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Genesis 3:1-7 - Polite Temptations

  • Writer: Chad Werkhoven
    Chad Werkhoven
  • Jun 17
  • 4 min read

The devil's most successful attacks are often the least scariest!


Genesis 3:1–7 (NIV)


3 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’?”


2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 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.’ ”


4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”


6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also 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. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

Canons of Dordt


Article 1: The Effect of the Fall on Human Nature


  1. Human beings were originally created in the image of God 

    1. and were furnished 

      1. in mind with a true and sound knowledge of the Creator and things spiritual, 

      2. in will and heart with righteousness, 

      3. and in all emotions with purity; 

    2. indeed, the whole human being was holy. 

  2. However, rebelling against God 

    1. at the devil’s instigation 

    2. and by their own free will, 

    3. they deprived themselves of these outstanding gifts. 

    4. Rather, in their place they brought upon themselves 

      1. blindness, terrible darkness, futility, and distortion of judgment in their minds; 

      2. perversity, defiance, and hardness in their hearts and wills; 

      3. and finally impurity in all their ­emotions.


Summary


Today's passage is one that we come to nearly year as we read through the Bible together, regardless of which confession we're using at the time as our roadmap for reading. Normally a hinge point comes in the middle of something, but in the Bible, one of the central hinge points comes just a few pages from the beginning, as the fall of man into sin is recorded here in the third chapter of Genesis.


What stands out in reading it today is the serpent's politeness. He doesn't pop up in all of his demonic fury in an attempt to terrify Eve and scare her into sinful submission. Instead, he's, as we noticed last year, very shrewd (crafty) in his approach. It's almost as if he's sincerely seeking the truth himself, and wants to know if God really said they must not eat from any tree in the garden. Certainly, the serpent intoned, a good, kind and loving God wouldn't issue an edict like that!


Eve, eager at this point to defend her Creator, begins to correct her new friend. But as it turns out, she wasn't solidly certain of what God had commanded either, as she adds a provision that she and Adam were not to even touch the tree in the middle of the garden, or they would die.


But now the shrewd serpent has her right where he wants her: on shaky theological ground; she's not really sure of what God actually said and consequently no longer certain of what's really true. The serpent nudges Adam & Eve's decision making to rely more on aesthetics (Eve saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom) rather than on their intellect. He instantly pounces on this weakness and plants the lie: you will not certainly die.



  Dig Deeper  


The Canons here emphasize a phrase that's normally an anathema Reformed theology, stating that Adam & Eve by their own free will, they deprived themselves of these outstanding gifts (sound knowledge, perfect righteousness and pure emotions). As Calvinists, we're quick to point out that none of us have free will, since the Bible repeatedly informs us that our wills are enslaved to sin as a result of man's fall into sin.


But Adam & Eve are the exception to that rule. Before the fall they had a truly free will. They still had minds with a true and sound knowledge of the Creator. This is what we want to focus on today as we look at this miserable passage once again: the serpent didn't force Adam & Eve to do anything. They freely bit into the fruit on their own.


We remember from studying this passage in previous years that the primary fault for their failure lies with Adam, and that his fall brought us all down. His sin sold us all into slavery to sin, so that we are no longer able to do anything good unless it's given to us from heaven (Belgic Confession, Art. 14, John 3:27).


But in order to fully understand the Good News of the Gospel, you must first correctly understand this very bad news. The Good News, is of course that we have a new Adam who successfully resisted the serpent's temptations and passed on His covenant fulfilling righteousness to those who trust in Him.



Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Philippians 2

 
 
 

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