FRIDAY, July 10, 2009                                                       READ: Genesis 3: 1 - 8                                                                                                        

THE MAN, ADAM CHOSE TO DISOBEY GOD

MEMORIZE: “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. She also gave to her husband also, and he ate.”         Genesis 3: 6

The Bible makes it significantly clear that sin entered the earth and the human race, when Adam chose to obey his wife’s insistence and disobeyed God’s command to him. God had made him the true representative head of the human race. God gave him the command, not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. It was a true test. It was part of God’s plan of redemption, for Adam to demonstrate, in the face of all that the enemy would bring against him, that as the crown of God creation, he could obey God, if he chose to. By his actions, he could bring glory to God Almighty. The angels had joined Lucifer’s rebellion and sinned against God. They had been expelled from Heaven. God intended to show that He was indeed gracious, and that He can get more glory from mankind, who were made lower than the angels (cf. Job 7: 17; Psalm 8: 4 - 6; Ephesians 2: 7; Hebrews 2: 6, 7). God knew ahead of time that, though he was capable of obeying, Adam would not make the decision to do the right thing, and would fail the test. How do we know that? Because of what the Bible tells us, that God made provisions for our deliverance even before the world was created (cf. 1 Peter 1: 18 - 21; Revelation 13: 8b). Through the divine plan, eternal salvation was provided for us, through Jesus Christ, even before Adam sinned and the entire human race was plunged into sin (cf. Romans 5: 12 – 21). What is sin? I was taught that sin is “any act or attitude, of active or passive rebellion against, or, resistance to God, or, to the revealed divine will.” The Bible identifies sin as: a). “… whatever is not of faith is sin” (cf. Romans 14: 23); b). “Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin” (cf. James 4: 17) and c).“… sin is the transgression of the law” (cf. 1 John 3: 4). Would you be able to identify how Adam actually committed sin against God? What if Adam had chosen to obey God? He would not have been charged with sin, and we would not have been made sinners. On the basis of that one act of disobedience God charged Adam and his offspring with sin, and as sinners. Had Adam put God first and not gone along with his wife’s insistence, God could have satisfied his need for a partner who was going to be willing to match him and be his adequate partner. But as we can see, he did not act in faith and did not trust God. He knew what the right thing to do was, and chose not to do it. God had made His will known in His command, and Adam chose to act contrary to it. When it is all said and done and we come to the end of all things, it will be made evident, that God, the absolutely righteous and holy One, was gracious and took the initiative to make sons out of rebellious humans and to bring “… many sons into glory” (cf. Hebrews 2: 10; John 1: 12).

PRAY:LORD, God and Father of our LORD, us Christ I give you praise and honor for Your plan of salvation. Thank You for the choice which You give to each of us. I choose Jesus I accept Him as my Savior and LORD. I will rely on Your Spirit and will live for You. Please help me, in Jesus’ strong name. Amen!