Pt3 KNOWING AND USING WHAT GOD HAS SAID/YOUR BIBLE
"Ave Christus, morituri te salutamus! "
"Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, 'Indeed, has God said, "You shall not eat from any tree of the garden"?' The woman said to the serpent, 'From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, "You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die." ' " Genesis 3:1-3/NASB
So we see that it is man's tendency to wander away from God while it is in God's nature to reach out to man and save man from himself (see part two of this post). If Eve misquoted God because she simply repeated what was given to her second hand (from Adam), then we begin to see a schism in Adam's relationship with God. We begin to see Adam possibly interjecting himself into what God has said, or we see Adam "mishandling" God's word due to misunderstanding, misinterpretation or forgetfulness on his part (forgetfulness is highly unlikely from a perfect man with a perfect brain). Irregardless of his motivations we see Adam "not following" as he should and if Adam added to God's word then there are consequences and/or judgement; see Deut. 4:1,2, Prov. 30:5,6, Gal. 1:6-12 & Rev 22: 18,19.
We must be careful and not misunderstand, this is not to say that Adam sinned against God by adding to His word - obviously the first recorded sin in the Bible is when Adam and his wife Eve chose to disobey God by partaking of the forbidden fruit - what is being said is adding to God's word may result in sin and definitely has consequences. Furthermore, what is being discussed is possible reasons why Eve said something different then what was said to Adam and the consequences of not knowing and misusing God's word.
Throughout scripture there are examples of the importance of following God's instructions, e.g.;
If Noah had not followed God's instructions on building the ark he (and his family) would not have survived - Genesis 6:13-22. If Moses and the children of Israel had not followed God's instructions concerning Mt.Sinai many would have died - Exodus 19:1ff. If Joshua and the people of Israel had not followed God's instructions they would not have defeated Jericho - Joshua 6:1ff. If those who were on the ship with Paul had not followed God's instructions they would not have all survived - Acts 27:1 - 28:2. In all these examples (there are many more) it was necessary for those involved to follow God's instructions without any type of deviation. When there were deviations (as in the case of Acts 27) there were serious consequences.
The point is simply this - we are fallen and consequently our natures are fallen. Unlike Adam we do not get to see God face to face. So God has provided other means for us to know Him. One of those means is His word. Therefore it is understandable that God places a premium on memorizing, knowing, and understanding His word;
"You shall therefore impress these words of mine on your heart and on your soul; and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. You shall teach them to your sons, talking of them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road and when you lie down and when you rise up. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates," (Deuteronomy 11:18-20/NASB)
See also - Joshua 1:8, Psalm 1:1-2 & Proverbs 2:1-6
Only through His grace and Holy Spirit can we practically apply His word to our lives, but if we do not read, memorize and know His word then how will the Holy Spirit help us to grow and practically apply His word in our lives?
We must be careful and not misunderstand, this is not to say that Adam sinned against God by adding to His word - obviously the first recorded sin in the Bible is when Adam and his wife Eve chose to disobey God by partaking of the forbidden fruit - what is being said is adding to God's word may result in sin and definitely has consequences. Furthermore, what is being discussed is possible reasons why Eve said something different then what was said to Adam and the consequences of not knowing and misusing God's word.
Throughout scripture there are examples of the importance of following God's instructions, e.g.;
If Noah had not followed God's instructions on building the ark he (and his family) would not have survived - Genesis 6:13-22. If Moses and the children of Israel had not followed God's instructions concerning Mt.Sinai many would have died - Exodus 19:1ff. If Joshua and the people of Israel had not followed God's instructions they would not have defeated Jericho - Joshua 6:1ff. If those who were on the ship with Paul had not followed God's instructions they would not have all survived - Acts 27:1 - 28:2. In all these examples (there are many more) it was necessary for those involved to follow God's instructions without any type of deviation. When there were deviations (as in the case of Acts 27) there were serious consequences.
The point is simply this - we are fallen and consequently our natures are fallen. Unlike Adam we do not get to see God face to face. So God has provided other means for us to know Him. One of those means is His word. Therefore it is understandable that God places a premium on memorizing, knowing, and understanding His word;
"You shall therefore impress these words of mine on your heart and on your soul; and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. You shall teach them to your sons, talking of them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road and when you lie down and when you rise up. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates," (Deuteronomy 11:18-20/NASB)
See also - Joshua 1:8, Psalm 1:1-2 & Proverbs 2:1-6
Only through His grace and Holy Spirit can we practically apply His word to our lives, but if we do not read, memorize and know His word then how will the Holy Spirit help us to grow and practically apply His word in our lives?
"Simul iustus et peccator"*
*Martin Luther
*Martin Luther
image source;
http://enchantedgal.livejournal.com/1450.html
original art by Kimberly Crick
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