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Genesis 3 – Choose to Believe
What did Eve see, when she looked at that forbidden fruit? Did she see lies and deception? Did what she see deceive her? Or, was everything she laid her eyes on the truth?
She saw that the fruit was good for food (Gen.3:6). No doubt it was, since everything God created was good. She saw that it was a delight to the eyes (Gen.3:6), and so it rightfully appealed to her as God created food to be. Again, since God created beauty, no doubt the fruit was ripe and beautiful. She believed what the serpent had said that it would make one wise (Gen.3:6), and that turned out to be true too (Gen.3:22).
She saw an opportunity to gain knowledge and godliness, and became wise and like God (Gen.3:22).
So what was it that the first woman saw that was false? Nothing. Even the serpent’s words, “you will not surely die” contained truth, some truth, because physically they could still live forever as long as they had access to the tree of life (Gen.3:22). Eating the fruit did not poison their bodies. They ate and survived.
Everything Satan said could be empirically proved to be true, except the one thing beyond practical proof – that they would die spiritually. For that evidence only exists if we believe and trust God; and Eve decided to not do that. She decided to believe what she wanted, instead of wanting to believe what God said.
The point to this simple little exercise is that sometimes truth cannot be empirically proved or disproved. We have to choose who we are going to believe, in order to choose what to believe.
So when Jesus said, “He that believes and is baptized will be saved” (Mark 16:16), we have to make a choice. We cannot prove by observation that our souls are made alive when we are baptized any more than Eve could prove that her soul would die if she ate the fruit.
Unfortunately, people focus on what Jesus did not say. They ask, “Did Jesus say, ‘he that does not believe and is not baptized shall be condemned’?” Admittedly, Jesus did not say that. But here is the question for all eternity – Do we want to focus on what Jesus said, or did not say? Do we want to trust Jesus’ words, or someone who is not Jesus?
Notice that Satan focuses on what God did not say,
“Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” (Genesis 3:1 NASB).
God never said that. God said they could not eat of one particular tree. “Any” and “every” is not “one.” Eve apparently even added something else God never said,
“God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.'” (Genesis 3:3).
When did God say not to touch it? If He gave that directive to Adam or Eve, it is never recorded. But exaggerating truth is as much an error as minimizing truth.
Eve wanted to gain wisdom and become like God. Those are good goals, but must be attained by God’s gifts, by His way, and not ours. Too often people’s goals are worthy, even godly, but they must be attained by God’s wisdom, not man’s. That is why it is so important not to add or take away from God’s plan for the work of the church. Churches can have good intentions, but if God never intended for the church to do it, how can it be good? God never intended for institutions to be an adjunct to a local church. God intended for local churches to do the work themselves or else have the individuals do it (1 Timothy 5:3-10).
The point to this simple little exercise is that we have to choose who to believe. Jesus said, “He that believes and is baptized will be saved” (Mark 16:16). Do we choose to believe Him, or Satan who says, “Don’t believe what Jesus said. Just believe what Jesus did not say.
The point is simple again. Stick to what is said, not to what is not said. Don’t minimize or exaggerate truth. Don’t add or take away. Don’t achieve good goals in a way God did not inspire.
When you look at Mark 16:16, when you look at the entire Bible, what do you see? What does Jesus want you to see? What does Satan?
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