Daily Encounter: What Is Sin Anyhow? for Monday, November 23, 2009

"Now the serpent was more crafty 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?"'"¹

Most readers will be familiar with God's test to the first man and woman, Adam and Eve. God made it clear to them that they could eat of every tree in the Garden of Eden except for one particular tree. If they ate of this tree, they would die.²

To tempt them, Satan (appearing in the form of a serpent) said to Eve, "Did God really say that you couldn't eat of that tree?" The question seemed harmless enough but it gave an opportunity to sow a seed of doubt in Eve's mind. Tragically, Eve took the bait and the seed began to take root.

Then came Satan's lie which had in it an element of truth that made it believable and much more subtle. "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."³

To be like God is perhaps life's greatest and most subtle of all temptations.

True, Adam and Eve would be like God—only in that they would know the difference between good and evil. What Satan didn't tell them was that if they ate of the forbidden fruit not only would they know good and evil but they would also be left forever in a confirmed state of evil and, as such, be separated from God.

However, the essence of Adam and Eve's sin was not so much taking of the forbidden fruit. It was setting themselves up as judge between God and Satan. In so doing they put themselves above God—usurping his authority. This was the sin that caused their downfall. Taking the forbidden fruit was the outcome of this action.

To make this concept clearer, picture God on one side and Satan on the other, and see Adam and Eve placing themselves above both and deciding who is right and who is wrong. Absurd, I know, but this is exactly what they did. They set themselves as the judge between God and Satan. In so doing they took the place of God.

This was the cause of Satan's downfall in the first place. He wanted to be as God and said, "I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High."⁴

This too is at the heart of the New Age movement whose adherents don't talk about God within but "the god" within. That is; they put themselves on an equal footing with God and usurp his authority. They appoint themselves a judge of God and his Word. We all do this when we ignore God's directives and when we decide what is right and what is wrong, and what is evil and what is good.

Furthermore, when we choose (as far too many do) what to accept in God's Word and reject what we don't like, we do exactly the same as Adam and Eve did. We set ourselves up above God and make ourselves the final voice of authority—this is at the very heart of sin.

Tomorrow we will discuss the three major aspects of sin.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me to understand what sin really is, how totally devastating it is, and never usurp your authority in my life. Be my LORD, my God and my Savior—always in all ways. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

1. Genesis 3:1 (NIV).
2. Genesis 3:2-3 (NIV).
3. Genesis 3:4-5 (NIV).
4. Isaiah 14:14 (NIV).

<:))))><

The following comments do not necessarily reflect the views of Dick Innes or ACTS International. ACTS International reserves the right to filter out comment blog entries which might be unsuitable or inappropriate. Also, please keep comments related to today's Daily Encounter concise—from 10 to 12 lines maximum. And please click on the "Add Your Comment" only ONE time.

"I went to a Church for years, that preached it was a sin to watch TV. I never skipped church to watch TV, anyway, and never watched anything inappropriate anyway. I have always wondered about this.

Response from RWI: It is no more a sin to watch TV than it is to listen to the radio. It's what we watch and what we listen to and indulge in that could be sin if it is immoral."

--Muchele (America)
Mon, 23 Nov 2009 09:30:56 AM

"I don't believe that God told Adam and Eve not to eat of the forbidden fruit, because there was something wrong the fruit. If you read the whole passage, it says that Eve noticed that the fruit was pleasing to look at, and good to the taste, and something to be desired.

God forbade them to eat of the fruit as a test of obedience. He wanted to see if they (Adam and Eve) would obey Him. Of course God knew that they would disobey Him.

The test as I see it is a way of building character.

Thank you."

--George (USA)
Mon, 23 Nov 2009 08:34:25 AM

" The All Wise and All Knowing God never tempts His Loving Children, He has given us a choice in life and Living thus: life and death, darkness and Light Good and Evil Heaven and Hell . We dont have to play a blame game but trust and obey His command"

--Alfred (Canada)
Mon, 23 Nov 2009 08:29:40 AM

"Thank you for using this passage today, Dick. I have always been puzzled by WHY a tree was placed in the garden from which they were not allowed to eat. For many years, I have searched for an answer to this question in my own mind, and read through numerous commentaries. Let me pose a theory that at least has helped me accept my own limitations as a human. (This idea did not originate with me, but makes sense to me.)

What if (somehow, in another unexplained action) the fruit of this tree MIXED good and evil together, so we could not tell them apart? Because every text says 'good AND evil', not 'good OR evil', I think this idea has merit. Who of us loves God and wants to choose evil if we can tell it is evil? My belief is that we can't determine it on our own - thus the need for the Law. The Law is not subjective, it tells us right from wrong, regardless of our feelings about any given situation. It may not be easy, but it is simple.

Response from RWI: Hi Gayle, you are reading into the text what is not there. The tree in question is the 'Knowledge of good and evil' ... not good fruit and evil fruit. God used the tree as a simple easy-to-understand test for Adam and Eve. Would they choose to believe God and obey Him or would they choose to believe Satan and follow him? "

--Gayle (USA)
Mon, 23 Nov 2009 06:46:34 AM