Genesis 19 - The Serpent and the Temptation

The Word of God is from Genesis chapter 3, verses 1 to 7. Please listen carefully to the Word of God.

 

“Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate[cite: 6]. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.” Amen.  

 

The Beginning After Creation: The Point of Completion and Method of Progression in Creation

The scripture up to Genesis chapter 2, which we examined last time, concludes a segment of creation. As we saw last time, when God created man and woman, that relationship did not simply demand love and obedience, but was actually a relationship resembling that of the Triune God. Therefore, we examined how important mutual communication is through the story of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And we looked at the story where Adam, seeing Eve, confessed, "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh."  

 

According to the lesson from the scripture we shared last week, how well did you treat your spouse at home, who is bone of your bones and flesh of your flesh? If your husband and wife are bone of your bones and flesh of your flesh at home, then from a faith perspective, this church, the body of the Lord, is bone of your bones and flesh of your flesh. Therefore, you should always love this church, which is bone of your bones and flesh of your flesh, and serve this community together. However, this is not the end of creation. Rather, God's creative work truly begins from this point. This entire history has begun towards the completion of God's kingdom, the completion of rest, and the completion of God's image.

 

God's Two Commands: Dominion and Obedience

And for this, God allowed humans, made in His image, to participate together in that work of creation through two commands. First, God wanted to reach the completion of creation through Adam and Eve keeping the garden and ruling over and caring for the creatures. Second, as you well know, through the command not to eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, He made humans understand what position they held—that ruling over creatures does not make humans the masters of this entire created world, but that they must remain under God's rule and follow His will. For this, God made a covenant with humans.  

 

So, summarizing these two points again: first, the task of ruling well over and caring for all creatures, which in a broader sense includes loving and serving neighbors. And second, following God's will and living under His rule, that is, loving God. However, if we think of this command of God merely as a law imposed on humans, we encounter the tremendous problem of the passage we will examine together today.  

 

The Serpent's Appearance and the Debate Over Its Identity

The scripture we will share together today conveys one important argument and three resulting lessons. This argument concerns the identity of the serpent appearing in today's story, and we will examine the lessons its temptation seeks to teach us. Genesis 3 begins with the account of human fall. And the truly immense stories contained therein seem almost too vast to be fully captured in a single chapter of the Bible. The Hebrew word for serpent is ‘nachash’ (נָחָשׁ, H5175). Regarding what this serpent is, there are broadly three views.  

 

Who is the Serpent?: Three Interpretations and Critiques

But before we examine those views, it would be good to understand why, of all things, a serpent appeared in today's Genesis passage. We can infer the reason to some extent: it is likely because this serpent symbolizes Satan. But why didn't God simply have Satan appear initially as the cause of this transgression, instead using a serpent as a medium? This question holds a crucial key to properly understanding the scripture we will discuss today. The very first command God gave Adam and Eve for the completion of the creation work was to rule over the creatures. It goes without saying that Satan, and also the serpent appearing in today's passage, is one of the creatures God made. However, by having the serpent, one of the beasts that Adam and Eve were supposed to name and rule over, appear in this passage today, God shows the problem Adam and Eve are facing, and begins to explain to us what kind of kingdom He intends to establish through them. That is why, rather than introducing the entity Satan, the name serpent is used as a creature representing Satan in this passage today. Through this serpent representing Satan, God shows the intention to directly break His command to love one's neighbor. This is not merely a simple story about Adam and Eve disobeying God's word, leading to hardship for us. Instead, the relationship Adam and Eve had at creation collapsed, the command given to humans to love their neighbor could not be kept, and consequently, a great challenge arose to the completion of God's kingdom, which He intended to achieve through these commands. For this reason, the story does not say Satan tempted humans directly, but proceeds by introducing the medium of the serpent, a neighbor to be served.  

 

So, what are the three important facts this serpent signifies? First, as we know from many famous paintings, you might recall the scene where the serpent, hanging from a tree, whispers into Eve's ear with its forked tongue. And the serpent appearing here is indeed the common snake we generally know. We then assume that Satan was behind this beast, the serpent. However, if this were true, it would slightly contradict the Bible's translation. Let's look at today's passage, Genesis 3:1. "Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made." Personally, I find this verse 3:1 quite difficult to understand. Because the serpent is also one of the creatures God created, and after creating all creatures, God said they were good. Especially on the last day, He said it was "very good," and the creatures of that day naturally included the serpent. Therefore, God said the serpent was good. Yet, today's passage describes the serpent as the most crafty being. The word "crafty" (cunning) has a meaning similar to "sly" and is a very negative expression. Originally, the Hebrew word translated as "crafty" can also be translated as "wise". But sometimes it can also be translated as "sly". In today's passage, it is translated as "crafty," because the following sentences describe this craftiness. So, the expression "crafty" today is correct. Then, it conflicts with the earlier expression "it was good." If God saw it as good, it seems translating it as "wisest among the beasts of the field" would be correct. If God saw it as good, translating it as something bad or evil seems inappropriate. Because such a translation, without reason, turns this wise serpent into a crafty and sly creature that tempts Eve, or the woman. That would disrupt the context of the Bible.  

 

What are your thoughts? If we view the serpent in this passage as a natural creature, did Satan enter this serpent and cause it to tempt Adam and Eve? I have read Genesis 3 carefully about thirty times, but I could not find the word "Satan" in this passage. Therefore, it means the temptation event described in today's passage did not happen because Satan entered the serpent. Nowhere in the Bible does it say that Satan disguised himself as a serpent to tempt Eve. If you inferred this, it's probably due to the content in the Book of Revelation. Revelation says: "the ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan". Here, the ancient serpent refers to the serpent in Genesis. And it identifies that serpent as Satan. If this statement in Revelation is correct, there seems to be nothing wrong with viewing the serpent in today's passage as Satan. However, the fact we can learn from today's passage needs to be viewed from a slightly different perspective. For now, let's postpone resolving this question and note that today's passage conflicts significantly with common sense truths we might generally think of. For example, as a curse on the serpent, God said it would crawl on its belly. So some people believe serpents originally had legs. But the idea that legs suddenly disappeared as a result of a curse is very difficult to explain from an evolutionary standpoint. The passage that follows is even harder to understand. It's the curse of having to eat dust. Have you ever seen a serpent eat dust? Of course, some scholars theorize that serpents eat dust to clean their tongues. However, we know well that the serpent's main diet consists of rodents like mice. And it's also very clear that serpents absolutely cannot survive by eating only dust. Therefore, this phenomenon clearly contradicts today's Bible passage.  

 

Then, we naturally come to think that the serpent in today's passage might be different from the natural snakes we commonly see. That is why some interpret the serpent in this passage as a symbol for Satan. Because the Bible contains many similar symbols. If the content of Genesis 1-3 were written in a style similar to Revelation, such a symbolic interpretation would pose no problem at all. However, while the expressions in Genesis 1-3 do employ some literary techniques, they absolutely do not use symbolic content to describe creation. Mostly factual language is used, and the creation process is explained through that language, indicating it is a description based on clear facts. And if we view this serpent as a symbolic entity, it leaves room to interpret Adam and Eve, who appear alongside it in the passage, symbolically as well. That is, Adam and Eve could be interpreted as symbols representing humanity. Such an interpretation might seem largely unproblematic. However, if this interpretation were true, the following problem arises. Paul's expressions about Adam in the New Testament become difficult to interpret. Paul often used the expression "second Adam" for Jesus, and according to this interpretation, Jesus too would have to be considered a symbol. Therefore, the content of Genesis 1-3 clearly has a literary structure explaining its themes, and develops this entire narrative in relation to facts, yet it does not base its description solely on scientific interpretation, but also deals with supernatural facts. And we realize that the expression about the serpent should not be interpreted merely symbolically. Therefore, the symbolic meaning that Satan is behind the serpent is somewhat difficult to accept, and we need to investigate the meaning of this serpent in more detail.  

 

Biblical Basis: "The Serpent", Satan's Name

God said the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals He had made. Therefore, based solely on the context, this serpent would naturally be one of the wild animals, a snake. However, the Korean translation of this verse can be slightly misleading. A more accurate translation is not "most crafty among the wild animals," but "more crafty than any wild animal," which is much closer to the original text. If we can interpret it this way, this serpent no longer needs to be one of the wild animals. In the expression "smartest among the dogs," the entity must be a dog. But in the expression "it is smarter than dogs," the entity does not necessarily have to be a dog. It could even refer to a human. Therefore, if we look closely at the verse in today's passage, we can see that the serpent does not have to be the natural snake we think of, i.e., one of the wild animals God made.  

 

Furthermore, a more crucial fact is the definite article "the," which is missing in the Korean Bible translation. In English translations, the definite article "the" precedes "serpent." When a definite article is attached to a noun in Hebrew and Greek scriptures, it signifies not only that the readers know the object but also that the object holds a distinct and special meaning. This shows that "the" serpent appearing in today's passage can be interpreted as meaning it is not just one of the many wild animals existing in nature that we commonly think of.  

 

Everyone, when the Israelites during the Exodus, the initial audience of this Genesis account, first heard about "the" serpent, what do you think was the very first thing that came to their minds? In my opinion, the first thing they probably recalled were the numerous serpent gods they had seen in Egypt. Especially at that time, there was a god in Egypt called Apep, an evil god associated with chaos, darkness, and death, depicted in the form of a serpent. So, these Israelites who had just come out of Egypt, upon hearing "the serpent," would likely have thought of the god Apep. However, more persuasive is the possibility that they might also have recalled the story of Job, who lived contemporaneously with Abraham. Because the Israelites already knew the story of their ancestor Abraham, passed down orally. Although Moses recorded the contents of Genesis in writing, they were not ignorant of its orally transmitted content, and naturally, they were also familiar with the story of Job, which was passed down alongside it. And in the content of Job, the same word "serpent" appears. And the Bible calls it "Leviathan." This word was used in several Bible passages as a name for Satan. Let's look at Isaiah 27:1. "In that day the LORD with his hard and great and strong sword will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan the twisting serpent, and he will slay the dragon that is in the sea." The serpent mentioned here is not just one of the dragons playing in the sea, but means that God destroyed Leviathan, the serpent symbolizing Satan, with a sword. And this serpent or dragon is precisely the symbol of Satan. The "ancient serpent" in Revelation 12, which we looked at earlier, is used in the same sense. Therefore, the Bible calls Satan by the name Serpent. Thus, the serpent in Genesis 3 today refers to Satan himself, whose name is also Serpent. In other words, the serpent that tempted Eve today was not one of the wild animals, but Satan himself.  

 

The Relationship Between the Serpent (Satan) and the Creation Mandate

Then why did God associate and compare this entity, Satan, with a wild animal? The term "wild animal" (beast of the field) appears 96 times in the Old Testament. Except for 14 instances, it is translated as "wild animal". However, 14 times it is used as the word for "living creature." But this translation "living creature" is used only in the book of Ezekiel. In Ezekiel's vision, "four living creatures" appear. Four living creatures with faces of a man, an eagle, an ox, and a lion are described in detail. And Ezekiel referred to these creatures as "cherubim." These cherubim are a type of angel. Now let's examine why this metaphor for angels was used in Ezekiel. If we go to Ezekiel 28, the story of judgment against the king of Tyre unfolds. And there is a passage that compares the king of Tyre to a fallen angel. The king of Tyre is called the cherub who was in Eden in ancient times, and referred to as a fallen angel. That is, the fall of the king of Sidon (Tyre) is compared to the fall of the cherub, the angel, in the Garden of Eden. And in verse 17, it says: "Your heart was proud because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor..." In other words, the expression used is that he corrupted his wisdom, like a fallen angel. In the initial Genesis account, the serpent was the wisest, but it is actually being described as a crafty being who corrupted that wisdom. Therefore, in this context, it is certain that using the meaning "sly" instead of "wise" poses no problem.  

 

If these facts are understood, let's summarize the definite facts we have examined so far. First, the most certain fact is that this serpent is a creature. So, by introducing the serpent, one of the creatures God made, it is used as an entity challenging Adam and Eve's mission to name and rule. Nevertheless, this serpent is merely a creature, and similarly, Satan, the fallen angel, is also merely a creature. The second certain piece of information we can glean is that the name of this entity was Satan. We could clearly see this from the overall content of the Bible moments ago. Third, while it is true that Satan appeared in the Garden of Eden, we cannot know exactly what form he took. We have generally thought of this Satan as a serpent. This interpretation cannot be called wrong. However, I believe that Satan appeared not in the form of another beast, but rather as an angel of light. This interpretation is entirely my own view. Although I gained some hints about Satan appearing as an angel of light while studying Revelation, I have not found any passage in the Bible that explicitly explains this. Nevertheless, the basis for my reasoning is the fact that in today's Genesis account, Eve accepted Satan's temptation so easily.  

 

Everyone, the instances in the Bible where an animal speaks occur exactly twice, including today's passage. The other is in Numbers, where Balaam's donkey speaks to him. At that time, when Balaam was trying to strike the donkey to make it go curse Israel, God opened the donkey's mouth to warn Balaam. In a way, this scene uses the animal's speech to deliver a very dramatic message. Therefore, while the serpent speaking in today's passage might not be overly strange, it is worth noting how natural the exchange is in today's passage, and how Eve listens to the serpent's words so readily, without any resistance. That is why I came to think that perhaps appearing to Eve in the guise of an angel made it much easier for her to listen to Satan's words and fall for the temptation. Again, this interpretation is entirely my inference, and the Bible provides no clear explanation on this matter anywhere. However, what is clear is that in today's passage, the Bible definitively shows that this serpent is not merely a common animal found in nature, but is involved in far more serious events and holds profound meanings.  

 

Three Lessons: Analyzing the Pattern of Temptation

Now let's examine the three important lessons contained in this section.  

 

Lesson 1: Satan Attacks Relationships

First, we must note that this serpent is now trying to obstruct Adam and Eve, who are being completed as God's image. The reason we call this temptation rather than a test is precisely because Satan intends to bring down Adam and Eve. And because this temptation was not limited to that time but can be applied equally to us today, it is crucial that we understand the pattern of this temptation well. Primarily, what the serpent used when tempting Eve was a cleverly edited version of God's word. To the content where God clearly said to eat from every tree, it attached one short phrase. That is, right after the command that all fruit could be eaten, it took the command not to eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, slightly changed the order, and made it into one sentence. Let's look again at what Satan said. “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” However, in constructing this sentence, exactly one word is newly added. It is the word "lo" (לא), which you have studied before. When studying the name "Lo-ammi," I explained that by using the negative prefix "lo" before the word "ammi" (my people), it created a name with the cursed meaning "not my people." In this verse too, by placing "lo" before the word for "eat," it asks, "Did He say not to eat?" So some argue that the problem is that Satan adds something to God's word. This view is not wrong. However, more dangerous than distorting the word by adding a single word is that Satan, through such editing of the word, tries to twist the very essence of who God is. While it can be seen as slightly altering the true meaning of God's word by adding the negative word "lo," a more crucial fact is that Satan has the ulterior motive of changing Adam and Eve's very perception of God through this.  

Everyone, in Genesis 3 today, Satan appears, in a sense, as the most insidious and frightening theologian. He not only develops his own theology using God's word but also attempts to persuade Adam and Eve with remarkable consistency. He uses the word that negates the whole, thereby instilling the perception that God is someone who prevents humans from eating everything. While it might sound like simple wordplay by Satan, a very hidden intention lurks within. As we studied Genesis earlier, we learned that God considered the human act of eating very important. That is, this act of eating not only sustains humans but also shows that through it, humans must live relying on God. That was the story of our daily bread. Thus, God shows that He sustains and leads us through food, but now Satan is denying that very act of eating. Going a step further, Satan is asking humans, "Isn't it true that you don't need to rely on God? God doesn't give everything, but aren't you beings capable of living by your own strength?" He is asking, "God said you can't eat everything, so shouldn't you make your own food and eat by your own power?" Therefore, he is questioning, "Shouldn't you live relying on yourselves, not on God?"  

 

Breakdown of Communication: The Beginning of the Fall

Fortunately, Eve clearly states God's command in response to Satan's temptation. She says, "God allowed us to eat everything." And she added, "But He said not to eat the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden." Then, she adds more words that exactly follow Satan's pattern. This is the linguistic expression showing that humans finally started listening to and being influenced by Satan's words. What did she say? She added, "do not eat it or touch it." While it might sound the same as what God said, she added words God did not say. However, this too should be seen not merely as adding words, but behind it lies the fact that humans stated a stricter command in addition to God's command. Eve's added words contain her interpretation of God's word. This is not simply a failure to memorize scripture correctly. Eve interpreted it as, "lest you die." This Korean translation has some potential for misunderstanding. English Bibles, like the King James Version, translate this part not as "lest you die" (죽을까 하노라), but "so that you do not die" (너희가 죽지 않도록). So, Eve's response was, "He said 'do not eat it or touch it, so that you do not die.'" Therefore, this issue was not so much about misquoting God's word but about her attitude when interpreting God's command. If Eve had genuinely interpreted this command out of obedience, meaning 'absolutely do not look at this fruit, absolutely do not go near it,' and if she had understood God's reason for forbidding it and His heart in doing so, then perhaps it could have been a praiseworthy interpretation. However, the problem was her underlying motive in interpreting it this way: she thought God was a strict being, and therefore His command should be stated even more strictly.  

 

Crisis in the Church: The Importance of Community Relationships

Everyone, do you perhaps remember the parable of the minas in Luke 19? In that parable, the servant who received one mina says this: “Then another came, saying, ‘Lord, here is your mina, which I kept laid away in a handkerchief; for I was afraid of you, because you are a severe man. You take what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.’” This servant thought the master was a severe man, and so he didn't touch the mina at all but kept it hidden. Now, let's think about it. In response, the master says this: If you knew that (meaning he himself was not such a person), you should have put the money in the bank to earn interest. The master in this parable is saying he was not at all such a strict and bad master. But the servant received the master's command regarding the management of the one mina merely as a strict command, something that simply had to be obeyed. If the servant had loved the master, he would have strived for the master's profit. This is part of the lesson hidden in the parable of the minas. Ultimately, flawed knowledge about the master led to flawed actions, and the master became merely a master who sets laws and gives instructions.  

 

It was the same for Eve. When God said, "Do not eat this," Adam and Eve, hearing the command, simply obeyed mechanically and did not eat. While this is not a sin, God desires a lesson through this command. Why did God say not to eat? What does God require of us? Where is God leading us through this obedience? Adam and Eve, who had the wisdom to naturally ask these questions, simply thought God was a stern being, and therefore the command must be obeyed even more strictly. Because of such flawed knowledge about God, distortion eventually arose, and that distortion turns God into something like an idol. They begin to create another god, not the true God.  

 

The Sin of De-Godding: "DeGoded"

The problem with the Pharisees in the Gospels is similar. They made God into the God they wanted and conceived of. And they did so through pious methods. Was Jesus pleased with that? No, He was not. They thought of God differently. They only thought of a God who gives laws, makes people keep them, and punishes immediately if they are not kept. They did not think about why those laws should be kept, or why God gave such laws. They had no idea that the law was meant to lead us to the Messiah; they simply kept it diligently. They never considered the reason. They just thought that was the only way to serve God. Everyone, we need to consider how significant and crucial this issue is for our faith.  

When you read the command "Pray" in the Bible and then pray, it is not wrong at all. Prayer is something we should naturally and definitely do. But what is more important than the act of praying? It is realizing why God wants us to pray. That is a thousand times, ten thousand times more important. Only then can you truly seek God moment by moment, realize that we are beings who pray, and understand that we are beings who cannot live without praying ceaselessly. Only then can you confess that you cannot live without relying on God, and yearn for that grace. When we know that God wants to pray with me, communicate with me, walk with me, and share love with me, we are able to pray. Then that prayer becomes real prayer. Even if one decides to dedicate their entire life as a missionary, taking the exhortation to evangelize and do mission work as a command, if that obedience, like Eve's, stems from misunderstanding God, it can be very dangerous. Everything God requires of us is entirely for our own benefit. God wants us to pray for our sake. What benefit does God gain from our prayers? Everyone, if we read the Bible a lot, does God's biblical knowledge increase, making Him an outstanding Bible scholar? No, right? Then why does God want us to read the Bible and meditate on His word? Because it benefits us. Sometimes, it seems as though you and I believe in Jesus for God's sake, and attend church for God's sake. But this cannot be true. All aspects of our faith life are for our own benefit.  

 

The Danger of Faith Without Love

If Adam and Eve had properly understood this fact, they would not have reacted to Satan's temptation in that way. But the simple thought that just obeying God's command was sufficient began to dismantle their entire faith. The thought 'I will at least keep this much' attacked their true faith. Instead of having the mindset, 'Let's love God, let's know God rightly, let me realize what God's heart towards me is and obey Him out of a loving heart accordingly,' it simply ended with, 'He commanded this, so I obey like this.' That deeply grieved God's heart. Because He spoke to them as children, but they received and acted upon it as a master-servant relationship. This is the first of the three lessons we will cover today.  

 

Lesson 2: Distorting God's Word

The second lesson is simple. First, let's examine the characteristics of Satan's temptation through the words the serpent uses. This is from chapter 3, verses 4 to 5. "But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”" Who does "you" (plural) refer to in verse 4? It refers not just to Eve alone, but to Adam and Eve together. Therefore, when the serpent was saying this, Adam must certainly have been there. Even if not, Adam was clearly nearby listening to the serpent's words. This becomes almost certain when we recall the later scene where Eve gives the fruit of the tree to Adam. Yet, the serpent tempted the woman first. Why? Was it because women are very soft-hearted and likely to listen well? If you thought that, you are grossly underestimating Satan. And where in the Bible does it say women are more easily persuaded or weaker to temptation than men? That is not a historically proven fact either. Frankly speaking, isn't it quite self-evident that in male-female relationships, most problems are caused by men? Therefore, today's passage should not be interpreted with such prejudice.  

 

Making God's Character Doubtful

Today's scripture means this. Satan is attacking the very family unit that God intended to establish through Adam's confession, "flesh of my flesh and bone of my bones." He did not attack Adam himself, but by attacking the woman, the helper given by God, he is trying to destroy the entire family. This attack by Satan was not aimed merely at causing Eve to misspeak; it was a meticulously planned sin. That is, he is trying to destroy the family, and on a larger scale, all relationships between humans, the relationship between man and woman—all relationships that should resemble the communion and intimacy of the Triune God. What happens when that relationship breaks down? First, people inevitably grow distant from each other. This happening is well illustrated in the final part of today's passage. Let's examine the actions of Eve and Adam after this event. As beings bearing the image of the Triune God, they needed to communicate. When the serpent's temptation came, the first thing Eve should have done was communicate with Adam. It was right to discuss such matters with Adam. But she did not; instead, Eve thought and decided on her own and put it into action. From this, we can see that communication between the two ceased, and their relationship was already broken. This fall, occurring through Satan's calculated strategy, began right from the starting point of creation due to a precise attack aimed at that target point.  

 

This is precisely why we need to understand Satan's attack strategy well. The image we, as the church, must show to God is that intimate relationship demonstrated by the Triune God through their unity—the communion and intimacy between the Father and Jesus, and between the Holy Spirit and Jesus. Therefore, the best way for Satan to tempt us is to destroy communication within this church. In today's scripture, Satan uses the word "you" (plural) to shake the relationship between people. This word "you" (plural), used to cause the collapse of this relationship, thus concealed a terribly fearsome scheme. Through this, communication between Adam and Eve was blocked, and ultimately, God was pulled down from His place, and humans took that place instead. In other words, pulling down fellow humans, who are also God's people, from their place, and always trying to seize control of that relationship—that is the core of sin shown to us by this fall.  

 

D.A. Carson described this core element of the fall—pulling God down from His place—with the word "DeGoded". It means driving God out and ascending to God's place oneself. And to achieve this, Eve first performed "DeHusband" and "DeMan." That is, all this evil began by destroying all human relationships. The moment the true relationship among God's people in the church—those who are "bone of my bones, flesh of my flesh"—is shaken, we inevitably move towards the tremendous sin of pulling God down from His place and elevating ourselves to that place of idolatry. We might look only to God and worship only Him, but the moment that relationship breaks down, this sin slowly begins to stain us.  

 

This is also why this unfortunate time of the pandemic is frightening. If we do not resolve it properly within the context of true relationships among believers, Satan can always use that crisis as a tool for temptation. The very moment our relationships and situations become weaker, shaken, and feel unimportant is the moment crisis begins for us. And that is why we must love the community more diligently during this time of crisis. When we fail to do this properly, it won't be long before we "DeGoded" God and start worshiping the idol we conceived, placed in God's stead. We might shout Jesus' name and sing praises, but ultimately, the object we worship is merely an idol. Because worship without love is not worship offered to God. That is precisely the lesson the Apostle John clearly conveys to us in 1, 2, and 3 John. If we lack love, if we do not love the neighbor we see, we cannot love the unseen God, the Apostle John stated clearly. Therefore, for the church to be renewed, the relationship within the community is just as important as the relationship between the believer and God.  

 

Do you want a healthy church? Do you feel like you no longer want to look around at other churches, but want to commit yourself to this church? In these difficult times, if you want to have hope for your church, you must take today's lesson seriously.  

 

Lesson 3: The Process of the Fall: Following What One Wants to Hear

The final lesson today's scripture teaches us is this. Satan is now showing extreme opposition to God's word. God said they would surely die, but Satan says, "You will not surely die." Then how did Adam and Eve fall for such a false temptation? How did Adam and Eve, who clearly knew the word, fall for such a simple lie? It was because Adam and Eve, starting to be swayed by Satan's words, focused all their attention solely on themselves. This is well revealed in Eve's response in today's passage. And Satan, not missing this, begins to say what Eve wants to hear, words that would please her. He says, "You will not die, you will surely live. You will never die." And at those words, all humans, including us, begin to waver.  

 

Everyone, haven't you ever wondered why those who went into heresy ended up that way? A commonality among most people who fall into heresy is that they were disappointed with the church. Because they saw the breakdown of intimate relationships and love among believers in the church. So eventually, they start distrusting and suspecting each other. They feel they are not receiving true love within the church community, and ultimately, that relationship breaks down. In such a situation, the teachings of heresy, which tell them what they want to hear, come in, and they are drawn to those heretical churches that tell them the stories they want to believe. It's not just those who fall into heresy. We are no different. Everyone, if we are swayed by that temptation and start listening only to what we want to hear, we will soon discover that our lives are being shaken without us even realizing it.  

 

Fundamental Check: Foundation and Motivation of Faith

Do you know how badly the Pharisees and Sadducees in the Gospels wanted to be baptized? The Gospels mention that they too wanted to go to John the Baptist and be baptized. Because they also wanted to become clean. Just as we come to church, worship, praise God, repent, and desire forgiveness, they too wanted to repent, be forgiven, and become clean. But what John the Baptist said to them was this: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” Why did John say this? It sounds a bit too harsh. One might humanly think, if those people wanted to be baptized and become clean, couldn't John have just done it for them? But John is rebuking them. He is pressing them, asking who taught them this to escape the imminent wrath. Because John knew very well that they came solely for themselves, never thinking of God.  

 

You and I too, if we came here today merely out of self-centered faith, solely for our own salvation and piety, we will receive a rebuke no different from the one the Pharisees and Sadducees received. Resolving never to miss a worship service again, to do dawn prayer every day, and never skip daily Bible reading is not bad. Rather, it's a good intention and natural for a believer. However, if at the bottom of that resolution, at the center of all those actions, there is even a slight desire to be recognized by God and people, we must immediately discard that resolution. If you think you must do it because it is the proper behavior for a person of faith, you are thinking very wrongly. Of course, living the Christian life that way is not wrong. It is right. But before practicing this faith, you need to re-examine the most fundamental parts of your faith, is the point. Even if we think we are doing all this with genuine faith, we must re-examine the foundation of this faith. Even someone as intelligent as Adam and Eve wavered. So what does that say about us? We can waver at any time. Without relying on Jesus Christ, without thinking of God's glory, we are people who can thoroughly believe in Christianity constantly for our own sake.  

 

Therefore, let us truly grasp today's lesson, stand before this word today, and reflect starting from the deepest, most fundamental parts of ourselves. From the very beginning of the faith I hold, from the very foundation, from the bottom of my heart, ask why I believe in Jesus, why I desire the kingdom of God, why I pray, why I long for the Word—ask about the true desire of your heart. Examine that heart meticulously. Before worshiping diligently and living faithfully, ask yourself if you are truly willing to deny yourself and take up your cross. Re-examine whether your salvation is the salvation spoken of in the Bible, or a salvation you have constructed and wish to receive.  

 

Hope, Not Despair: The Path to True Assurance

Everyone, I hope this message does not end merely in fear for you. Because this word, exhorting us to rethink from our deepest foundations, is actually the best path to lead us to the greatest assurance and joy. When you realize, 'I am someone who cannot live without preaching, without the Word, without prayer,' you will finally understand. That very fact is what gives us true rest and peace. Everyone, think about it. Do you believe in Jesus? Do you have assurance of salvation? Faced with such questions, many might find their faith shaken. However, if the mere thought of not being saved, or becoming someone unrelated to God, is terrifying and despairing to you, then that despair is a precious blessing to us. This despair is more amazing than the assurance of salvation. The moment you realize, 'I am someone who cannot live without God,' the moment you think, 'This is so precious that if it were taken from my life, nothing would be left for me'—that very moment is the one that shows you are a child of God. Therefore, all this examination is not a curse, terror, or threat to you, but something that gives assurance, joy, and peace. Run to the Lord, re-examine your faith, do not lose that peace and joy, but enjoy it even more starting today, and with that enjoyed peace and joy, let us love our brothers and sisters to the fullest.  

 

Closing Prayer

Let us pray. Loving Lord, if we are perhaps in that temptation, let us run out now. If we have perhaps listened to the voice of that temptation, Lord, close our ears and let us open our eyes and ears only towards Your word. Lord, guide us so that the cross of Christ alone may be clearly revealed within us. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen!