad?
And vice versa?
2. Guilt. At this point Adam and Eve realized they were naked
(7). That means nothing can be hidden from God. God knew what they did. That
created guilt and fear so they tried to cover up. Guilt can be a big trouble in
our personalities.
3. Separation from God. After
Adam and Eve violated God’s command they fled from God. Their feeling of guilt
spiritually distanced them from God. They were no longer intimate with God as
His children. Sin separates us from God (Isaiah (59:2).
How to defeat temptations:
1. Have deep and rich knowledge of God’s
words. In the wilderness Jesus countered Satan’s lies by “It is written” (Mt.
4:4, 6, 7). God’s word is the sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:7). Knowing
God’s truth will keep us on the right tract.
2. Stay away from temptations. This is the meaning of the “Lead us not
into temptation.” When you deliberately go where the temptation is you are
giving the devil a chance. Paul says, “Don’t give the Devil a chance” (Eph.
4:27).
3, Resist the temptation (1 Peter 5:9). Firmly say no.
4. Pray for strength and wisdom (Phil. 4:13).
5. Keep company with strong Christians. They will encourage, support and
inspire you.
