because sin is just one bite away...
I'll never fully understand why Eve ate the fruit. I mean, do any of us really understand why we do the things we aren't supposed to? Even Paul said he didn't get it. For some reason, we find it so easy to do the things we shouldn't and so hard to do the things we should. And Eve found herself in the same predicament. The serpent pointed out that fruit to her, told her that God's word wasn't truth and that she shouldn't believe it, and Eve sunk her teeth right into death. The one thing God told her not to do, she did. But she didn't do it alone. Adam watched her.
At any given point in time, you're an Adam or you're an Eve. You're either the one sinking your teeth into that tempting, life-stealing fruit, or you're watching someone else do it. I wonder why Adam didn't speak up and refute what the serpent told Eve. Why didn't Adam jump in and say, "Eve, God told us not to eat from this tree. He said we would die. We need to listen to him. If he didn't mean it, he wouldn't have said it." I wonder why Adam didn't knock that fruit from her hand the minute she touched it. Why didn't he pull her away from the serpent so that she didn't make the biggest mistake of her life? Why did Adam just stand there, silently, and watch her ruin her life... their lives? Did he not believe God either? Was he afraid he might upset Eve if he reminded her of God's words and called her out on her looming disobedience? Was he simply curious to see how it would all play out?
One bite later, Eve was still standing. She wasn't struck dead. No lightening bolt fell from the sky. She appeared to be okay, and Adam made the same quick decision to follow her actions. A bite later, they both stood naked and ashamed. They were fully aware of their wrong-doing, but they had no idea what the consequences of their actions would entail. They began to see their world differently, to view one another in a different light, and that one little bite changed the course of their lives forever in a way that they would have never imagined, or wanted, had they known then what they knew now.
But what if Adam had stopped her? What if Adam had spoken God's truth to Eve rather than letting her believe the lies that were leading her to death and destruction? What if Adam had intervened and reminded Eve that God calls us to live life by faith, not by logic, because serpents are pretty crafty and sure know how to contort God's words in a way that seem right to a man? What if he had taken that moment to speak up rather than stay silent?
What if we, church, spoke up rather than standing by watching others ruin their lives by believing the lies of the enemy? What if we reminded that wife, that husband, that divorce is not God's plan? That when we make vows to God, he expects us to keep them. What if we didn't silently watch families fall apart but spoke truth into their brokenness and encouraged them to run to God for healing? What if we reminded them that reconciliation and redemption is possible when God is the one putting the pieces back together? What if we told our sons, our men, that pornography is not okay? That women are created in the image of God, too, and that they are to be loved and respected, not objectified and demoralized. What if we told young people, all people, that sex is designed by God for the marriage bed? It's a beautiful and lovely thing to be shared between a husband and a wife until death parts them. That simply because "everyone" is doing it doesn't mean that God's children should fall into the same pattern. What if we told the young mothers, the unwed mothers, that their sweet babies have a purpose? That God has knitted them together, has a plan for their lives, and that they aren't mistakes. God will use them given the chance. And what if we told the confused, the hurting, that they are fearfully and wonderfully made just the way they are? That God designed them perfectly just the way they are. That they are known and loved by a God who cares enough about them to know the very numbers of hair on their head. They weren't mishaps. What if we said something, anything, rather than nothing? What if we quit worrying about potentially hurting someone's feelings and worried more about leading them to Christ? What if we weren't so concerned about offending someone and were more concerned about pointing them to life rather than letting them fall into the pit of destruction?
It only takes a bite. One bite and everything changes. Thankfully, God is a God of redemption, of grace and second chances, but we can't always give that bite back. That's the beauty of free will. We have the choice to bite, the choice to walk away, and the choice to speak up. We don't have to do anything anyone says, but sometimes it's worth listening. Sometimes, it's worth mentioning. And, even though it may be tough or uncomfortable, it's worth saying.
"My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world. And we can be sure that we know him if we obey his commandments. If someone claims, “I know God,” but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth. But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him. Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did." - 1 John 2:1-6
At any given point in time, you're an Adam or you're an Eve. You're either the one sinking your teeth into that tempting, life-stealing fruit, or you're watching someone else do it. I wonder why Adam didn't speak up and refute what the serpent told Eve. Why didn't Adam jump in and say, "Eve, God told us not to eat from this tree. He said we would die. We need to listen to him. If he didn't mean it, he wouldn't have said it." I wonder why Adam didn't knock that fruit from her hand the minute she touched it. Why didn't he pull her away from the serpent so that she didn't make the biggest mistake of her life? Why did Adam just stand there, silently, and watch her ruin her life... their lives? Did he not believe God either? Was he afraid he might upset Eve if he reminded her of God's words and called her out on her looming disobedience? Was he simply curious to see how it would all play out?
One bite later, Eve was still standing. She wasn't struck dead. No lightening bolt fell from the sky. She appeared to be okay, and Adam made the same quick decision to follow her actions. A bite later, they both stood naked and ashamed. They were fully aware of their wrong-doing, but they had no idea what the consequences of their actions would entail. They began to see their world differently, to view one another in a different light, and that one little bite changed the course of their lives forever in a way that they would have never imagined, or wanted, had they known then what they knew now.
But what if Adam had stopped her? What if Adam had spoken God's truth to Eve rather than letting her believe the lies that were leading her to death and destruction? What if Adam had intervened and reminded Eve that God calls us to live life by faith, not by logic, because serpents are pretty crafty and sure know how to contort God's words in a way that seem right to a man? What if he had taken that moment to speak up rather than stay silent?
What if we, church, spoke up rather than standing by watching others ruin their lives by believing the lies of the enemy? What if we reminded that wife, that husband, that divorce is not God's plan? That when we make vows to God, he expects us to keep them. What if we didn't silently watch families fall apart but spoke truth into their brokenness and encouraged them to run to God for healing? What if we reminded them that reconciliation and redemption is possible when God is the one putting the pieces back together? What if we told our sons, our men, that pornography is not okay? That women are created in the image of God, too, and that they are to be loved and respected, not objectified and demoralized. What if we told young people, all people, that sex is designed by God for the marriage bed? It's a beautiful and lovely thing to be shared between a husband and a wife until death parts them. That simply because "everyone" is doing it doesn't mean that God's children should fall into the same pattern. What if we told the young mothers, the unwed mothers, that their sweet babies have a purpose? That God has knitted them together, has a plan for their lives, and that they aren't mistakes. God will use them given the chance. And what if we told the confused, the hurting, that they are fearfully and wonderfully made just the way they are? That God designed them perfectly just the way they are. That they are known and loved by a God who cares enough about them to know the very numbers of hair on their head. They weren't mishaps. What if we said something, anything, rather than nothing? What if we quit worrying about potentially hurting someone's feelings and worried more about leading them to Christ? What if we weren't so concerned about offending someone and were more concerned about pointing them to life rather than letting them fall into the pit of destruction?
It only takes a bite. One bite and everything changes. Thankfully, God is a God of redemption, of grace and second chances, but we can't always give that bite back. That's the beauty of free will. We have the choice to bite, the choice to walk away, and the choice to speak up. We don't have to do anything anyone says, but sometimes it's worth listening. Sometimes, it's worth mentioning. And, even though it may be tough or uncomfortable, it's worth saying.
"My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world. And we can be sure that we know him if we obey his commandments. If someone claims, “I know God,” but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth. But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him. Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did." - 1 John 2:1-6
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