This week the story is about God’s gift of a way out from the prison of historic sin. And that gift is the person of Jesus.
In this story we are reminded how sin entered the world and became embedded in our lives. Jesus had His own experience of this — He was tempted, tested and entreated to take a path other than God’s right way. But He said a firm ‘No!’ to the devil — and didn’t.
One Person’s refusal to do wrong resulted in our being enabled to live right with His help.
It’s good news and yet another reminder of God’s giving nature. The story could be about our rebellious unworthiness. We start there, but move swiftly to rejoicing in God’s love and generosity — as this extract from Psalm 32 headlines for us.
Blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit.
When I kept silent, Your hand was heavy on me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to You and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.” And You forgave the guilt of my sin.
Many are the woes of the wicked, but the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the one who trusts in Him. Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart!
From Psalm 32 (excerpted)
But now we must go back, way back to the start, in the first Bible book called Genesis, or ‘beginnings’.
There, in a man called Adam and a woman called Eve, we have God’s prototype. for all of us. They were made responsible for an abundantly fertile place called the Garden of Eden, and instructed to take care of it. It’s a deeply historical reminder of our duty to treat God’s creation responsibly and sustainably.
Our record of harming the planet and at the same time finding excuses for harming each other, might seem disconnected from Adam and Eve’s failure. What’s the connection between their not sticking to what they were told, and our attitudes today? The answer is that it’s the historic root of our rebellious tendency to live independently from God.
Let’s hear from the Genesis story, how it all went wrong:
The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And He commanded the man, “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.”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’?”
The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’ ”
“You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food, and desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then — they realised they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7
This is where we meet the serpent, or snake, which is described as crafty, subtle and skilled in deceit (Amplified Bible) — and, remarkably, able to speak. The old-fashioned word for this guileful behaviour is sophistry: that’s using clever but false arguments with the intention of deceiving.
The tree in the centre of the garden could be called the mortality tree. The Lord God has decreed that eating from this particular tree is forbidden and will result in death. It will start a mortality process that results in life ending.
The snake says to the woman that she will not certainly die! That’s is a lie, because life will end, if not instantaneously, at a point determined by God. The lie is presented as believable by twisting the truth — the signature characteristic of the devil’s strategy.
If we were unsure of what the snake represented, it is now becoming apparent: Satan has manifested as this smooth-talking reptile. This line of argument is one we will meet again in the story of Jesus’ trial of faith and integrity, in a desert retreat at the start of His public ministry. And we will meet it again and again in life, from everyday untrustworthy behaviour, to world leaders who use it to justify war. The voice behind the human voice is the voice of deception we have heard in the Garden of Eden. In this way, Adam and Eve were tricked into using their freewill to behave in a way that veers away from serving God’s intentions in a move of independence.
This is the historical sin that has affected us all. But God has a way out, and that starts to be revealed in the next part of our story as we continue now in Matthew 4:
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, He was hungry. The tempter came to Him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”
Then the devil had Him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If You are the Son of God,” he said, “throw Yourself down. For it is written: “ ‘He will command his angels concerning You, and they will lift You… so that You will not strike your foot against a stone.’ ”
Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ”
Again, the devil took Him to a high mountain and showed Him the kingdoms of the world and their splendour. “All this I will give You,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.’”
Then the devil left Him, and angels came and attended Him.
Matthew 4:1-11 excerpted
Most people called to public, Christian ministry, have their own stories of inner battles and doubts which have threatened to throw them off course — especially at the beginning.
But as well as the detail of the attack, we are given a masterclass by Jesus on how to overcome such an onslaught. This is one of Satan’s most practised plays — deception. But deception only works when we don’t realise we are being deceived. If we are very familiar with the truth, through spending time in God’s word, and having familiarity with what God is saying, this tactic will stand out to us as false. We will recognise the different tone of the devil’s attempts on our attention. Then we win through by what we believe — and by being boldly forthright in declaring what we believe.
Our communications with God may be praise, worship, intercession for others, or supplication for ourselves, and they are often spoken in a church situation. Or they may be silent, like when we’re spending quiet time with the Lord alone. Jesus shows us how there is a particular power in using words of faith spoken out loud. Here we see Him confront the devil’s suggestions with rock-solid truth from God’s word.
We notice again that the devil twists truth to suggest that Jesus would be protected from harm, if he were to take a leap from the roof of the temple way down into the valley below, based on a phrase from Psalm 91:12.
The devil knows Scripture and quotes Scripture — but the subtle twist comes in how it is mis-applied. It is a temptation for us to use Scripture where the motive is presumption — a formula, appealing to something akin to magic, or even a liturgical formula — where there is an absence of humble faith.
Jesus shows us how to refute and disarm Satan by using God’s word. This is what the Bible calls the “sword of the Spirit” in Ephesians:
Take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
(Ephesians 6:16-17 NIV)
There is power in all prayer that is accompanied by faith, but Jesus’ example teaches us here, that there is particular spiritual power in speaking out inspired truth from God’s word as the “sword of the Spirit” as an effective weapon against situations or conversations that have the tone of Satan about them.
And we can speak out truth with confidence, if we have a good understanding of the truth. In this instance, it is the truth about how sin became something we inherit and have to renounce for ourselves. We do that by receiving “God’s grace and the gift… of the One Man, Jesus Christ” which is also receiving for ourselves what He has done for us. We hear this explained now in Paul’s words writing to Christians in Rome:
Sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin. In this way death came to all people, because all sinned. Death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command like Adam.
The gift of God is not like the trespass of man. Many died by the trespass of the one man, but how much more did God’s grace and the gift of the One Man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!
The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification.For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the One Man, Jesus Christ!
Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. Just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so… through the obedience of the One Man the many will be made righteous.
Romans 5:12-19 excerpted
Paul sets out for us how we are all trapped by historic sin, but also how God has provided a way out. As usual, he presents. a careful and comprehensive argument. And it can seem complicated.
But in essence, it is simple. He explains how sin entered through. Adam’s mistake (he overlooks Eve’s participation in it) and how in this way, death became part of everyone’s inheritance.
He explains how this sin has ruled us all, right from the beginnings, until God’s grace and gift of His Son. Jesus Christ, was revealed.
This is about sin, but the emphasis must be on salvation from sin, as Paul emphasises: “How much more will those who receive God’s… grace and… gift of righteousness reign in life through… Jesus Christ!”
Are you reigning in life or are you struggling in life?
Are you trapped or are you free? Do you need to acknowledge your sin and wickedness and receive absolution week after week? Or have you discovered that God has a way out for you in believing and receiving His son Jesus Christ, and putting your trust in what He has done for you that you cannot do for yourself? This is the essence of the Good News, and it is — very good.
For many thousands of years things looked bleak, and as we know from the historic record, lots of things went very wrong. With Jesus in our lives not only do things start to go right, but when we do get them wrong, and of course we will, instead of being trapped by that historic sin, we know the way out that God has provided for us. We can take hold of it. That is how we live free which pleases God because that is how He created us to be and sent His son Jesus so that we could be restored.
By knowing God. By receiving and trusting Jesus. By experiencing His way out of sin’s bondage, and into new life and freedom in Him!
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