War In Your Heart # 26

Defeat Through the First Man in Eden (continued)

Consequences of Defeat (continued)

Acceptance of satan's lies and action according to them led to separation from God, who is both Truth and Light. The promise had been of greater knowledge, seeing into things which God was then depriving them of knowing. Well, their eyes were opened - to see their own folly, misery, corruption; to see themselves as castaways; their glorious position as sovereign gone, and their abject slavery to the great deceiver and liar. Yes, they had knowledge of their nakedness; stripped of all honor and glory; completely disrobed.

Alienation from the life of God shut out the light of God and plunged them into midnight darkness. In God's kingdom they had the light of life. In satan's kingdom they had the darkness of death. They were ruled now by the power of darkness because their understanding had become darkened.

Colossians 1:13: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness.

Ephesians 4:18: Having the understanding darkened ... because of the blindness of their heart.

In fact, as children of satan, they became darkness itself.

Ephesians 5:8: For ye were once darkness.

As there was not one spark of spiritual life in them, so there was not one ray of spiritual light. "In him was life, and the life was the light of men" (John 1:4). As the life went out, the light went with it.

Disorder within Themselves

By rebelling against God and acting in self-will, Adam and Eve became the possessors of a nature the very essence of which was enmity against God. They were at war with God. This inevitably produced civil war. They were at war with themselves. All was disorder within their human personality. That beautiful self, God's handiwork, had been put in reverse and God now called it "flesh." satan's handiwork is "self" spelled backward (and add an "h"), and on its way to hell.

Adam and Eve were out of adjustment within themselves. Sin had entered and now abounded, affecting spirit, soul, and body. In God's original purpose the human spirit, under the supreme control of the Holy Spirit, was to dominate the soul and the body, making them both subservient to it. But now death had entered the human spirit, severing it from the Holy Spirit, and thus rendered it impotent and robbed it of its control over soul and body. The law of sin began working in every part of the human personality, causing utter devastation and disorder. Shame and fear fought against pride and stubbornness. God became a terror to them and they became a terror to themselves. Sin in the flesh robbed them of all peace, joy, and rest. They were filled with confusion, trembling, guilt and condemnation.

Disarrangement of everything within themselves cause utter disorder. The sin that had set them against God had set them also against themselves. Each of these sinners found it difficult to live with himself. Have you not had the same experience?

~Ruth Paxson~

(continued with # 27)