Genesis 3:1 – Do Not Be Deceived

“Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden?” Genesis 3:1

In the Garden of Eden, God gave Adam and Eve one rule, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die,” (Gen. 2:16-17). The serpent deceived Eve, causing her to question God, and in her flesh she minimized the goodness of God and the freedom she had been given. She minimized the wrath of God, and the consequences of disobedience. She chose her desires over God.

The serpent is a manifestation of the devil, and his deception of Eve is where his work against mankind began. He was able to deceive Eve, who had experienced personal fellowship with God himself. Fortunately, the devil is not ALL powerful. The devil was created by God, his counterparts are fellow angels, like Michael and Gabriel, and although the devil is powerful, there is no counterpart to God. He was created “perfect in beauty,” adorned in precious stones to reflect the beauty of God, and with musical capability to worship God, but to think of him as God’s opposite would be deeply inaccurate (Ezek. 28:11-19, Rev. 12:7-9). In fact, Satan’s desire to be God is the root of his eternal punishment.

 God is all powerful, and thanks to Jesus, the battle between good and evil is won. It is up to us to choose the winning side by accepting Christ as our Lord and Savior, and choosing to obediently follow Him every moment of our lives. In our battle against sin, we have two advantages that Eve did not have. We have a knowledge of the enemy and we have been given the Holy Spirit as our guide. The book of James says “Resist the devil and he will flee from you,” (4:7). First Peter says “Be alert and of sober mind, you’re enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith,” (5:8-9). We are called to resist the devil, and when we do so in faith, we are safe in the arms of Christ.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, we thank you for offering us victory over sin when we choose obedience to you. In Your all powerful name we resist the enemy.