Pt 13 KNOWING AND USING GOD'S WORD/YOUR BIBLE

"Ave Christus, morituri te salutamus!"

    T here are three obvious differences between the temptation of Eve and the temptation of Christ;

1. time and place,(Genesis 2:15, 3: 1-3, Matthew 4:1, 2)
2. who Eve was and who Jesus is,(Genesis 1:27, 2:22, Matthew 3:16, 17)
3. and Eve did not resist the temptation while Christ victoriously overcame it.(Genesis 3:6, Matthew 4:10, 11)

    T ime and place;
obviously Eve was in the Garden of Eden and her temptation occurred shortly after the Creation Week (first seven days) roughly 4000 years before Christ. While Jesus was in Israel during the Roman occupation. Additionally, Eve was in the garden and her temptation came before any sin, death, pain, suffering or the curse had entered it while Christ was in the world well after sin and all it's consequences had entered into it.
    W ho Eve was and who Jesus is;
Eve was simply the first woman created by God.  Christ is God, the Alpha and Omega. Eve was a created being while Christ was with God in the very beginning - He is not a created being.

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made." (John 1:1-3/NKJV)

    E ve did not resist the temptation while Christ victoriously overcame it;
scripture shows this plainly.

"So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate..." (Genesis 3:6a/NKJV)

"Then Jesus said to him, 'Away with you, Satan! For it is written, "You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve."' Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him." (Matthew 4:10, 11/NKJV)

    I t is this last difference that leads to further questions and discussion.

"...For by strength no man shall prevail." (1 Samuel 2:9/NKJV)

"Simul iustus et peccator"*
*Martin Luther

scripture sources;
Bible Gateway
image source;
sword

Pt 12 KNOWING AND USING GOD'S WORD/YOUR BIBLE

"Ave Christus, morituri te salutamus!"

    F inally, there is similarity in that Eve and Jesus respond to the temptation presented by Satan with what God has said;

"And the woman said to the serpent, 'We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said,...'" (Genesis 3:2,3/NKJV)
"But He answered and said, 'It is written,...'" (Matthew 4:4/NKJV)
"Jesus said to him, 'It is written again,...'" (Matthew 4:7/NKJV)
"Then Jesus said to him, 'Away with you, Satan! For it is written,...'" (Matthew 4:10/NKJV)

    T he need to use God's word in overcoming temptation is plainly shown in both situations.  Matthew Henry puts it best in his commentary on Matthew 4;

"Christ answered all the temptations of Satan with "It is written;" to set us an example, he appealed to what was written in the Scriptures. This method we must take, when at any time we are tempted to sin." (Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary On Line)

    F urthermore, the need to use scripture to interpret it self was briefly discussed in a previous post.  We see Jesus using this very principle in Matthew 4:7 when Satan attempts to twist and pervert God's word for his use;

"Jesus said to him, 'It is written again, "You shall not tempt the LORD your God."'"

    I n summary the following similarities between the temptation of Eve and the temptation of Jesus were discussed;

1. In both passages Satan questions God's word. (Genesis 3:1, Matthew 4:3, 5)
2. In both passages the temptation begins with the legitimate desire to fulfill a God given need.(Genesis 3:6, Matthew 4:2)
3. In both passages Eve and Jesus are "alone".(Genesis 3:1,2, Matthew 4:1)
4. In both passages Eve and Jesus use scripture.(Genesis 3:2, Matthew 4:4, 7, 10)

    N ext we will briefly discuss the differences.

"Simul iustus et peccator"*
*Martin Luther

scripture sources;
Bible Gateway
image source;
sword