Obey God and RUN From Sin!

Now the serpent was more crafty (cunning) than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 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.’” “You will not surely die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as He was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” And He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” Genesis 3:1-11 (NIV)

Genesis 3 records the tragic story of the great fall of humankind, also called the original sin.  The effects of the great fall reached God’s entire created earth, including humans and animals (Genesis 3:14, 16-19). Thus, sin did not come from some defect in creation; God put the entire earth under a curse because of great fall of humans (Romans 8:18-22). What was the great fall? The great fall came from human rebellion against God’s first command not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:16-17; Genesis 3:3). “The Lord God commanded . . ., ‘You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die’” (Genesis 2:16-17, NIV). However, Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s clear command and ate from the tree (Genesis 3:6).

Since that first disobedience to God’s command, all humans are now born into a sinful and cursed world (Genesis 3:17-19; see also Romans 8:18-22). Even worse, all humans inherit Adam and Eve’s sinful nature – a nature naturally opposed to God and God’s moral law (see Psalm 51:5; Psalm 58:3; Jeremiah 17:9; Romans 5:15-19; Romans 7:18). “When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned” (Romans 5:12, NLT). In essence, all humans are affected by sin – our intellect, our emotions, our desires, and our motives – because we all naturally inherit Adam and Eve’s sinful nature (the tendency to sin and rebel against God) (Romans 5:12, 15-19). The Holy Scriptures are clear: “There is no one who does not sin” (1 Kings 8:46); “There is none who does good, not even one” (Psalm 14:3); “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23); and “if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8).

Since Genesis 3, the entire Holy Bible explains the true story of God’s gracious redemption – fixing and repairing sinful humans living in a cursed world. God first sought to repair humans by setting forth His moral law (e.g., the Ten Commandments), sending His messengers (the prophets) to turn people’s hearts to God, and then finally sending His only Son, Jesus Christ (John 3:15-21). God sent His only Son, Jesus Christ into the world to save the world from sin and the curse (Genesis 3:15). In fact, through faith and acceptance in Jesus Christ’s life, death, and resurrection, God offers us freedom from ALL sin and sins’ consequences (Romans 8:1) and we become God’s holy children (John 1:10-14). Because of Jesus Christ, we can trade our sinful tendency and judgment for Jesus Christ’s righteousness forgiveness (Romans 5:15-19). Faith and acceptance of Jesus Christ offers us humans the opportunity to be born into God’s spiritual family — a family line that leads to goodness, eternal life, and forgiveness.  Jesus Christ is “the last Adam” (1 Corinthians 15:45–49) and He brings salvation, deliverance, and life (Romans 5:12–21; see also Romans 8:14-17). As mentioned earlier, in the first Adam we were born to die but in Jesus Christ, the second Adam, we now have eternal life, God’s goodness, salvation, and wisdom. The apostle Paul tells us that “Christ died for our sins” (1 Corinthians 15:3) – without any distinction among our past, present, and future sins. The apostle Peter states “Christ carried our sins in His body on the Cross so we would stop living for sin and start living for what is right” (1 Peter 2:24, NCV). If we do sin, we can sincerely and quickly “confess” our sins to God and God promises to forgive our sins and cleanses us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).

Apostle Paul:  For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and His gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ. . . . For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and His gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ. Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone. Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because One other Person (Jesus Christ) obeyed God, many will be made righteous. Romans 5:15-19 (NLT)

Apostle John:  Dear children, do not let anyone lead you the wrong way. Christ is all that is right. So to be like Christ a person must do what is right. The devil has been sinning since the beginning, so anyone who continues to sin belongs to the devil. The Son of God came for this purpose: to destroy the devil’s work. Those who are God’s children do not continue sinning, because the new life from God remains in them. They are not able to go on sinning, because they have become children of God. So we can see who God’s children are and who the devil’s children are: Those who do not do what is right are not God’s children, and those who do not love their brothers and sisters are not God’s children. 1 John 3:7-10 (NCV)

Second Corinthians 11:3 states that the evil of Genesis 3 targeted Eve's mind through falsehoods, deception, and trickery. In fact, a true sign of evil will always display signs of lies, scheming, falsehoods, deception, half-truths, fraudulence, and trickery (John 8:44). Evil hates truth, honesty, and goodness because God is truth and goodness (1 Chronicles 16:34-35; John 3:33; Romans 3:4). God tells His people when they see signs or fruit of evil (e.g. falsehoods, deception, fraudulence) to RUN or flee (Amos 5:14; see also Matthew 7:15-23). “Do what is good and run from evil so that you may live! . . . Hate evil and love what is good” (Amos 5:14-15, NLT). Evil will always bring destruction, hurt, curses, death, and suffering (John 10:10). ). Evil comes “to steal and kill and destroy” while God comes to bring a good life (John 10:10; see also Genesis 1:31).

Moreover, evil wants people to question God, doubt God’s commands, and distrust God’s goodness (Genesis 3:1). Evil know that God is good and God provides for His people. God had already given Adam and Eve the right to abundantly or “freely eat” of all the trees of the Garden (Genesis 2:16). In other words, God has already given Adam and Eve so much good to enjoy in the Garden and provided for all their needs. For Adam and Eve’s own good and protection, God only prohibited or said “no” two trees:  tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:17) and the tree of life (Genesis 3:22-24).Yet, evil wants us to question God’s eternal truthfulness and goodness. God is always good and faithful (1 Corinthian 10:13). He loves us (John 3:16). God’s goodness endures forever (1 Chronicles 16:34). So, NEVER DOUBT GOD’S GOODNESS!  Instead we must be thankful and content with God’s daily provisions and goodness for our life (Matthew 6:11, 25-34; Philippians 4:11-13 and 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). As the apostle Paul stated “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. . . . I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through Him who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:11-13, NIV).

God does not want us to “covet” or be greedy (Exodus 20:17; Deuteronomy 5:21; 1 John 2:16). Greed or covetousness is idolatry. The apostle Paul said that greed is idolatry (Ephesians 5:5; Colossians 3:5). The things that humans get greedy for – money, sex, power, popularity and even food – can be little gods. When we feel depressed or sad, we turn to these gods for our comfort. When we feel happy, we give these gods the credit instead of the true and living God. Only God (Yahweh) must be worshipped, obeyed, and trusted (Deuteronomy 6:13). God promises He will never leave us or forsake us; He will provide all our needs (Hebrews 13:5-6; Philippians 4:13).

When Jesus Christ was approached by evil (Matt. 4:1-11), He answered evil’s lies and tricks with God's truthful Word (see Deuteronomy 8:3; Deuteronomy 6:16; Deuteronomy 6:13). Three times Jesus Christ affirmed, “It is written!” Evil wants to deceive our minds and sight (2 Corinthians 11:3) by “baiting the hook” with what seems good. But we can all defeat evil by using the spiritual weapons God provides His people (Ephesians 6:10-18; 2 Corinthians 10:4-5). We can all overcome evil and temptation by having faith in God, putting on the armor God provides (Ephesians 6:10–18), using the Word of God, praying for God’s strength and guidance (1 Corinthians 10:13), and by depending on God’s Holy Spirit. Adam and Eve surrendered to evil’s tempting offer (Genesis 3:1–7).

Apostle Paul:  Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere. Ephesians 6:10-18 (NLT)

The Holy Scriptures are repeatedly tells us of the blessings and rewards that come to those who do not give into evil temptation but obeys God’s command (see 1 Samuel 15:22-23; Psalm 40:6-8; Psalm 51:16-17; Proverbs 21:3; Isaiah 1:11-17; Jeremiah 7:21-23; Hosea 6:6; Micah 6:6-8; Matthew 12:7; Mark 12:33; Hebrews 10:8-9; James 1:12). Obedience to God and God’s commands always brings life and God’s goodness (Deuteronomy 11:12-13; Deuteronomy 30:1-20; Amos 5:14). Positive results come with obedience to God. Nevertheless, disastrous consequences always flow from evil, disobedience, and rebellion against God and God’s commands. So, “run away from the evil . . . . Try hard to live right and to have faith, love, and peace, together with those who trust in the Lord from pure hearts” (2 Timothy 2:22, NCV). Receiving God’s goodness takes an active faith and courage to do what is right. Run or flee evil and run to God!

All of God and God’s commands are good and for our own good (2 Timothy 3:16-17). We may not always understand the reasons behind God and God’s commands but we must TRUST that God has a good reason (Romans 8:28). So, we must live and walk by FAITH in God and God’s Words and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). Sadly Adam and Eve sinned because they were attracted to the fruit of the forbidden tree and walked by sight and not by faith in God's command. As we learned from Genesis 3, obedience to God and God’s Word keep us in the circle of God's goodness and blessings. All God's commands are good and brings God’s goodness to those who obey them (Psalm 119:39; Proverbs 6:20-23; 1 John 5:3). In fact, Solomon learned that the entire meaning of life can be summed up in two verses:  “Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey His commands, for this is everyone’s duty. God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14, NLT).

References

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Grudem, Wayne. Christian Beliefs. Grand Rapids, MI:  Zondervan, 2005.

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