Verse: Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Genesis 3:1-5
This is the first temptation and sin recorded in the Bible. Only three chapters in and man has already fallen into sin and doomed the entire human race. Adam blames Eve who then blames the serpent, but it does not matter Adam had to take ownership as the leader. This is why there is sin in this world. When people ask you, “If God is real why do bad things happen?” Here you go.
More than just answering that question Satan’s first attack or at least the first recorded one shows us a little about his relationship with mankind. He approaches Eve as a friend or at least as someone who appears to have her best interest in mind. He asks her about the tree and if God really commanded her not to eat it. He is not brut or blunt in any way, rather as verse 1 states he is crafty.
He challenges her with a “Did God really say” and from there takes her down a trail that sounds like what our culture would call, “Self-love” or “self-fulfillment” but in reality, it leads to ultimate destruction and separation from God. He convinced Adam and Eve that what they should want is what he wanted, to be like God.
Satan knows he cannot be like God. So, he sees man as God’s prized possession being made in His likeness. Because of this, Satan will do everything in his power to turn men and women away from the worship of the one true God and take them away from God for eternity. This is his aim, to have all the people of this world, or at least as many as he can, reject God and follow him to the place of weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Satan blinds unbelievers as the “god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4) and tries to deceive as many Christians as he can. We see this in our culture today all over. To use the debate of homosexuality, “Does God really say that homosexuality is a sin”. It is the oldest yet most effective tactic. Satan knows the word of God and its principles. He will twist and turn it to sell you a false Gospel so that you are comfortable believing what he wants, thinking you are a Christian.
If you do not know the word, he will lead you to destruction. He will promise that he and his false gospel can give you what he wanted, to be on the throne. If you follow him, and put yourself on the throne before God, allowing yourself to be “tossed to and frow with every wind of doctrine” you will buy the lie. You could end up like Adam and Eve when they came face to face with God and were naked and ashamed, so will you be naked with no robe of righteousness on the day of judgment. Know the truth and do not allow him to make you a casualty in for his pride.
Climb for His Glory,
John Cooper
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