Trust AND Obey » satan

The First Covenant

Dave Miller — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 02:09:25 +0000

In a recent bible study I attended, the leader said that God’s first covenant with mankind was with Abraham in which God promised that He would give Abraham innumerable descendents and set aside a land for them. This covenant is found in Genesis 15:5-18. While this is a very important covenant, and was one of the first promises that pointed toward Jesus, it was not the first covenant between God and His creation, man.

The first covenant that God made with His creation is found in Genesis 2:16-17. It is known as the Adamic Covenant. I have heard some theologians refer to it as a ‘covenant of works’ since it was based on Adam and Eve not eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. I have also heard it said that faith was not necessary for Adam and Eve because they were in the presence of God every day in the Garden of Eden. After all, why do you need faith to believe in a God that is walking and talking with you every day? While all of this may be true on the surface, there was most certainly an element of faith in this first covenant.

In Genesis 3:1, apparently while the woman was alone in the garden, the serpent (Satan) asks Eve a question, “Has God really said that you shall not eat from any tree of the garden?” Eve responds by saying “No. God has said we may eat of all the trees except one, otherwise we will die.” Satan was and is very crafty and replied with a lie, “You shall not surely die, for God knows that in the day you eat of the fruit, you will become like God.”

Here is the first test of faith in the bible. Eve is confronted with a very real dilemma – conflicting testimonies; the first lie from the father of lies. (John 8:44)
Here is this crafty serpent telling her that God has some secret reason for making the rule against eating the fruit of the tree; He wants to keep her down.
Here is the serpent telling Eve that she will not die – calling God a liar.
Here is Eve tempted to want more that what God has given her.

Pride, covetousness and selfishness (the very things that caused Satan to fall) enter into her heart and she was faced with a crisis of faith. Not faith in regard to whether God exists or not, but rather, whether or not God is trustworthy. Whether or not His word is truth.

Eve desired the control that the knowledge of good and evil would give, though it was not hers to possess. Further, when Adam saw that Eve didn’t die immediately, he may have thought he had reason to doubt God’s word. He partook in the selfish desires of his heart and ate of the fruit.

Adam and Eve may not have needed faith to believe in God, but they needed faith to believe God. The element of faith that was a part of their covenant with God (trust) was thus broken; the element of works (obedience) was also broken, and all humankind was stained with the sin of our parents.

Each of us faces the same crisis of faith every single day. No matter how long we have been Christians, the temptation is always there to covet God’s power and usurp his authority through self-reliance. In this life, none of us will ever be truly righteous (Romans 3:10), none of us will ever be without sin (1 John 1:10). We will always fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), failing to love Him with our whole heart, soul, mind and strength (Luke 10:27). It is only by leaning completely on Him who died that we are granted the ability to become the righteousness of God (2 Cor. 5:21). Don’t trust your own wisdom or understanding. (Proverbs 3:5) Trust (have faith) only in Him (Isaiah 26:4), and Obey (work) His commandments (John 14:15).

On Women Pastors

Dave Miller — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 00:43:03 +0000

Earlier today, a friend on Facebook asked me my opinion on women pastors. My opinion doesn’t matter, so I told him what I have found in the Bible. If you disagree, or have another view, please post a comment with the biblical basis for your belief.

I still have much to learn, but this seems rather plain to me.

The Bible doesn’t bar women from teaching altogether, just from teaching and having authority over men in the assembly. For that reason, I have to say that female pastors and elders are unbiblical. 1 Tim.2:8-15. That said, I have met some very godly women who have the gift of teaching and use it as God intends.

Titus 2:3 says that older women are to teach what is good. Acts 18:26 tells of the beginnings of the ministry of Apollos. One of his teachers was Priscilla. Clearly, even in the early church, women teaching was approved and even encouraged in certain situations. I don’t think that has changed and we shouldn’t put unbiblical restrictions on women who have the gift of teaching.

A common counter-argument is “Paul is just stating a cultural or religious difference that doesn’t apply to us today.” But Paul doesn’t appeal to cultural or religious examples for the reasons behind his statement. In 1 Tim. 2:13-14, Paul uses the example found in Genesis 3 of the woman supplanting the authority of the man and deciding to eat the fruit and encouraging Adam to do the same. Look at Gen. 3:9, who does God call to account for the sin? Not Satan, not Eve, but Adam. The man is held accountable.

The problem in the modern church isn’t only that women want to do what God has said they shouldn’t, (like Eve) but also that men let women usurp the authority that God intended for them (like Adam). The “adolescentizing” (to mint a word) of the American male is behind this problem. Many men would rather play with their toys than lead a community of believers. But that’s another rant for another time.

Must every Q&A begin with a Q?

Dave Miller — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 04:19:19 +0000

A. Mankind started out living with God, our maker, in a very personal, intimate way that nobody can imagine today. Then Adam and Eve sinned and we became separated from this way of being with God. The Gospel is God’s way of getting us back into this communion or fellowship by saving us from sin and His wrath. (Genesis 3:6)

Q. I believe in God, but I don’t get the importance of this “Gospel” thing or this stuff about being “Saved.” What is all this?

A. Believing in God will not reconcile you to Him. Remember, Satan believes in God; he knows and understands God better than any human being. If you want to be at peace with God and guarantee your eternal salvation, you need to know the Gospel and be saved. Believing in God isn’t enough.

Q. I’m getting along fine right now. Why do I need to be at peace with God?

A. You are getting along fine because God gives some grace to everybody regardless of their beliefs. He makes the sun shine and the rain fall upon both the good and the bad (Matthew 5:45). But just because things are going well for you now, doesn’t mean that they always will, especially when you die. The Christian is at peace with God because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. We have the assurance that even though things on earth have their ups and downs, eventually we will be granted perfect rest and reward in His eternal kingdom. (1 Peter 5:10)

Q. So what does the Gospel have to do with getting this perfect life?

A. Because the Gospel is the only thing that can bridge the gap between you and God. Everyone is born in sin and most people live their entire lives as an enemy of God. Yes, God loves you, but most of us don’t love God as we should and we treat him like our enemy. Even people who are saved treat God like an enemy every time they sin. Without the Gospel, without the covering of Jesus’ perfect life and sacrificial death (called justification and atonement) we would remain enemies of God forever. (James 4:4)

Q. This is kinda crazy stuff. Why should I believe any of it?

A. Well, this might be foolishness to you. It gives me no joy to hear such a question because it means that the person asking it is still lost in sin. Until you realize and recognize that you are a sinful person, the Gospel will be foolishness to you. The first step to accepting the Gospel and being saved by Jesus is recognizing your sin and turning away from it. This is called repentance. (Mark 1:15)

Q. What’s the big deal about admitting that I’m not perfect? Everybody sins, right?

A. Yes, Everybody sins. (Romans 3:23) But not everybody considers what they do sinning. If you are outside of the saving grace of God, then you can do all the good things you want and it still won’t make you right with God. Nothing you can do will get you right with God; only God can make you right with Him and the only way that He makes you right with Him is by starting you out with a repentant heart and an understanding of His love for you.

Q. Okay, so let’s say that I admit that I’ve told a few lies, taken some little things that didn’t belong to me and I’m not exactly sexually pure. Is that enough?

A. It’s a start; a good start. Are you sorry for doing these things?

Q. Yes. What now?

A. If you’re sorry for doing these things, then tell God that you’re sorry, in your own words. Don’t try to sound like somebody else that you’ve heard pray. Tell God that He is more important than the sinful acts you have been committing. That’s called repentance. Then believe. Believe with all your heart that the God of the Bible, who made the universe from nothing, loves you and sent His son Jesus to live a perfect life and die a terrible death to reunite you with your maker by paying the price for your sins.

And the best part is that you don’t have to wait until you die. You are made right with God right here and right now. Praise the Lord!

If you are a new believer, read this survival guide. Tell someone, perhaps a faithful Christian you know, that you have found the Lord. (More accurately, the Lord has found you! – Luke 15:4-5) I recommend that you read the Gospel of John over the next week or so to learn more about Jesus and your new life.