Hidden (Krypto) Treasures

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Tag: Chief of sinners

The sins of Eve (and most of the world today)

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On June 17, 2013

In Christian, Genesis, Through the Bible

What were the sins of Eve?

God commanded the man, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat of it: for in the day that you eat of it, you shall surely die.” (Genesis 2:16-17). When the Devil was deceiving Eve, he asked her, “Did God say, you should not eat of every tree of the garden?”. Eve responded to the Devil, “We may eat of the fruit of every tree of the garden, but the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God said, you shall not eat of it, nor shall you touch it, lest you will die.”

Note the differences between what God said and how Eve responded. Eve omitted the words “freely” and “surely” from God’s command, added the words “nor shall you touch it” and changed the words of God from “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” to “the tree which is in the middle of the garden.” Now why is this important? First and foremost, Eve sinned by directly contradicting what is recorded in the Scripture that one must not add nor take away (omit) any words from what God has said (Revelation 22:18-19). Secondly, she even changed what God had commanded. The fruit of the tree that was forbidden was the tree of knowledge of good and evil, but by Eve changing that to the tree that is in the middle of the garden, she added to the forbidden tree, the tree of life as well, for the tree of life  was also in the middle of the garden (Genesis 2:9).

Points to ponder:
What is good and what is evil? The famous clothing brand, “Life is good” has in a message to tell. Life is good and eternal life in Jesus Christ is certainly indescribably good. While physical death is natural, eternal separation from God, which is eternal death, is spiritual and of evil. Jesus Christ, the Tree of Life, is in the middle of God’s paradise (garden) and he is not forbidden to anyone, including the vilest of sinners (of whom I consider myself to be the chief), but the Devil and the world keep trying to keep Jesus out of our reach (2 Corinthians 4:4; James 4:4). Like Eve, let us not add or remove anything from what God has lavished upon us through his word (the Scripture – 2 Timothy 3:16) and The WORD (Jesus Christ – John 1:1). Jesus plus something or someone else is from the evil one for there is no other name given to man under heaven or earth by which man can be saved (Acts 4:12); Everything minus Jesus is from the evil one as well. Let our yes be yes and our no be no, for whatsoever comes more than these is of evil (Matthew 5:37). Furthermore, let us not foolishly be beguiled into adding Jesus Christ, the Tree of Life, to that which is forbidden, lest we shall surely die. Jesus Christ, the Tree of Life is freely given to all and those who believe in him will have surely be with him (Luke 23:43) but those who reject him, refusing to believe in him, will surely die (John 8:24).

Genesis 2:16-17 (KJV)
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

Genesis 3:2-3 (KJV)
2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:
3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.

Genesis 2:9 (KJV)
9 And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Revelation 22:18-19 (KJV)
18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

Give Thanks – For enduring mercy

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On November 25, 2011

In Christian

When a prisoner on death row was brought before the judge for trial, he was extremely afraid, regarding the verdict he was to receive. The judge perceiving his anxiety tried to alleviate his fear by saying, “Don’t worry young man, you will be tried fairly and will have justice today!”. To this the prisoner responded, “It is not justice that I need, it is mercy.”

Many of us like this prisoner, who have been in the bondage of sin, and on death row (Romans 6:23), don’t need justice, but Mercy. Thanks be to God, who remembered us in our low estate and redeemed us (Psalm 136:23-24) for His Mercy is everlasting; it endures forever. The vilest offender and the greatest sinner in the world, is not out of the scope of God’s mercy as long as they believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, on whom God’s wrath and justice was poured so that we all could receive God’s mercy. It is because of God’s mercy that we don’t get what we rightfully deserve and consumed (Lamentation 3:22).

O perfect redemption, the purchase of blood,
To every believer, the promise of God;
The vilest offender who truly believes,
That moment from Jesus a pardon receives.

It is not justice, but mercy we need and we need to Give Thanks to God for His mercy is not only new every morning (Lamentation 3:22-23), but that it endures forever (Psalm 136). O Give thanks to the LORD, for his mercy endures for ever, Give thanks to the God of gods, for his mercy endures forever, Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his mercy endures for ever … (Psalm 136:1-3)

Psalm 136:1-26 (KJV)
1 O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
2 O give thanks unto the God of gods: for his mercy endureth for ever.
3 O give thanks to the Lord of lords: for his mercy endureth for ever.
4 To him who alone doeth great wonders: for his mercy endureth for ever.
5 To him that by wisdom made the heavens: for his mercy endureth for ever.
6 To him that stretched out the earth above the waters: for his mercy endureth for ever.
7 To him that made great lights: for his mercy endureth for ever:
8 The sun to rule by day: for his mercy endureth for ever:
9 The moon and stars to rule by night: for his mercy endureth for ever.
10 To him that smote Egypt in their firstborn: for his mercy endureth for ever:
11 And brought out Israel from among them: for his mercy endureth for ever:
12 With a strong hand, and with a stretched out arm: for his mercy endureth for ever.
13 To him which divided the Red sea into parts: for his mercy endureth for ever:
14 And made Israel to pass through the midst of it: for his mercy endureth for ever:
15 But overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red sea: for his mercy endureth for ever.
16 To him which led his people through the wilderness: for his mercy endureth for ever.
17 To him which smote great kings: for his mercy endureth for ever:
18 And slew famous kings: for his mercy endureth for ever:
19 Sihon king of the Amorites: for his mercy endureth for ever.
20 And Og the king of Bashan: for his mercy endureth for ever:
21 And gave their land for an heritage: for his mercy endureth for ever:
22 Even an heritage unto Israel his servant: for his mercy endureth for ever.
23 Who remembered us in our low estate: for his mercy endureth for ever:
24 And hath redeemed us from our enemies: for his mercy endureth for ever.
25 Who giveth food to all flesh: for his mercy endureth for ever.
26 O give thanks unto the God of heaven: for his mercy endureth for ever.

La vita è bella

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On March 5, 2010

In Christian, Movie Motions

There are some movies that leave an indelible impression in one’s life and I must admit that La vita è bella (translated Life is Beautiful) more than foots the bill in mine. An unforgettable fable that proves love, family and imagination conquer all is the story of la vita è bella. Guido, a Jewish man who loves his wife dearly, gifted with an incredible sense of humor has to use that same quality to protect his son, Giosué Orefice in a Nazi death camp. Words can’t express the extent of the love the father had for his son and the very thought of this movie wrenches my heart and makes my eyes well up with tears. It reminds me as to what life is all about and that life indeed is beautiful. If you have not watched this movie, I reckon you do, but be forewarned that if you are any bit emotional, by the end of the movie, your emotions would have gone through a roller coaster, with etching effects, as did mine.

The movie begins with the son Giosué Orefice narrating as an adult the following –
This is a simple story… but not an easy one to tell.
This is my story. This is the sacrifice my father made. This was his gift to me.

As I wondered on what I can learn from this movie to apply in our Christian walk, it soon dawned on me that we too have a story to tell. Each of us can indeed say “This is a simple story… but not an easy one to tell. This is my story. This is the sacrifice my father made. This was his gift to me.”

This is a simple story….
A Holy God created man. Man disobeys God and gets separated from God. God demands a sacrifice without blemish. Man cannot provide that offering. God comes to be with man in the form of His Son, Jesus Christ. Man rejects Jesus. Jesus the one without sin is sacrificed by crucifixion on a Cross on Calvary. The Cross becomes the bridge for man to reach God. God raises Jesus from the dead. Sin and death are vanquished with the resurrection of Jesus. Those who believe in Jesus will be restored into relationship with God and until Jesus returns to reign as King, God has poured out His Spirit, the Spirit of His Son, into the hearts of men and women so that they are separated not from him, but for Him from the world and its disobedience against God. The Bible says that there is simplicity in Christ (2 Corinthians 11:3).

but not an easy one to tell
The aforementioned story of a good Shepherd seeking the lost sheep; a Father eagerly awaiting the return of the prodigal child; a Savior seeking sinners (you and me) and transforming them into saint, the story of the Cross is not an easy one, because it convicts the hearer of sin, commands the hearer to surrender and challenges the hearer to sacrifice and we who like to be in control of our lives and everything around us find it always a challenge to say, nevertheless not my will, Lord, but yours be done (Luke 22:42).

This is my story.
A sinner who met the Savior Jesus, who with His amazing grace adopted me to be His son. This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. (1 Timothy 1:15)

This is the sacrifice my father made.
God the Father sacrificed His own Son, forsaking Him so that we shall not be forsaken. Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God (1 John 3:1). For God (the Father) so loved that world that He gave His Only begotten Son (Jesus Christ) that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).

This was his gift to me.
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23)

La vita è bella. Life is beautiful.

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