Unmasking Sin
To fully grasp this message, you’ll want to read chapters 2 &3 of Genesis. Pay close attention to Genesis 2:8-9, Genesis 2:15-17, Genesis 3:1-7.
I’m not sure why, but as much as I study the Word of God, I’m always drawn back to the book of Genesis. The more I ponder why I seem to regularly gravitate back to “The Beginning”, the more I’m lead to re-investigate it. This go ‘round, I’ve been unpacking truths about sin. We’ve all heard the story of Adam, Eve, the serpent and the forbidden fruit (nowhere in scripture does it say it was an apple). But what many of us have not heard is that there is a progression to sin and the enemy’s tactics are very predictable.
Adam only had 1 rule: DO NOT EAT FROM THE TREE OF KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL. In Genesis 2:8-9 though, the Bible clearly states that God planted all sorts of trees. This is a very significant point because it clearly magnifies the first step of sin’s trickery. When you continue journeying and get to Genesis Chapter 3, you’ll notice that when the serpent spoke to Eve (who wasn’t even created when God gave the command to steer clear of that tree), he focused on the one tree they could not eat from. In doing so, the serpent excluded the abundance God provided when He permitted them to eat of every other tree. In the King James Version, the phrase “pleasant to the sight” describes the abundance of trees. Pleasant, in this instance, has the same root as covet in the Ten Commandments. Ever notice how we have a tendency to covet things that are pleasant to the sight? Step one in the progression of sin: our attention gets diverted from the bigger issue.
The Garden of Eden is described as a “luxuriant hedge of protection” where beauty and fruitfulness reign supreme. If you recall from Genesis 2:9, both the tree of life & the tree of knowledge of good and evil were BOTH located in the center of the Garden of Eden. Here we find another important truth, which highlights sin’s deception. The tree of life represents wisdom, and in the original Hebrew tongue, it comes from “to close (like your eyes) or to shut.” The tree of knowledge of good and evil signifies “awareness”. When you put these two elements side by side (just as they were in the middle of the garden), the wisdom of this text suggests that another key component of overcoming sin is not ignoring it (or “closing our eyes to sin”), but staying aware of its lurking possibilities.
Once our attention gets diverted and we start ignoring sin’s reality, it’s much easier to succumb to defeat. satan is a master illusionist that knows how to make sin seem so attractive, you want it more than you want the things of God. Know this though . . . the enemy never does anything new. It’s just the same sin packaged differently. It might come in the form of temptation. It could rear its ugly head in the form of another person. Regardless of the avenue he uses, it’s still nothing more than an attempt to distract you with deceit so that you might desire disobedience. We get caught up in sin when we entertain it just enough to let our guard down. Don’t be ignorant to his schemes.
What we’ve done with this particular devotional is laid out sin’s systematic approach to trip you up. Our hope is that after reading it, you’ll accept the diagnosis of sin. I also hope that if you don’t know Jesus in a personal way, you won’t be like those that despite the most dire of consequences, still refuse to go to the very one that can help. It’s one thing to have a problem & no solution. It’s altogether different to have a problem and a remedy & still not choose the remedy. So here it is, up close and personal: There’s a real problem called sin. There’s also a real remedy for it called salvation. If you need this remedy, Joined at the Hip would be more that willing to administer it. Contact us today!!
Edifying, Encouraging & Enlightening,
Excelsius
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