To those who will receive this message, I echo the words of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, when he had opened the ears of the deaf in Mark 7:34: “Ephphatha, that is, Be opened.” And in this, not the ears set on your head, but the ears of your heart, and of your spirit– Be opened, and be not hardened against the message I have for you today. Let this also serve as my personal testimony as to why I believe that the King James Bible is the perfectly preserved Word of God and final authority in the English translations. God bless.
We're all familiar with the story of Adam and Eve and their disobedience to God which resulted in a mortal death sentence for all mankind. You've probably read it or heard some version of it being referenced at church or on television, perhaps with some variances. It's easy to get comfortable with a story that we've heard so many times and want to skip ahead or skim over certain parts because we're so sure we already have a perfect understanding of it. What I write to you today will perhaps challenge just how well you think you know that story, and the hidden subtleties of those famous verses in Genesis that so many people -- believers and non alike -- might miss.
I think perhaps the most accepted rendition of the story goes something like this: God created the heavens and the earth, then Adam and Eve, and placed them in the midst of the Garden of Eden where all manner of sustenance and eternal life was available to them, that God might have someone with which to bestow His care and lovingkindness, and have fellowship with and be loved by that which He had created. He gave them all things of the Garden to eat of freely, without their needing to labor to obtain it, and He also gave them one singular command that became the ultimate test of their freewill, that, should they diligently choose to reverence God's words to obey this one commandment, then they would abide forever in splendor and communion with God and never suffer mortality.
Most versions of this story will go on to tell us that mankind fell from grace because the serpent, possessed of Satan, came along and tempted Eve to disobey and to eat of that one forbidden tree, the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, and thus a lot of people went on to conclude that it was Eve who was first and foremost responsible for the transgression. You’ve probably heard people joke that if it hadn’t been for a woman, we would all still be in the Garden of Eden, and yet, when we get to the New Testament, Paul tells us in Romans that it was Adam’s transgression that led us here.
12 Wherefore as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin: and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: 13 (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law, 14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come. Romans 5:12-14
So let’s take a closer look at what Scripture says back in Genesis, and be reminded of the subtlety of the serpent, which is our first clue that something else is going on here beyond what we see on the surface. Read these verses carefully and see if you can catch onto the underlying deceit:
15 And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. Genesis 2:15-17
21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; 22 And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. 23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Genesis 2:21-23
Can you see where I’m going with this yet? Did you notice that God gave the commandment to Adam before He created Eve? Let’s read a little further:
1 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? 2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: 3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. Genesis 3:1-3
Did you catch it? Did you see what Eve did? Compare the answer she gave the serpent with the original commandment that God gave to Adam – and also consider that, since God did not create the woman until after He had given the commandment to the man, that must mean that Adam was left responsible for passing on the instruction to Eve, and in the midst of doing that, he must have been a little careless with God’s words, because Eve tells the serpent that not only can they not eat of it, but to even touch it would result in death. Someone here added unto God’s words, and that opened the door for Satan to manipulate the woman’s understanding and tempt her into eating that forbidden fruit.
It may seem like a small offense, but those of you who are parents, when you give an instruction or rule to your child, knowing that it is for their own good and for their safety, do you not expect them to follow it to the letter? Because you probably know that children especially seem naturally adept at finding loopholes. Since we know from the verse in Romans that it was by Adam’s transgression that sin entered into the world, but it was Eve who first ate of the fruit and then offered it to the man, that must mean that the transgression itself wasn’t in the eating of the fruit, but in changing God’s Word, which created the loophole that Satan used to manipulate and exploit them into damnation.
Let’s put ourselves in Eve’s position for just a moment. Here she is, thinking that if she were to even touch the forbidden fruit of this tree that she would die – and probably assumed that it would be an immediate death. How was she to know any better? The first man and woman were simple in their understanding, much like our own children, who are experiencing everything for the very first time and must look to their parents to provide them with structure and rules to keep them safe. Eve’s mind could not conceive that the death God spoke of wasn’t instantaneous, so by her reasoning (and Satan’s cunning use of half-truths) when she touched that fruit and nothing bad happened to her, she probably thought that God had lied to her and the serpent was right, God just didn’t want them to be equal to Him in knowledge. And that probably made her feel a little indignant, and moreover, she then believed in the serpent’s words over God’s.
To make this all a bit more relatable, think about this scenario. You are out in the garden with your child and they see a bee. They are immediately fascinated and curious by this beautiful little bee, and so delighted by it that they decide to try to catch it. But as their parent, knowing that the bee could sting them and cause them harm, you forbid them to touch it. Upset, your child asks you, Why? And maybe you could explain the reasoning in depth, but knowing that they are a child and unable to retain a full understanding of the world and all the possible consequences of trying to catch this bee, you simply say, Because I told you so, it will hurt you. This explanation may satisfy the child in the moment, but as you continue in the garden your child observes the bee landing harmlessly on another animal or person, and all of a sudden in their mind they think you’ve lied to them, because that person didn’t seem to be hurt at all by touching the bee, so they think to themselves that you were just keeping them from having it. When Eve touched the fruit of the tree and nothing immediately bad seemed to happen, she likewise reasoned to herself that God was just being selfish, for she had no other experience or perception of the world she had just been brought into.
NOW you can understand why God warns us about that subtlety! It’s a warning that we should pay close attention to what really went on in that garden, because it wasn’t something obvious at first glance. Take a moment to absorb the true gravity of altering the Word of God, what it meant for all mankind, and how our adversary was able to trick us because of it. This is why we are then repeatedly instructed to keep His Word diligently:
Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you. Deuteronomy 4:2
Ye shall diligently keep the commandments of the LORD your God, and his testimonies, and his statutes, which he hath commanded thee. Deuteronomy 6:17
Some will argue that “keeping” the commandments means to do them, but the difference in keeping and doing is noted in Nehemiah:
But if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; Nehemiah 1:9
It’s clear from this verse that ‘keep’ and ‘do’ have separate meanings, and in this case, to keep God’s Word is to preserve and protect it. Paul often touches on this subject in the New Testament as well, which I will address more in Part 2, but he speaks of his own carefulness in the handling of God’s Word in 2 Corinthians:
1 Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not; 2 But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. 2 Corinthians 4:1-2
There is much more to be said about the importance of giving reverence to God’s Word and how dangerous it is to add or remove anything from it, which I will expand on in my next entry, along with how God uses kings to fulfil His purposes. For now, I leave you with these thoughts, and with the earnest hope that God will lead you to a full understanding of this matter. Thank you for taking the time to read this message, and I hope you will return to read my conclusion on the subject in Part 2.
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