Hidden (Krypto) Treasures

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Tag: Enmity with God

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.

Formed to Conform

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On April 24, 2013

In Christian, Genesis, Through the Bible

Genesis 2:7 states that the Lord (Jesus) God (Father) formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life (Holy Spirit); and man became a living soul. The Trinity of God was involved in man’s creation, and man was formed of the world (dust of the ground) but was formed to be a living soul and to conform to the image of God and not to the world.

Apostle Paul beseeched the church in Rome to not be conformed to this world: but be transformed by the renewing of their mind (Romans 12:2). Our minds need to be renewed to be like the humble and obedient mind of Jesus Christ (Philippians 2:5).

Points to ponder:
We were formed to conform to God’s image. We are not to be conformed to this world.
What are you and I conforming to – to God or to the world? Remember, friendship with the world is enmity with God. Am I a friend of God? Are you a friend of God?

Genesis 2:7 (KJV)
7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

Romans 12:2 (KJV)
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Philippians 2:5 (KJV)
5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

James 4:4 (KJV)
4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

Biblical Oxymoron :: Enemy Friend

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On February 26, 2010

In Biblical Oxymorons, Christian

The well known Arabian proverb  “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” is used to conceptualize that when two parties have a common enemy, then one can use the other to advance their goals. We see that this was essentially the case during the time of Jesus. The Pharisees and the Herodians who hated each other united to try to entangle the very Son of God, Jesus Christ (Matthew 22:15-16). We also see that a Roman (Pilate) and a Jew (Herod) who were usually at loggerheads became friends, when trying Jesus for no crime that He had committed (Luke 23:12). Sadly in both of the referenced cases, weak men of the world banded together against a powerful God. Now think of the situation as to how powerful we would be in advancing the apostleship granted to each one of us, if Jesus and us had a common enemy. We do. It is called the world.

Jesus himself said, that the world was his enemy, that it hated him when He exclaimed, “The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil.” (John 7:7). He also said that we will be hated of all men for His name’s sake (Luke 21:17) and when He prays for His disciples, He tells God, the Father that the world hates us (John 17:14). All of these verses affirm that the world hated/hates Jesus and the world hates/will hate us, Jesus’ true followers. This means that the world is at enmity with God and at enmity with us. In fact, we are to marvel not (or be surprised) that the world hates us (1 John 3:13). We can be assured of God’s promise that if the world hates us, they are not really in enmity with us, but in enmity with God and God will be the enemy of those who are our enemies and the adversary of those who are our adversaries (Exodus 23:22).

An identical proverb to the Arabian proverb, but of Chinese origin is “it is good to strike the serpent’s head with your enemy’s hand.” We are to strike the Satan’s (serpent’s) head with the hand of the world (our enemy), i.e., not fall prey to evil in the world. Satan uses the world and its lusts to lure us away from God. When we devalue the world and its offerings, we give him no power, symbolically striking a blow to his head. If our allegiance is with the world over that of with the Word of God that became flesh and tabernacled among and in us, then we cannot be in spiritual battle with Satan (which means adversary) or his forces in heavenly realms (Ephesians 6:10-18).

To oxymoronic aspect here is this:
To be a friend of this world is to an enemy with God;
To be an enemy of the world is to be the Friend of God

With the world (and its evil) as our common enemy, we can work hand in hand with God and advance the goals of apostleship that He has entrusted to us, being assured that He will be the enemy of our enemy (the world), meaning that He will be our friend. What a friend we have in Jesus!

John 17:14 (KJV)
14 I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

James 4:4 (KJV)
 4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

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