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Genesis 3:1-6
1Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
2And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:
3But 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.
4And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
5For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
6And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
Devotional
So far our story sounds idyllic. It sounds as though Genesis is out of touch with reality. No wonder, we might say, the Bible is not accepted by many as relevant to our day. This is a myth of Paradise with which we cannot identify.
But wait and see what happened next. The man and woman, with everything in their favor, chose to trust in their own intelligence and indulge their own desires, believing the lie of Satan instead of the truth of God.
They had, in possessing the image of God, the power of choice. As it has been said, there was no electric fence around the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. They were not shut off from it. But neither did they have to eat of it. They actively chose to disobey God. They were moral agents. They knew that to obey God was good and to disobey was bad. Adam and Eve, with everything in their favor, with full knowledge of their own responsibility and their power of choice, ate the fruit.
The picture has changed. Sin has moved into the garden like a dark, chilling mist. Now we understand! We see our world taking shape before our eyes-"a good, beautiful, tremendous world, but one now soiled, ravaged, polluted, twisted!
Christianity provides the only reasonable explanation for the goodness and badness of life, the nobility and degradation of man, the beauty and ugliness of experience. It is all here in Eden: the pristine holiness and the brilliance of the universe and of life as God created them, but also the sinfulness, the ignorance and the impotence. In Eden we understand reality. The Bible is relevant to life in any age.
Thank You, God, for giving us the Written Word which explains the things about good and evil that we could learn nowhere else!
We are happy to have obtained permission to post as our current daily devotional Heirs Together of Life: Daily Bible Reading for Husbands and Wives, published by The Banner of Truth Trust. Don't be misled by the subtitle. As the book's "Preface" indicates (see below), although Heirs Together of Life is "especially prepared for couples,"the authors declare, "Since the basis for this guide is God's Word, we believe it would have value for any reader."
Charles and Norma Ellis are husband and wife and the authors not only of Heirs Together of Life (which was first published in 1980 and continues in print today), but also of Wells of Salvation (first published in 1985, and likewise still in print today). The latter contains a series of short studies covering the entire book of Isaiah, while the former contains a series of almost 200 short studies covering the entire Bible, from Genesis to Revelation. Both books by the Ellises can be ordered from the publisher, The Banner of Truth Trust. We trust that these daily Bible readings, posted daily on our site, will be helpful to you in your Christian walk before God. Whether married or not, all of us are members of families and members of the family of God.
Charles Ellis was educated at Wheaton College and Westminster Theological Seminary. Upon graduation from Westminster (where he earned not only a Th.B. but also a Th.M.), he was ordained to the ministry in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and pastored a number of OPC churches, including Immanuel OPC in West Collingswood, New Jersey; First OPC in Cincinnati, Ohio; Covenant OPC in East Orange, New Jersey; Knox OPC in Silver Spring, Maryland; and Lakeview OPC in Rockport, Maine. Less biographical information is available about his wife, but it is known that they served as parents of seven children. After retiring from the ministry, Charles Ellis went to be with the Lord in 2003, but he and his wife left us with a beautiful legacy in the two books they have given to the world, and we are proud to share the daily Bible readings from Heirs Together of Life here with you.
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