Has God REALLY said?

 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? Genesis 3:1

This is the first lie. Eve sees that the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and evil good for food and pleasant to look at (v6). Self realization dawns on her - here is something good, and God has kept it from her. Satan is right, God is keeping her from knowing what is good and evil. She could do this. She could know what is right, and do it.  She can steer the ship. Upward and onward. Sensual. Tempting. Immediate gratification. 

But once Pandora's box is opened, all the evil's of the world came flying out. I don't believe there was bad intention on Eve's part here, but deception. The wisdom of the world LOOKS good, but underneath it all is the question that caused her to look in the first place: Has God REALLY said? The devil, of course is a thief, a murderer and a destroyer. Underneath all his work is a lie. "When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar, and the father of lies" John 8:44. He questions God's character, he questions His very Word. Saints, nothing has changed. Satan still presents us with natural perceptions that would suggest God has missed the boat, that He is ripping us off, withholding something from us. What are some of these lies?

He challenges male leadership. Is is right that man, as he was first created, should be the one to carry the mantle of leadership? That the woman must always take a "subservient" role just because she is a woman? It's just not fair, is it? Surely God did NOT say this. God has made no difference between man and woman in Christ. And women have indeed been used to lead, even in the Bible itself. God must be just, as we understand just, so the concept that He makes distinction in the roles of men and women in both the home and the church makes no sense to the natural person. 

He challenges Devine Election. Poor Ishmael. He was actually the first born, wasn't he? What did he ever do to deserve to be relegated off the pages of the Bible as a mistake? Same with Esau. While sharing the womb with his brother Jacob, Jacob snatches away his birthright. So both he and Ishmael grow up under a shadow of resentment. A just God doesn't play favorites, does He? 

He challenges sexual orientation. For as long as he can remember, the gay person has known no other reality than same sex attraction. As far as he knows, he was created that way. Therefore, somehow we must set aside the Bible's clear warning about deviant sexual behavior. God must NOT have said that, because that would mean God is not just. 

All three of these are lies. In believing them, all three have been the root of so much evil in the world. But let's not be smug, saints. I can safely guarantee the devil has used some form of this lie, "Has God really said?" to challenge every one of us. The sins of this world have made it a place full of evil and injustice. Perhaps you grew up in a home where there was no father, or he was emotionally absent? And your concept of God is warped by this false image.  Or maybe a beloved grandmother died before her time? You prayer made no difference. God killed her. Fill in the blank. No one had perfect parents. No one came through to adulthood unscarred by other people's sins. Somehow God is responsible. If He is so powerful, why is there such suffering and sorrow in the world? The indictment seems so sure. God either is not all powerful, and cannot do anything to help us, or He just does not care. Thus the challenge. How then will we answer?

If anyone in history could have truly accused God of wrong doing, Job comes to mind. Externally he was as perfect as a human being could be. But he fell into ruin anyway. No matter, Job tells his wife. God gives, God takes away. Blessed be the Name of the LORD. His friends come to comfort him, which they did for a while, but then Job opens his mouth and essentially accuses God of ripping him off. He'd have been better off never having been born. His friends suggest (the nerve of them) that somewhere, some place, Job had slipped. And all his suffering was his own fault. So even saint Job, when confronted with the loss of his reputation, began to ask, "Has God really said?" Of course, God answers from the whirlwind, and Job rightly realizes that ours is not to question the Creator, but to instead trust Him. 

We will ALL face the whirlwind. When we do, where will we turn? If we try to reason our way out of the storm using our natural senses, the enemy will tear us to shreds. His accusation is irrefutable. His trap is sure. Certainly God is unjust. He messed up. Ad nauseam. The alternative? Answer him the same way our Lord did: "It has been written". End of story. We can know for sure our God is NOT unjust. We know He is in fact good, that He loves us. While we were yet sinners . . . He came. For us. In love. His Word is sure. We must trust that though "all around our souls give way, He then is all our help and stay". In this world we WILL have tribulation, but Jesus has overcome the world. When, in the face of every evidence that God does not care, we reject that lie and praise Him anyway, the stronghold of his lies comes tumbling down. And we will be even closer to our true home, that celestial city where there will in fact be no more suffering or sorrow, and every tear will be wiped away. Even so, Lord Jesus, come. 

Temperance

Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me, and to him that ordereth his conversation aright, will I shew the salvation of God. Psalm 50:24

Just what is "conversation", and how would we order it aright? This was a use of the word from some of the older versions of the English Bible. This does not strictly mean the words a person uses, although it includes this. No, it is much broader. This "conversation" is the entirety of how you live your life. It is not what you think you are, or what you would hope you are, but what you actually are known for. Off with the mask. Outwardly you might give lip service to God, but here is what God says: 

"And the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw nigh unto me, and with their mouth and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment of men which hath been taught them" Isaiah 29:13. 

The prayers might be pious, but the reality is that this is just a show. Jesus was not impressed with the religious crowd of His day. They made great outward shows of their piety. They may well have done what the law requires, at least to the letter. But they have not changed. Unlike Christian in Pilgrim's progress, they have not been to the Cross. They have never gazed upon their helpless estate before God. They are willing to go to Church on Sundays, but are not willing to acknowledge Him the rest of the week. Self is still on the throne, albeit wearing religious clothes. 

Well, this sort of conversation is not what God has in mind. He desires intimacy with man, and the heart, not formal worship, is foremost in importance. What might this look like? What doesn't it look like? How can we know if we love the LORD with "all our heart, mind and soul" or if we are just going through the motions?

Saints, we know. Where do our eyes cast their sight upon? Where do our feet take us each day? Unlike Christian and Faithful, Are we easily distracted by Vanity Fair? What we truly believe is revealed by what we do, not what we say. Gandhi said, "I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ". Ouch. Our conversation is the sum of the things we do, and the world will spot a phony like Gandhi did. A man's actions are the first test. Does he have compassion on the poor? Does he treat his wife with honor? Does he have time for his kids? 

Jesus tells the religious crowd, "These things you ought to have done", but they are not enough. You can do all the things the law would require, but still not be in the Kingdom of God. The piety the LORD requires is one of Love. The basic actions are a floor, not a ceiling. the mark of a true disciple will be the man who follows the Lamb wherever He goes, from devotion, to the end of his journey here on earth. Anything less than that falls far short. Let us then press on to a conversation the LORD honors.