MAN BECAME A LIVING SOUL:

When God breathed His breath into Adam he gave him an inner being that would live eternally. He also gave man the choice of where his soul will spend eternity.

Genesis 2:7. “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”

The soul of man is the only thing that we have been studying about in the story of creation that will last eternally. 

The Bible talks about a day when, “the stars will fall from heaven,” and also a day when, “the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements (atoms) will melt with fervent heat, and the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up” (2 Peter 3:10). The soul of man will endure the conflagration that will completely annihilate observable creation. Only the unseen world, the heavenly world, will remain. 

Jesus tells us how important the soul of man is and the value of redeeming it. “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”(Matthew 16:26). The Psalmist says, “For the redemption of their soul is precious..” (Psalms 49:8) He also says, “But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave: for he shall receive me.” (Psalms 49:15).

In the light of what we have read let us make an all out effort to save our soul. The soul is the spiritual part of man; it is given by God to everyone born into this world and returns to God who gave it when we die (Ecclesiastes 12:7).

Paul’s prayer for the Church at Thessalonica seems to recognize the fact that man is composed of three parts, Spirit, Soul, and Body. “I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:23). At the second coming of the Lord the soul will be reunited with a spiritual body at the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:5-54); (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).

God designed the three parts of man, Spirit (mind, mental), Soul, (spiritual), and Body (physical), to live in harmony. If too much attention is given to the mental and physical part to the neglect of the spiritual part, there is disharmony which leads to emotional and mental problems. To have full and complete harmony in our lives we must invite God into His rightful place in our life.

MAN’S FIRST HOME, A GARDEN, A PARADISE:

The creation of man and the establishment of his home seems to be what the story of creation has been pointing toward. Nothing could have been more personal than God Himself planting and arranging the garden that was the first home for man.

Genesis 2:8. “And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.”

Of all His works God only “created man in His own image: in the image of God created He him.” This expression refers not merely to the intelligence with which God endowed, and the immortality with which He gifted man, but also to the perfect moral and spiritual nature which man at the first possessed. And all his surroundings were in accordance with his happy state. God put him into the Garden of Eden “to dress it and to keep it,” and gave him a congenial companion in Eve, whom Adam recognized as “bone of his bones, and flesh of his flesh.”

Thus as God had, by setting apart the Sabbath day, indicated worship as the proper relationship between man and his Creator, so He also laid in Paradise the foundation of civil society by the institution of marriage and of the family.

One of the greatest thing about this home was the presence of God was in it. “And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day” (Genesis 3:8). I like to think that it was God’s custom and delight to walk about in the Garden home of Adam and Eve. God should feel at home in our parlor, den, bedroom, and be welcomed into our conversation and society. This is the only way our house can be a home is to have God, not as a guest, but as an occupant.

In many homes today people are so preoccupied with one another, their food and drink, clothes, comfort, and entertainment, that they lose contact with the One Who should be at the center of all decisions. Don’t neglect the Creator of the home, or it will become an empty shell.

Take time to ask Him to bless your food, help you make the choice of the clothes you wear, the places of entertainment you attend, and above all let Him talk to the family through His word. In His word you will find rules to go by to make for a happy home. And we find that these rules and benefits are still given by the Creator to the families who will live by His commandments. Every day let us pray, “God Bless Our Home.”

GOD COMMANDS OBEDIENCE TO HIS LAWS:

If there was no Creator, then you are the result of some accidental happing, having come from nowhere and on your way to nowhere. You are just a nobody with no ultimate accountability or eternal value. That is depressing. Praise God it’s not true.

Genesis 2:16. “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.”

In the beginning God gave only one law, or commandment to the human race, which consisted of Adam and Eve. “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.”

After the flood God gave two laws, or commandments, when He emphasizes the sacredness of human life, “a life for a life,” and not to “eat blood” (Genesis 9:4-6). Then 600 years later, God, by Moses, brought a code of many laws centered on the Ten Commandments which the people were commanded to keep.

God’s commandments are not to be taken lightly, because there are consequences, usually severe, to breaking His laws. Adam disregarded the consequences and brought sorrow and struggle on the entire human race. In the same way people are still breaking God’s laws and bringing sorrow, pain, and disappointment on themselves and on their family.

Sin is a spiritual disease that has been transmitted to every single person in every generation from Adam. It infects the entire population of the world and is the cause of all problems, of war, greed, hate, prejudice, cruelty, corruption, and all other ills that plague us.

What temptation is facing you? When you are at ease, relaxed, off-guard, secure, watch out, that ancient “serpent” called the “devil,” or Satan, is always lurking in the background, still as subtle, as he was when he approached Eve. He comes with lies and deception, tempting everyone to break God’s commandments. 

That is the way he approached Eve, when she was off guard and alone. Satan is easily recognized when he comes “as a roaring lion” bringing terror and destruction, but the Bible also tells us that sometimes he comes as an “angel of light.” Paul speaks of the “wiles of the devil,” and gives us instruction on how to battle him (Ephesians 6:10-18).

THE SERPENT'S DECEPTION AND MAN'S SHAMEFUL FALL:

We all are born with a nature that has a strong tendency to sin, our lives bear the “fruit” of sin through the choices we make—which is where sin started in the beginning.

Genesis 3:4. “And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 5. For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. 6. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, (she made the choice) she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

In John 8:44 Jesus tells us that the devil is a liar and the father (beginning) of it. This was not the first lie the devil told when he talked to Eve. Isaiah 14:13-14 tells us he said “I will ascend into heaven, I  will exaltmy throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.” These lies got him kicked out of heaven, but he didn’t stop his lying.

He deceived Eve by telling her, “Thou shall not surely die:” it’s not for sure, it’s a maybe. Also, “Your eyes will be opened,” “You will be as God.” You will have intelligence. 

“She doubted God’s word, she saw. she desired, she took, she did eat, she gave to Adam, he did eat.”

Notice the progression of the sin; the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, the taking hold thereof (she touched), the partaking of (she did eat), the passing it on (she gave to Adam), he did eat. That’s the way sin travels, it never stops till the end thereof which is death, death spiritually, and death mortally. 

Life is filled with choices. 
From the time we make the choice to open our eyes and get out of bed in the morning until we make the choice to go back to bed, our lives are filled with a series of choices. We chose what to wear, what to eat, who we see, who we talk to, where we go, what we do, what we believe, and how to behave in all situations.

Remember Satan is always on hand to help, or hinder, our choice. Our lives, reputation, relationships, careers, future, and values are shaped by the choices we make. Make every choice in the light of its eternal value and consequences.

ADAM AND EVE’S CONSCIENCE WAS AWAKENED:

The conscience is a most important characteristic that God has endowed each human with that was given to them to deter or forestall them from doing wrong. 

Genesis 3:7. “And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. 8. And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.”

The first thing that happened to Adam and Eve after they had disobeyed God was their conscience was hurt, In fact it tormented them.

They were not aware of this built-in mechanism which, until sin entered, was not activated. Satan had told them that their “eyes would be opened,” but he did not tell them of the anguish that would follow, the wishing, the aching, that it could be undone. Adam and Eve’s eyes were opened in a horrible way. They knew good, but also that they were separated from it. They knew evil because they were saturated in it. They knew good and evil (sin) in a way God never intended them to know—through their own experience.

Sin brought shame in their lives. 
Another thing they had never had before, they knew they were naked, and they were ashamed before God. Adam and Eve stood before each other, dirty in sin and feeling very exposed. They were ashamed of themselves and ashamed of each other, but that didn’t begin to compare with their feeling of shame before God. They were so ashamed that just the thought of having to face Him sent them into hiding and trying to cover themselves with fig leaves.

Have you tried to sew some leaves together to cover up your sin and shame before God? Leaves of good works? Of religion? Of Church attendance? Of community service? There are no fig leaves thick enough, or big enough to hide your sin and shame from God. The only thing that will cover your sin is the shed Blood of the “Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world.”

When your conscience is bothering you, thank God for it. Don’t smother your conscience or over-ride it until it no longer speaks to you. Listen to it when it speaks, and make restitutions to God and your fellow man. Your conscience is your best friend.

ADAM IS CALLED BEFORE THE JUDGMENT BAR OF GOD:

Adam and Eve were called before God’s bar of justice. This foreshadows the Great White Throne Judgment in which all men must ultimately appear to answer to God.

Genesis 3:8. “And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. 9. And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? 10. And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.

I would imagine that up until this day, whenever God would come into the garden Adam and Eve would run to meet Him like we did as a small child when our daddy would come home from work or wherever. Remember how he would gather us up into his arms and tells us he loved us and we would be so happy. That’s the way I imagine Adam and Eve would have felt. Surely the greatest joy of their lives had been when God came in the cool of the day to spend time with them, to commune with them, to talk with them, just listening to His voice, and learning from Him.

"I was afraid." The word ‘Fear’ entered the human language. On this day they were hiding from Him among the trees in the garden. They were afraid because they had un-confessed sin in their hearts and His coming was a dreaded event.

Are you hiding from God? Have you stopped praying and reading your Bible? Stopped going to Church? Do you tell your friends that your work schedule keeps you too busy when really you are hiding? Maybe you maintain the outward appearance of a Christian by going to Church, and calling yourself a Christian, when really your heart and mind is far from God. Aren’t you afraid?

Adam and Eve were overlooking the single greatest truth in the universe—God Loved Them. God knew exactly where Adam and Eve were. He wanted them to confront what they had done so they could set it right and be restored into His fellowship.

Is God calling you? Is He saying, “Where are you? I missed you in Church this week. Where are you? I missed meeting you for prayer this morning. Where are you? You read your Bible but with such a hurried and cluttered mind. Where are you?

Add your name here ________________. And come out of hiding, it takes courage to come out of hiding and into the Lord’s presence when you have disobeyed Him but it will be the greatest thing you have ever done.

EVE WAS GUILTY BEFORE GOD:

You and I are held accountable for the truth we have opportunity to know.

Genesis 3:13. “And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. 16. Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.”

Adam and Eve both were fully aware of God’s Commandment telling them not to eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Some want to offer the excuse for Eve by saying that God did not directly tell Eve (they really don’t know what all God told Eve) about not eating of the fruit but was told by Adam. According to her conversation with Satan she explained what God had said concerning the fruit, so regardless of who told her, she knew and was guilty before God.

Every woman who has born children has felt the consequences of Eve’s sin. Since the Garden of Eden women have suffered literal pain associated with childbirth. Yet as excruciating as the physical pain is, there is the emotional pain endured in the process of raising children. 

Their problems become the mother’s problems, every hurt, disappointment, rejection, failure, pain, or heartache they experience, the mother experiences to a greater degree. Untold numbers of mothers lay awake each night worrying and praying about their son or daughter. Yet there is hope for the human race in the fulfilling of God’s prophecy, “I will put enmity between thy (Satan) seed and her (Eve) seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.”

This prophecy has been fulfilled throughout human history in Satan’s repeated attacks on the Jews, God’s chosen people, and in the persecution of Christians, the Bride of Christ. This is also a prophecy of virgin birth of Jesus of Nazareth, Whose heel would be bruised by Satan on the cross. Yet Jesus’ death was temporary. On the third day He arose victorious from the dead, crushing the head of the Devil, destroying his power forever.

Its complete fulfillment is yet to come when Jesus shall descend from Heaven, with a shout from the archangel, and claims complete victory over the one who brought all the misery on the human race.

James & Mary Lee Thornton

www.Godsgrazingfield.net