War In Your Heart # 13

Defeat Through the First Man in Eden (continued)

God's First Man in Eden (continued)

The test involved not only his personal relationship to God but also his dominion over the earth. The forbidden tree was part of the earth which was under his dominion. Within the boundary of God's will he could do with God's creation as he chose. But of one specified tree he might not eat; a limitation was placed upon his dominion power. Would he willingly keep the position of a subordinate to the Sovereign? Or would he usurp dominion for self and act independently?

Humanity's Black Week

A few years ago Walter Lippmann in his column "Today and Tomorrow" wrote under the caption Black Week: "During this past week we have come to the point where it is no longer a theoretical possibility that we may fail to make peace. We are at the dividing line where it is easier to fail than it will be to succeed, where the chances of war are in sober truth greater than than the chances of peace. We are at that line in our relations with the Soviet Union where, though there is as yet no formal diplomatic rupture, the process of diplomatic negotiation is believed in less and less seriously. Among great powers this is a most critical point. We are at that line. We have not crossed it. But we are right at it. If we drift across it, or are pushed and pulled across it, we are on the downward slope where at the bottom is the world-wise international and civil war."

Black Week - In Eden

God gave the test. Adam stood at the dividing line in his relationship to God. It meant clear-cut subordination to God's authority and subjection to His will through obedience, or insubordination to God's sovereign will through disobedience. Adam was right at the dividing line. If he crossed it, he would be on the downward slope, where at the bottom would be hell, not only for himself but also for the whole human race latent in him. Adam crossed the dividing line. Adam ate the forbidden fruit. Adam disobeyed.

The Cause of the Defeat in Eden

To every thinking person there must come this question, "How could Adam ever have crossed that dividing line? With all his own personality and in his environment favoring complete and joyous obedience to and dependence upon God, from what source could temptation to self-will have come? If it did not come from within it must have come from without. From whence did it come?" Our Lord answers the question. "An enemy hath done this" (Matthew 13:28).

We have seen already that there was but one enemy in God's universe, satan, the devil.  We have also seen what he is as the archapostate and the archtraitor of the ages. In Eden we see him at work as the archtempter and the tactics he employs. The Word discloses clearly what they are: "wiles" (Ephesians 6:11); "snares" (2 Timothy 2:26); "devices" (2 Corinthians 2:11); "beguiling and subtlety" (2 Corinthians 11:3). In his attack upon Adam and Eve he used them all.

~Ruth Paxson~

(continued with # 14)