IT’S
A RELATIONSHIP
PART 2
“…that you may KNOW…..the only true God and
Jesus Christ…” John 17:3
For example, the actions of the “weaker vessel”- according to the
philosophy of the biblical times in Genesis - is said to be connected with the
creation order also and not just gender.
Eve (alone) was created for Adam.
Adam (male & female) was created for God. Some scholars feel this implies
that Eve’s relationship with God was more distant than Adam’s as a result of
the creation order.
What this refers to is a
philosophical term prevalent during the Old Testament era, called “emanations,”
which means “flows from.” This term also
suggests that created things are subject (servant) to and weaker than the thing
from which it was created.
Adam was created by God, thus
subject (servant) to God and weaker than God. Eve was created by God also, but
from Adam and thus was subject (servant) to Adam (his helper) and weaker than
Adam. "The head of every man is
Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is
God" (1 Corinthians 11:3).
This potential explanation
makes Adam closer to God in the Genesis created order and therefore, was not a
good “direct” target for Satan’s tactics.
This view offers a rich and fresh explanation
of why Eve was chosen to be tempted and not Adam. Satan probably knew he would
not have any direct influence on Adam, but he knew Eve would.
Again, gender is not necessarily the issue
here. What is outstanding is Adam’s “oneness” with God and how that protected
him from the direct “wiles” of the
devil.
However, the one Satan deemed
further away from God was a better target and he knew her knowledge or
understanding of God’s word was not exact either.
Eve said God said not to “touch” the tree and she called it the “tree in the middle of the garden.” The
scripture says, Eve replied in this manner “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 3:3). What God actually said was, “….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 2:16-17).
It is good to “know about” something through others, but it is better to
“know” something for yourself.
When you don’t nourish and develop
your own relationship with God you became a puppet for Satan to use to “…kill, steal, and destroy…” yourself and
others (John 10:10).
Satan will use your distance from
God to further broaden that distance and will also use you to impact others in
your “sphere of influence” to distant their relationship with God as well.
Adam and Eve didn’t just fall into
sin, but they fell away from the
relationship with God, which I imagine was the “fall” heard around the world
and in all of heaven.
The “fall” away from God that
severely separated humanity from the YADA relationship. This separation from
God is experienced by every human being born into the world; and has impacted hundreds
of generations to this present day.
The greatest tragedy of the whole
Genesis account is not simply “original sin” as is usually the focus, but it is
the cutting asunder of the greatest relationship between God and humanity ever
experienced until Jesus Christ.
Humanity has not been able to get
out of the deep well of separation or absence from God since Genesis. Mankind
is still eating from the “tree of the
knowledge of good and evil.”
Adam and Eve’s fall may have been
similar to that of Satan’s which Jesus speaks of in Luke 10:18, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.”
And we hear Satan’s fall spoken about in Isaiah 14:12 “How art though fallen from heaven… how art thou cut down to the ground….”
Adam and Eve probably experienced the same immediate
type of fall – though spiritual - once their eyes were opened (Genesis 3:7).
Eve’s desire to be like God and not just subject (servant)
to God was fatal. At first glance her desire looks good.
However, it seems like so-called “good desires”
apart from God’s righteous demands or divine will; can also cause you to “fall
away” from Him.
You fall away from God’s bountiful presence, - which
includes his majestic holiness and loving goodness - when you go your own way.
Humanity needs the goodness of God’s holy presence every
day of their lives, whether they are aware of it or not. Unfortunately, mankind
looks for goodness in their human goodness and not God’s.
Don’t trust in your “own” goodness; for your own
heart will deceive you more than anything else and is more wicked than anything
else you possess (Jeremiah 17:9).
“Good” people who trust in their “own” goodness and
not God’s are often the ones whom others believe are going to bust hell wide
open. Without God, all of “your”
goodness is already tainted (infected) and as “filthy rags” in God’s sight (Isaiah
64:6).
There is no goodness apart from God. Goodness is
God’s established concept or standard and not man’s. God is the ONLY one who
can give you a clean heart and renew a right spirit within you in order for you
to bear the fruit of goodness at all (Psalm 51:10).
Only God’s Spirit produces the fruit of goodness
(Galatians 5:22). God requires you to be holy, as he is holy, which means to be
separated and set apart for his good purposes (1 Peter 1:16).
Real goodness, therefore, come from the indwelling Holy Spirit and is the result of
its fruit (Galatians 5:22-23).
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and
self-control. Against such things there is no law”
(Galatians 5:22-23).
EXCERPT FROM THE CHAPTER
ITS A RELATIONSHIP FROM TRANSFORMING LOVE
ITS A RELATIONSHIP FROM TRANSFORMING LOVE
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