Gtcotr/ss111614
Have
you ever wondered: “Why am I being punished for something someone
else did?” I didn’t eat that apple in the Garden of Eden … why
do I have to suffer? If only Adam and Eve hadn’t sinned we wouldn’t
have all these do’s and don’ts to worry with … we could do
whatever we wanted.
Genesis
2 NKJV
7
And the LORD God formed man of
the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of
life; and man became a living being.
8
The LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the
man whom He had formed.
9
And out of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow that is
pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was
also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of
good and evil.
We
understand that God initially created everything with a quality of
maturity, including Adam. (God did not birth Adam but created him;
plants before seeds; birds before eggs; cows before calves; &
mature adults first)
The
first words the Bible records that God spoke to Adam were instructive
in nature. It was prior to Eve being created. The conversation
included a prohibition on eating from the tree of the knowledge of
good and evil. This command understandably fell on mature ears and
came to a mind capable of comprehending both the potential offense
and the resulting affect.
15
Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to
tend and keep it.
16
And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of
the garden you may freely eat;
17
"but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall
not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die."
Even
though Adam was perfect and lived in a perfect world prior to the
fall, yet he was still subject the guiding authority of God and
expected to obey God’s Word. Adam did not see this as an unfair
arrangement or something to be struggled against. He understood and
no doubt appreciated his place with God and God’s place in his
life. There was an established order and clear expectations. Simply
put, God expected perfect Adam to obey.
In this
perfect Garden of Eden before the fall of mankind and before sin, man
was not free to go about doing anything he wanted but was expected to
serve the wishes and fulfill the commands of His Creator. Adam was
expected to play his part in God’s unfolding Master Plan.
We also
should not consider it unfair to live under the authority and
governance of God’s Word. He has given us instructions for life to
guide, guard and govern us towards His will and purpose. Father
knows best!
It is
reasonable to be told what to do and what not to do, even when we are
currently doing nothing wrong. Life was filled with do’s and don’ts
long before the fall of man. Even
a perfect world requires obedience.
In the
midst of perfection there must still be order and expectation … how
much more in the midst of the imperfection we see in this world!
The
first sin was not the result of moral deprivation or a torturous or
murderous intent, no … rather the first, and arguably the greatest
sin was a single individual’s failure to obey a simple command God
had clearly given – “do not eat from the tree of the knowledge of
good and evil”. This failure to follow simple instructions caused
all of the problems we have on planet earth today. Disobeying God’s
Word was then and now still is the single greatest temptation known
to man. Every child of God is tempted.
There
are a few common reasons why God’s children don’t obey His Word:
- We don’t want to
- We want to do something else
- We don’t know it or forget about it
- We don’t see it as that big of a deal
- We don’t believe it is right or maybe we believe it’s not right for us
- We don’t imagine anything is going to happen to us as a result
Even in
a perfect world, the perfect life still requires we follow
instructions. The greatest power and the most peace you will ever
experience comes from following the clear instructions given to us by
God. Conversely, the greatest troubles come to our lives when we
stray from the Word of God and live outside of His will. What does
God expect from His children?
- We are to love God more than we do ourselves.
Mark
12:30 ’And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart,
with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’
This is
the first commandment.
- We are to love others as much as we do ourselves.
Mark
12:31 "And the second, like it,
is
this: ’You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no
other commandment greater than these."
In
order to live a successful life, even a perfect person must follow
God’s rules! And, that goes for every child of God as well. You
see, Adam and Eve were really no different than you … they were
given choices and they failed … However, you don’t have to follow
their example … you can be successful! That’s right … God has
given you the potential to correct the horrible mistake made by Adam
and Eve in their perfect world. You have a God given opportunity to
be successful where Adam and Eve failed.
Here
are Five
Steps to Success
in this Imperfect World
- Believe that Father knows best.
- Refuse temptations to compromise your life by making selfish decisions.
- Challenge your choices and check your motives.
- Search the Bible for answers to the daily questions of life.
- Pray to God for the strength and good sense to obey His Word.
Herein
is the Gospel:
- Father God knows best
- Jesus reveals the Father’s will
- The Holy Spirit gives us power to do God’s will
