Two competing messages urge each human to behave in certain ways; the message of God or the message of Satan. The response to either message will determine where those responding will spend eternity. Many don’t believe that and continue on their merry way doing whatever feels right at the moment, with no thought to the consequences. That was what occurred in the Garden. The serpent beguiled Eve into thinking it was okay to disobey the message of God, and without stopping to consider the consequences, she told Adam and both of them did what God said not to do. They had been told it was okay to eat of the Tree of Life and they ate instead of the Tree of Death, the tree of knowledge of good and evil.  As a result of that, man was consigned to a life of toil to produce a living, a life filled with the sin of disobedience to God.

Then as promised to Abraham, Jesus Christ came into the world and began to teach the way of God and what he would do to return man to the relationship, which was lost in the Garden. Again, there were the two competing messages; the one of Christ and salvation, and the one of Satan and the easy pleasure filled life of sin. Jesus said in Matthew 7:13-15: Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14  Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. 15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Jesus said in verse 13 that the wide gate in life would lead to destruction and the narrow gate would lead to life. Those were the same choices confronting Adam and Eve in the Garden.

Jesus gave a restatement of the life and death message that Adam and Eve heard when the serpent approached Eve, as recorded in Genesis 3:3-4:  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. 4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: The serpent lied and Eve believed she wouldn’t die. The serpent was in a sense a ravening wolf waiting to devour Adam and Eve. In that light Jesus said that one way led to death and the other led to life. Just as Adam and Eve in the Garden that day didn’t believe it, the same is true in this day and time that some believe it and some don’t. The same thing also happened before the flood and at other points in history.

God knew the plight of mankind and that is why he sent Jesus into the world. Jesus came to bring salvation, and his invitation to seek shelter from a sin filled life is found in Matthew 11:28-30: Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Sin is a heavy burden and Jesus knew it since his destiny was the cruel cross of Calvary. He doesn’t condemn; John 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. And he and doesn’t require behavior that is impossible to perform, verse 30 above.  

The way of Jesus is one of living by faith that he has taken away sin and its power. The Jews who tried to follow the law to salvation found it to be an impossible burden. For example, Jesus said of the Pharisees in Matthew 23:4 For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.  Here Jesus contrasted the way of men who were dictating to their fellow Jews, with what he asked of those who would follow him. The Pharisees weren’t following their own teachings and yet they expected others to follow them. The Pharisees were demanding of those under the law and Jesus wasn’t. And Jesus followed the law that the Pharisees couldn’t and wouldn’t, but he didn’t Lord that over anyone, not even the Pharisees. He though he was and is the Son of God his demeanor was as Paul said in Philippians 2:5-8: 5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8  And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. That attitude toward others was what the Pharisees couldn’t find in themselves due to their self righteous ways.

© 02-26-2003 DEC

Revised 05-24-2008

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