Gems In Genesis: Garden Theology 11 - What Gives Sin Life?: Minimizing God's Word

Back in the day there was a phrase my friends and I used to say that was to give strength and believability to a comment. Whenever we would make a statement and wanted everyone to know that we meant what we said and or what we said was true we would end by saying, "word is bond!" In essence, "you can trust what I am saying as factual." We all know what it feels like to have our word questioned when we are certain that we are telling the truth and, therefore, we can see the gross arrogance being played out in the garden when it comes to the way Eve handled God's Word.

God's Word is true because God is true. My word is true because it corresponds to facts. God's Word is true because it reflects (emanates) from His character. My word is not me but God's Word is Himself. To question, twist or dismiss my word may not be appropriate if what I am saying is true but since I do not know everything that is to be known about all things it is possible that I can miss things or be mistaken. God, on the other hand, is never wrong because what He speaks is from who He is which is truth. it can also be stated that we only know truth because God is; that is, truth is not conditioned upon time and circumstances because truth is a reality that exists (existed) in God before time was ever created.

God's Word to man is true and, therefore, to tamper with this Word is eternally dangerous. The enemy knew that but Eve was indifferent to it. Note this exchange in the garden:

1 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’?” 2

And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 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’ ”(Genesis 3:1–2).

To the serpent's question Eve adds to God's Word when she said that they could not even touch the tree in the midst of the garden. The Lord did not forbid touching only eating from the tree. It may appear to be a small thing that Eve added the word touch but it was significantly and eternally cataclysmic! Her adding to the Word hinted that she believed God's word to be fluid and changeable, rather than sufficient and binding. The eating of the fruit was the inevitable consequence of Eve's dismissing of the Word of God.

We see the impact of this, not only in her rebellion of eating the fruit from the tree, but in the punishments that followed. This act in the garden teaches us that God's Word is never to be dismissed and or changed, even in the smallest ways because, to do so is offensive to God. Since God's Word comes from Himself and He, according to the Word, never changes (Malachi 3:6; James 1:17; Hebrews 13:8) to make any adjustment to the Bible condemns God to be a mere mortal and an object of indignation. Yet, there is more.

When we refuse to or fail to make time to study (read) the Word of God we are behaving as Eve did in the garden. It was not simply that she changed the Word but it was her indifference to it that was the reason she could change it. She did not care to get it right, to memorize it and, therefore, to be governed by it. So, when the serpent came and became to romance her she had little to protect herself with because her only protection wad God's Word which she had dismissed as being supreme. Many people protest Eve's act in the garden while they engage in the same distorted passions daily in their indifference to the Word. If you are not daily in the Word you are in danger of an Eve like attitude which will only end in you changing the Word.

Some will contest that they would never change the Bible because it is God's Word. yet, some of the same will have lifestyles that clearly oppose the Bible - the book which they claim to be true. That is garden theology because living opposite the Bible is proof that we believe it does not apply to us. Here are just a few examples:

• Homosexuality is a lifestyle that offends the Lord and yet, many professing believers condone it: That's Eve-like Theology

• Fornication offends God and yet many engage in this lifestyle: That's Eve-like Theology

• Adultery offends God and yet there are many who engage and wink at such a lifestyle: That's Eve-like Theology

• Hypocrisy offends God and yet there are many professing Christians whose lives are steeped in it: That's Eve-like Theology

• Gossip and slander opposes the character of Christ yet many Christians, who praise God on Sunday, cannot wait to pummel other's reputation on Monday: That's Eve-like Theology

All of the actions above, and more, are the fruit of claiming the gospel and dismissing its power. This is why Paul said to the Galatians,

6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and

are turning to a different gospel— 7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble

you and want to distort the gospel of Christ (Galatians 1:6–7).

Eve-like Theology is, as Paul said, reflected in those who have "the appearance of godliness, but denying its power" (2 Timothy 3:5). The truth is that we can only expect the works of the flesh (Eve like theology-Galatians 5:19-21) to dominate our lives when we are indifferent to the gospel we claim.