Message Title: Our Post-Eden World: Acceptance!
Message Text: Genesis 4
Probably my greatest discovery from our Genesis study thus far.
- Studying God’s creative work is powerful and inspiring, but I don’t know that I have discovered anything really new or so compelling that it has risen in my mind in great significance. And I was already completely sold out on the importance of understanding sin’s entrance into our world through the disobedience of Adam and Eve and the implications for our lives today. Foundational truth.
- But the truth that has so captured my attention is the introduction of human choice in good AND evil as the new, world-wide standard for ethics and morality. Free thinking that in reality is a prison of thought that disallows people from seeing past themselves to the truth of God. Wisdom that makes a person a fool, creates empty thinking and darkens hearts.
- The new standard says, “No God allowed.” Now you knew this, and I knew this, and the new standard is really the old standard, but we probably have not realized the extent to which it has filled our society and our world.
- A standard is the accepted norm; An idea or thing used as a measure, norm, or model in comparative evaluations; something considered by an authority or by general consent as a basis of comparison; an approved model; those morals, ethics, habits, etc., established by authority, custom, or an individual as acceptable; authorized or approved; something that is very good and that is used to make judgments about the quality of other things; widely recognized or employed as a model of authority or excellence.
- In eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, Adam and Eve set into motion this new world-wide standard for ethics and morality.
- God no longer is the only one with the voice of wisdom. Now we decide. That is the standard in our world today. There is a new sheriff in town. The mother of all criteria is: Believe whatever you want as long as it includes the holy grail of complete acceptance for everyone and no judgment for anyone. With some, it is believe whatever you want; just don’t believe God. And, if you do believe in God, demand that he accept whatever you offer to him.
- This is what Cain did.
