Adam and Eve introduced to humanity an age of reason based on a self-determined standard of good and evil. —>(Genesis 3:6 NLT) The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too.
—>(Genesis 3:22a ESV) Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil.”
Adam’s standard of reason doomed all humanity to a sub-standard life of failure as it opposed the word and the glory of God. —>(Romans 3:22b–23 ESV) For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
Adam’s methodology of reason and the resulting death spread to all people. —>(Romans 5:12 ESV) Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned.
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.
“I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless.” (Genesis 17:1 ESV)
And God said to him, “I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply. (Genesis 35:11 ESV)
I am El and Elohim …
Then he said, “I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid …” (Genesis 46:3 ESV)
Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! (Psalm 46:10 ESV)
Hear, O my people, and I will speak; O Israel, I will testify against you.
I am God, your God. (Psalm 50:7 ESV)
Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. (Isaiah 45:22 ESV)
I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, “My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose.” (Isaiah 46:9b–10)
For I am God and not a man, the Holy One in your midst. (Hosea 11:9 ESV)
Message: “Post-Eden World: Acceptance!”
Message Text: Genesis 4:1-5:5, 1 John 3:12, Jude 11
(Isaiah 9:2 ESV)The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.
(1 Peter 2:9 ESV)But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
The biblical doctrine of the depravity of humankind teaches us that we begin in the darkness. It is only against this backdrop of the blackness of sin that we understand the marvelous light of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Only in understanding fully where we were—in the darkness, do we understand where we are, and understand our call to the marvelous light, the glory of God.
No one gets called into the marvelous light from any other starting point than the darkness.
Message Title: Our Post-Eden World–The Image of God, Version 2.0
The Depravity of Man: Will the real you please stand up?
In the beginning we were created in God’s image. This did not disappear when we rebelled but it was tarnished and corrupted. Our physical beauty, our intelligence and our expressiveness are all reflections of God in his creation. Physical beauty doesn’t usually enter this discussion, but I mention this here because our physical appearance, beauty, design, athleticism, etc., do reflect God. The creation reflects the Creator in all these aspects. The artist is always seen in his handiwork.
Our ability to love, seek meaning and significance, be creative, invent, build, show mercy and kindness all flow from God. Our personalities are reflections of his image. A biblical understanding of depravity teaches that this is now all tarnished, as it no longer fits God’s ideal, but it is not absent. The “image of God” has lingered in all the generations of humankind, but we lost our intimate connection in the rebellion, when we deviated from God and his goodness. Our relationship with God was damaged beyond human repair.
So now we see why we still can find exceptionally good people in our lives who do not know Christ. They were created in the image of God. Depravity doesn’t mean that goodness was obliterated which I think is a point of dissonance with many people. Within limitations people can still love, be merciful and practice grace and goodness, even good works. People still perform acts of heroism and sacrifice even to the point of death.
But none of this can make us right with God. Depravity means that religion can never save us. With the rebellion came death, a severed connection with God, no efficacious remedies on our part to bridge the gap between God and us. This is why a religion of good works, stated or practiced, cannot bring you to God, but can bring you great confusion as you may see extraordinary examples of his image within that religion. Depravity means total vertical disconnect. However, even though we could do nothing to fix our problem, God could and did through Jesus Christ.
God intervened with his plan. We were helpless and hopeless, sinful, perverted, rebellious creatures. And at just the right time God demonstrated his love for us.
Why are bad people so good and good people so bad?
Bad people are good and good people are bad because we all are both bad and good. We are depraved, born bad to the bone and in the image of God, the complex mixture of the human race since the great rebellion in the Garden. We deviated from the course of God, veered from the path that God directed us to for life as he offered it.
And now we have this enigma to deal with as we look at each other. People who are supposed to be so bad are so wonderful. And people who are supposed to be so wonderful are … errr … well, you know … not so much.
How is it that your tattooed, beer drinking biker guy neighbor is such a good person? And that young lady who obviously didn’t sign the abstinence from sex before marriage covenant, how is she such a caring, understanding person? And while we are on the subject, why is my neighbor who makes no claim to religion seem to be a better person than many of the church folk I’ve known over the years?
Many pretend and live in worlds fashioned from their own perceived reality of right and wrong, good and evil, life and death. Create our own story so to speak. This approach has its roots in the original disobedience and rebellion of Adam and Eve as they ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
From then on humans have decided that they are well capable of defining life and pursuing wisdom apart from God.
And God gives us this choice.
In this pretend world, a person can believe that he is master of his fate, or she can profess to be captain of her soul, but there is a day of reckoning to come.
The account of this day of reckoning comes from the writing of holy prophets that God set aside to communicate to his human creation. The Bible.
And people can and do deny that the Bible is God’s word, or deny its authority or validity. God allows this also.
But none of the protests, none of the pretense, none of the defiance will matter when the Lord Jesus comes in judgment fury.
(John 3:16 ESV) For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
This verse gives the reality of life. The only reality that will stand the test of time and eternity. Believe in the Son of God and receive eternal life. Do nothing, don’t believe and perish.
Since Adam and Eve our world has been under the judgment, the condemnation of God. God has given us a solution, a resolution, to our problem. Jesus, the Son of God, had to come to this earth to die as our substitute.
So, again, choose God’s version of reality and trust in the Son of God, or live with the consequences of remaining the enemy of God living under his wrath.
This is the divine verdict: Light came into the world and people loved the darkness rather than the light.
A battle began about 6,000 years ago in the Garden of Eden. Humans decided that they didn’t need to listen only to God for wisdom and knowledge.
We thought we would be wise, but instead became fools. Now many are “playing chicken” with God when it comes to their eternal destiny. Spoiler Alert–God won’t blink! God says the way is narrow, in fact only one way to be saved from his coming day of judgment. And that is believing in the Son of God who he gave to be the sacrifice for our sin.
But the pretending continues … and the defiance … and the contention. Humans love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil. And most, it seems, even church folk, don’t want a holy God telling them any different.
The battle rages …
Here is a quote from Richard Dawkins:
The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully. [1] Richard Dawkins, The God Delusion, 1st Mariner Books ed. (New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2008).
Go ahead, Richard, live in your world. Pretend there is not a God, or fashion him to your liking or dislike as the case may be. But an hour is coming when your knee will bow along with everyone else and declare that Jesus Christ is Lord.
That is reality. Jesus Christ is Lord. Jesus Christ is coming again. Let’s live in God’s reality so we are ready.
