“Sin and Consequences and Believe”

January 3, 2024

January 3, 2024

Read Genesis 3, Psalm 3, John 3

Genesis 3 describes the fall of humanity. Sin is real and so are the consequences. People often make little of sin. We compare ours to others, we minimize our own and point the finger at everyone else. After God confronted Adam and Eve in the garden, the blame game started. Each one pointed the finger at the other. Adam not only blamed Eve, but he even threw some shade toward the Lord with “the woman you put here with me…” v. 12. If you have ever been around children, you know this is par for the course, but sadly adults do not respond much better. Each one had their own consequences, each consequence was different, but related to who they were and the role they had. We must learn to confess our sins. It starts with acknowledging that we are sinners (Romans 3:23) and we need to act where we cannot.

Satan is also real. Here he is disguised as the “serpent” whose sole plan is to mislead and cause doubt to enter the picture. The first four words from his mouth were, “Did God really say” v. 1. According to the latest Barna worldview survey’s, most people who identify as Christians do not believe in a literal Satan.

Four out of ten Christians (40%) strongly agreed that Satan “is not a living being but is a symbol of evil.” An additional two out of ten Christians (19%) said they “agree somewhat” with that perspective. A minority of Christians indicated that they believe Satan is real by disagreeing with the statement: one-quarter (26%) disagreed strongly and about one-tenth (9%) disagreed somewhat. The remaining 8% were not sure what they believe about the existence of Satan.[JW1] 

If Adam and Eve could not fend off the temptation of the servant what hope is there for us? Although we are like Adam and Eve; descended and designed in like manner we have hope. The solution for us all, one Adam and Eve would not see, was hinted at in the Garden when God pronounced his judgment on the serpent. “he will crush your head, and you will strike his heal” v. 15. A future single male descendant of Eve’s would crush the serpent one day. We know now looking back that Jesus was this promised deliverer.

In Psalm 3 we read a psalm of deliverance. David wrote it when he fled from his son Absolom who was trying to take the kingdom away from his own father. In the midst of trouble, David would call on the Lord and trust that God would be “a shield around me” v. 3. Even when David was in the minority and only had a few hundred men, when he was protected by the Lord, he was confident in God’s deliverance.

One of the repeated words and theme in the Gospel of John is the word “believe.” It is used 98 times in the fourth gospel and only 56 times in the remaining 26 New Testament books. John 3 is a much beloved chapter in the Bible. It contains John 3:16 where Jesus tells Nicodemus “that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Let’s not forget the grace gift that God gave to Adam and Eve in Genesis 3. He “made garments of skin” for them and covered their nakedness. The implication is that an animal had to be sacrificed to provide the skins for them. This was just the beginning of the sacrifices that would have to be made for everyone going forward who sought forgiveness. Jesus came to give us the ultimate grace gift by giving his life on the cross for our sins. Jesus death on the cross was the final sacrifice that was made for the sins of all humanity.

What else sticks out to you in these chapters? What words or phrases catch your eye? Add your thoughts below.

 [JW1]https://www.barna.com/research/most-american-christians-do-not-believe-that-satan-or-the-holy-spirit-exist/

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Posted by John Weldon

Satan as a Terrorist, Even A Sucide Bomber

January 31, 2010

I heard  a good line today in church.  The pastor said to think of Satan as a terrorist.   In the day and time when we are under attack from Islāmic extremists we might better look at Satan in a similar way.  In the battle between good and evil, Satan is the one who leads the forces of darkness against God and all those who claim the name of Christ.  If you know your basic Bible, you know that Satan has only a limited time left before his ending chapter is finished and the book is closed.  However that doesn’t stop him from trying to cause as much damage to the Christians and the Army of God before his time is up.  I would call him a suicide bomber because he will one day have an end to all his fun made up of destruction, heartache, and pain when he is placed into the lake of fire at the end of time as it is spoken about in the book of Revelation.

Just as a terrorist can not stand for the ideals and beliefs of America and those who are not like-minded, so Satan does not like it when we take a stance for the Gospel or live our faith in a way that is infectious, in a good way,  to others.  I think many people view Satan as just the care-taker of Hell, they picture him like the cartoon character with a tail, red skin, and holding a pitch-fork.  This simply is not correct at all according to the Bible.   In a recent poll, given by Barna research (see www.barna.org) only about 40% of Christians believe that Satan is an actual real person and not just a representation of all that is evil.

The truth according to the Bible is that He is real, the Bible talks about him in both the new and old testament, even Jesus himself talked and dealt with Satan.    Satan is not bound to stay in the confines of hell.  The Devil is alive and well roaming through the earth causing as much havoc as he can trying to take advantage of poor unsuspecting Christians and to cause them to stumble in their walk with the Lord.  1 Peter 5:8 says – “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”  

The last chapter in the book of Ephesians (Eph 6:11-20) talks about the Spiritual warfare that we experience as Christians.  Satan is the real enemy, we all need that reminder.  Sometimes we can think that our parents, friends, family members, and others are the enemy, but they are not, Satan is the real enemy.   There are those times when Christians who are not being feed properly with the word of God and who are not in a close relationship with God can be used by the Satan to cause strife, destruction, or hurt.    There are really only 2 sides  according to the Bible, you are either on the Lord side or you are on the enemy’s side.  There is no middle ground no matter how you look at it.  In 2 Timothy Paul encourages Timothy to be a good soldier for Christ Jesus and not to involve himself in civilian affairs, but to stay focused on the Lord and his job as a soldier for Christ. 

John 10:10 one of my favorite verses says “The thief (Satan) comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I (Jesus) have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”  Since there are only two sides, whose side are you on?  God’s or Satan’s?   You say you are on the Lord’s side, well what kind of soldier are you?  Are you a good soldier or would you be found AWOL (Absent without  Leave) when the Lord comes back.  We all need to be reminded from time to time  who the real enemy is and we strive to be the best soldiers for Christ that we can be.

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Posted by John Weldon