Tuesday, October 4
Read Genesis 3:4. What are the many different ways this lie has been repeated through the ages?
One powerful manifestation of this lie is seen in the common belief in the immortality of the soul. This notion was the basis of many ancient religions and philosophies. In ancient Egypt, it motivated the mummification practices and the funerary architecture, "such as seen" in the pyramids*.
[* This is a common incorrect statement spread by many bad documentaries and books, but pyramids are not graves.]
This theory also became one of the main pillars of Greek philosophy. For example, in The Republic of Plato, Socrates asks Glaucon: “Are you not aware that our soul is immortal and never perishes?” In Plato’s Phaedo, Socrates argued in a similar tone, saying that the “soul is immortal and imperishable, and our souls really will exist in Hades.” These philosophical concepts would shape much of the western culture and even post-Apostolic Christianity. But they originated much earlier, already in the Garden of Eden, with Satan himself.
At the core of the Edenic temptation, Satan assured Eve, “Ye shall not surely die” (Genesis 3:4). With this emphatic assertion, Satan put his own word above the Word of God.
In contrast to immortality of the soul, what do these verses teach, and how can they be used to counter this lie? (Psalms 115:17; John 5:28, 29; Psalms 146:4; Matthew 10:28; 1 Corinthians 15:51-58).
The satanic theory of the natural immortality of the soul has persisted, even in our modern world. Books, movies, and TV programs have all continued to promote the idea that, when we die, we simply pass into another conscious state. How unfortunate it is that this error is proclaimed in many Christian pulpits, as well. Even science has gotten involved. There is a foundation in the United States trying to create technology that, it claims, will enable us to contact the dead, whom they believe are still alive but exist as PMPs, “postmaterial persons.” With this error so prevalent, it’s no surprise that this deception will play a crucial role in the final events of human history.
In what ways is this lie manifested in your own culture? Why must we rely on the Word of God over what our senses tell us?
Wednesday, October 5
Based on Genesis 3:7-19 and Romans 5:12, what were the main consequences of sin?
Captivated by the persuasive speech of the serpent, Eve did not anticipate the far-reaching consequences of the road that she was following. In itself, the act of eating from the forbidden fruit was not as significant as what it actually represented. By such an act of disobedience, Eve broke her loyalty to God and assumed a new allegiance to Satan.
Genesis 3 describes the fall of Adam and Eve and some of its most tragic consequences. From a theological perspective, both were overtaken by theophobia (being afraid of God) and hid themselves from Him (Genesis 3:8). From a psycho-social assessment, they were ashamed of themselves and began to accuse each other (Genesis 3:7, 9-13). From a physical standpoint, they would sweat, feel pain, and eventually die (Genesis 3:16-19). And from an ecological perspective, the natural world had degenerated (Genesis 3:17, 18).
The Garden of Eden was no longer the beautiful and pleasant place it used to be. “As they witnessed in drooping flower and falling leaf the first signs of decay, Adam and his companion mourned more deeply than men now mourn over their dead. The death of the frail, delicate flowers was indeed a cause of sorrow; but when the goodly trees cast off their leaves, the scene brought vividly to mind the stern fact that death is the portion of every living thing.” — Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 62.
Adam and Eve did not die immediately, in the sense of ceasing to live, but on that very same day they received their death sentence. The Lord told Adam, “In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” (Genesis 3:19). The Fall brought tragic consequences indeed to all humanity. The apostle Paul explains that “as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” (Romans 5:12).
The sad and painful fact is that just as humanity has done through all ages, we today suffer the consequences of what happened in Eden. How thankful, we can be, though, that because of Jesus and the cross we have the hope of eternal life in a world where sin will never rise again.
As we reflect on Eve’s tragic experience, what lessons can we learn from it about the consequences of our own sinful acts?
