ARE YOU A SINNER WHO NEEDS A SAVIOR? For those raised with a strong biblical foundation the answer to that question is an obvious, “Yes.” But since not everyone today knows the Word of God, and it is the only source of truth in the world, let’s start with what it tells us.
The Bible says that in the beginning God created Adam and Eve without sin. They were the first human beings, and the only members of the family of mankind to ever live on this earth without sin natures before they sinned.
[NOTE: About four thousand years AFTER creation, Jesus (Yeshua), the God/man, was sent by His Father to live on this earth without sin. He came with no sin nature and lived here without sinning for 33 years before laying down His life for the sins of mankind.]
Adam and Eve lived without sin for an undisclosed period of time in a paradise known as the Garden of Eden (delight). It was the perfect environment for them, created by their heavenly Father, Yehovah God. He provided for them extravagantly. Every day the weather was perfect. They had hot springs and cool pools for bathing and swimming. The animals were peaceful, friendly, interesting, and endlessly entertaining. The plants were beautiful beyond description, limitless in variety, and loaded with nutrition: vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, and leaves. Adam and Eve, as well as all the animals, were vegetarians. There was even a special tree called the Tree of Life. Its nutrition would keep their bodies young and healthy, so they would live forever!
Adam and Eve had everything good, and to top it off, Yehovah God, in the appearance of a man (later called the Angel of the Lord), came to visit with them every afternoon to show them He loved them. During that time, they expressed their delight in all He had created, and thanked Him for the provisions He had blessed them with. He answered the practical questions they had about daily living or anything else of interest to them, and He told them more about heaven, the angels, and the Godhead. It was a great visit and they eagerly looked forward to it.
Years may have passed happily. We don’t know for sure how long it was, but one day Adam and Eve went near the only tree in the world that the LORD GOD had forbidden them to eat from. The Bible doesn’t tell us if animals talked at that time, but Eve wasn’t startled when a serpent spoke to her, so it’s open to debate. Of course, she had never experienced fear before, so she had no reason to avoid the conversation. But the serpent confronted Eve with a strange, new idea. It was unexpected and she was naïve. And Adam, who was listening nearby, said nothing.
Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’” Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Gen 3:1-5
This passage is critical to understanding the world we live in today. I’m sure you have noticed our world doesn’t resemble the paradise it was before our ‘parents’ chose to listen to Satan’s lies and sin against the perfect, loving, Creator God, Yehovah. Sin broke their trust in one another and their trust in God. Sin brought death into the world and every kind of destruction and decay possible. God’s entire creation was corrupted by the sin of mankind.
Why did Adam and Eve sin? There may be several reasons, but the most obvious is because they had the freedom to do so. It was just a matter of time. Freedom freely given is never fully appreciated by its recipients. It was not until they lost paradise that they fully appreciated what they’d had.
But back to the process of the fall into sin. It involved temptation. Everyone should learn about this and be wary of its effect in their own lives. Satan’s tactics haven’t changed. He observes his targets, figures out their weaknesses, and tempts them in those areas. (Every man is drawn away by his own lust and enticed . . . James 1:14)
God instructed Adam not to eat from one tree in the garden. Apparently, Adam told Eve, and must have added the “don’t touch” command. Eve clearly knew what God told Adam and she told the serpent. But notice the serpent’s response. He contradicted the Word of God! He said she would not die! She was shocked and confused. Had God lied to Adam? Before she could process that thought, the serpent went on to tell her that she would be rewarded instead. Seriously? She was starting to wonder if God was trying to deny her something that was desirable? That’s not the God she knew but her lust for knowledge had been engaged by that point. To “be like God” couldn’t be bad, could it? How could knowledge harm them?” It was a subtle temptation indeed.
It is always dangerous to engage in a conversation with a liar. As soon as the serpent contradicted God’s Word, Eve should have walked away. All her experience with Yehovah had shown her that He was perfect in every way. But she lost sight of the truth as the conversation progressed. She’d never heard a lie before. She’d never experienced any kind of evil intent or action. And for some unknown reason, Adam stayed out of the conversation. The Apostle Paul says Adam was not deceived, so why did he not speak up? Surely if he had reminded Eve of the penalty and turned to leave she would have followed him. Could it be that Adam decided it was time for him to make his own decisions about what he could or could not do? Apparently.
The serpent’s lies influenced Eve to take a closer look at the forbidden tree. She noted that it was a strikingly beautiful tree. It was also loaded with good looking fruit that was good for food. But she had plenty of pretty trees to look at and lots of fruit to eat. The real draw for her was the deception that this tree was “desirable to make one wise.” Before the serpent altered her perspective with his lies, she hadn’t thought about needing any wisdom beyond what she could learn from her daily visits with Yehovah God. She already knew about good. Why did she need to know about evil? We have to assume that Eve was just curious, as we are today. And when it was brought to her attention from another point of view, she became fascinated by that tree. And even more so because it was forbidden. Human nature resists limitations, even those that are for its own good. She decided to take a closer look at that tree.
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 with her and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.” Gen 3:6-7
So Eve took the fruit (don’t touch) and she ate it (don’t eat), and she didn’t die on the spot (Adam saw that, and was emboldened to sin willfully). In fact, she didn’t notice any change at all. Possibly she told Adam, “I feel fine, but not any wiser.” And maybe she added, “The knowledge thing might take a while but at least I didn’t die.” So she handed some fruit to Adam, who was with her, and he ate it also.
Is this the beginning of women in the kitchen? Lol. A man couldn’t pull his own fruit off the tree? Or was it simply showing his reluctance to be responsible for his own actions? He stood back and let Eve risk her life to see the results of breaking God’s command before he did it himself. He also let her hand it to him so he could blame the results on her if things went badly. How do we know that? It’s the first thing he did when God asked him why he ate of that tree. Of course, by then he was a sinner.
So after both of them had eaten, verse seven says, “their eyes were opened.” An evil change occurred in both of them at the same time. They gained the knowledge of evil and died spiritually. Suddenly, they knew how bad it felt to be sinners! They had broken a commandment of God and knew they no longer deserved to live, especially in His garden. They were afraid to even see Yehovah God again.
Verse seven tells of the shame that accompanies sin. It continues with, “They knew they were naked.” Even though it was just the two of them, Adam and Eve were no longer comfortable being together in the big wide world unclothed. So they covered themselves with fig leaves. The leaves may not have been durable, or comfortable, but they were plentiful. And they could cover themselves without God’s help. (As long as they didn’t consider the fact that he created all their materials!) 😉
Yes, they could cover their bodies, but not their sinful souls. Nor the sinful souls of their offspring. And all human beings came from Adam and Eve. So we are back to our original question. Are you a sinner who needs a Savior? The answer is clearly, yes! God’s Word tells us the truth. Sin entered the world through the first man and woman in the Garden of Eden–but it didn’t end there. The sin of Adam and Eve lost the garden and access to the Tree of Life for all of us.
Why didn’t Eve drop dead on the spot? Because God created all things good! It wasn’t a bad tree, it was simply bad to disobey God. They both died spiritually that day and physically later on in the first “day” of what would have been an endless life.
But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that one day is as a thousand years with the Lord, and a thousand years as a day. 2 Peter 3:8
God had warned Adam “in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” Gen 2:17
Adam lived to be 930 years old and he died! As God had said they would, Adam and Eve both died in their first “day” of life, though they lived nearly a thousand years.
And Adam and Eve had many offspring (all sinners) who multiplied greatly on the earth. The majority of their descendants rejected a relationship with the Creator God, Yehovah, so that, in less than two thousand years from creation, so much violence filled the earth that God destroyed the wicked with a worldwide flood.
. . . then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continuously. Genesis 6:5
The sinful condition of all of mankind is confirmed in the New Testament.
As it is written; there is none righteous no not one. Romans 3:10
All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23
If we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 1John 1:8
Why is this topic of acknowledging one’s sinfulness important? Because if you don’t know you are a sinner, you don’t know you need a Savior.
Many today are overcome with the desire for knowledge, and much of it is the knowledge of evil. Have you been deceived into believing you are okay? Do you believe sin is an old-fashioned idea? Do you doubt you will really face the judgement of God when you die? Do you doubt Satan is real? And think Hell is a myth? Alas, those lies have been around for thousands of years now. And they are still lies.
Have you been deceived, like Eve, into believing you can and are becoming more God-like. That’s what led Satan into rebellion against God in the beginning. Didn’t work for him and won’t work for you. Like Eve, you have been created in the image of God and He loves you. If you repent of your rebellion against God, you can regain all the benefits Adam and Eve had in the beginning. You will be “born again” spiritually now. And you can look forward to having an immortal body in a newly created, sin-free world for eternity.
So why all the deception? Shortly after creation, Satan, in his beautiful perfection decided he wanted to be in charge like God. He craved worship. So, he corrupted himself (all sin started with him), became a traitor, and with lying subtlety he led a third of heaven’s angels in a rebellion against God. Can you imagine that? If he could deceive angels? What about you?
Of course, he was unsuccessful in overthrowing God, and YEHOVAH put him on probation with a restraining order. He has limited authorization to test individuals to see if they want to serve him, or YEHOVAH God. This allows everyone to make a choice.
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 1 Peter 5:8
He hates the Creator God and anyone who loves Him. Therefore he is out to destroy Yehovah’s Creation. He uses deception! Lies come from him, and belong to him. That’s why all liars will find themselves with him in the Lake of Fire for eternity. He is still at it today, but his probation time is almost up and he’s furious. Look around, he is working overtime to spread his lies. Jesus said Satan was a liar from the beginning.
You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. John 8:44
Eve fell for his lies and many today are too. His ideas are the doctrines of demons being spread abroad in the world today. New Age teachers, as well as prosperity gospel preachers talk about being little gods. Their teachings are damnable heresies. That means they will lead many into Hell. But what does the truth in God’s Word say?
Seek the Lord while He may be found. Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God for He will abundantly pardon. For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways, says the LORD. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts then your thoughts. Isaiah 55:6-8
The good news is that Jesus died for our sins. Just as God killed animals to provide clothing for Adam and Eve’s bodies. The shedding of the animal’s blood was showing Adam and Eve that, although they deserved death, their sin would be covered by another. They were told to look forward in faith to a Savior who would lay down His life for the sins of all men.
Eve was told that the Savior would come through her seed. She believed, and began looking forward to the birth of Jesus as she bore her sons. As did also the faithful women in the line of Jesus Christ for four thousand years, until He was born to the virgin Mary in Bethlehem of Judah around 2000 years ago.
Let me close with the best news. No matter who you are, where you are, or what you have done, Jesus loves you! He loved you enough to die for your sins. He wants you to live forever with Him in glory! No more sin, dying, sickness, sadness, strife! All love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. Fellowship with God and His great big family from all nations. That’s everlasting life!
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whosoever believes in Him may not perish but may have life everlasting. John 3:16
Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven, given among men by which we must be saved. Acts 4:12
If we confess our sins He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make Him out to be a liar, and His word has no place in our lives. 1 John 1:9
Jesus came into the world to save sinners. If you don’t know Him, cry out to Him today.
JESUS LOVES YOU AND HE IS MIGHTY TO SAVE!
TIME IS SHORT! Call out to Him today.
Justice Musings 