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Genesis 2 teaches us several things vital in our personal walk with God. One lesson concerns what each of us face every day; temptation! Why God would place such a tempting tree in the Garden but tell Adam not to eat of it? God placed this tree to give Adam a choice. Just as God gave Adam the freedom to choose, He gives us the same today. God has given us free will to do as we please. God wants us to make the right choices but He will not control us. If He did, mankind’s ’controlled’ actions would be meaningless as there would be no choice on our part to obey God through our devotion to Him. God gave Adam this choice. Adam was tempted and through temptation made a bad choice. Have you chosen to obey God? Do you choose today to disobey God while knowing that Paradise awaits those who obey? It’s a serious thing, my friend. It is a serious thing when we disobey a Holy, Just, and Awesome God. Given the choice between living in Paradise and disobeying God, Adam and Eve chose to disobey. Why?
My friend, satan’s purpose is to tempt us into thinking that his way is better than God’s way. Satan makes sinful ideas appear to be so good we do not resist! Satan woos many over to his ’side’ because we have an instinct to be bad. Many people say that mankind is born ’good’ and if we enlighten ourselves through our actions, we will spend eternity with God. That is a false teaching. We are all born into sin due to the action of Adam. Adam’s fall has carried over to all mankind and we are not born good. If that were true, we would not have to teach our children to be good. In reality, our children do bad things instinctively but it is the good things that they must be taught. In the end, we know that satan is not the victor. Christ Jesus is the final victor! The next time that satan offers up a temptation to you that seems just too good to ignore, think about Adam. Was the temptation, the yielding to satan’s sinful offer, worth being cast from the Garden’s Paradise? The answer is no. Rise above the temptation. Through Christ, who strengthens us, we can withstand all temptation.
Papa Joe Mac's Commentary:
Genesis 2 teaches us several things vital in our personal walk with God. One lesson concerns what each of us face every day; temptation! Why God would place such a tempting tree in the Garden but tell Adam not to eat of it? God placed this tree to give Adam a choice. Just as God gave Adam the freedom to choose, He gives us the same today. God has given us free will to do as we please. God wants us to make the right choices but He will not control us. If He did, mankind’s ’controlled’ actions would be meaningless as there would be no choice on our part to obey God through our devotion to Him. God gave Adam this choice. Adam was tempted and through temptation made a bad choice. Have you chosen to obey God? Do you choose today to disobey God while knowing that Paradise awaits those who obey? It’s a serious thing, my friend. It is a serious thing when we disobey a Holy, Just, and Awesome God. Given the choice between living in Paradise and disobeying God, Adam and Eve chose to disobey. Why?
My friend, satan’s purpose is to tempt us into thinking that his way is better than God’s way. Satan makes sinful ideas appear to be so good we do not resist! Satan woos many over to his ’side’ because we have an instinct to be bad. Many people say that mankind is born ’good’ and if we enlighten ourselves through our actions, we will spend eternity with God. That is a false teaching. We are all born into sin due to the action of Adam. Adam’s fall has carried over to all mankind and we are not born good. If that were true, we would not have to teach our children to be good. In reality, our children do bad things instinctively but it is the good things that they must be taught. In the end, we know that satan is not the victor. Christ Jesus is the final victor! The next time that satan offers up a temptation to you that seems just too good to ignore, think about Adam. Was the temptation, the yielding to satan’s sinful offer, worth being cast from the Garden’s Paradise? The answer is no. Rise above the temptation. Through Christ, who strengthens us, we can withstand all temptation.