Did Jesus Really Say They Would Certainly Die?

Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”

“You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. …

And the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.

Genesis 3:1-7, 22-24

Do you ever get confused about what Jesus really said? Do you ever question the severity of the consequences if we ignore what he said?

I have. I know others who have. It seems the serpent always begins with the same tactic ...

Did Jesus really say, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me”?

Well, who would want to believe that? Now the faithful adherents of every religion outside of Christianity are separated from God. But Jesus really said it (John 14:6). They will certainly die.

Did Jesus really say, “If you do not forgive others their sins, your father will not forgive your sins”?

I once had to teach this verse to a fifth-grader. We began by talking about some of the bad things that could happen to him in school. He carried on for a long while about his righteous anger at the suggestions and the many creative ways he would inflict his wrath on his enemies if such things came about. This verse stopped him cold. Jesus really said it (Matthew 6:15). Those who live in anger and unforgiveness will certainly die.

Did Jesus really say, “If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned”?

Not according to a few Bible studies I’ve attended. Once saved, always saved is a far more comforting doctrine and the easier the path to that label “saved” the better. After all, who wants to consider the possibility that our self-deceived loved ones who said the sinner’s prayer and then went right back to sinful living aren’t going to be with us in Heaven? But Jesus really said it (John 15:6). Those who do not remain in him will certainly die.

Did Jesus really say, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven”?

This verse came up at a Bible study I attended, and one of my friends was so unsettled by it that she decided to stop thinking about it and pretend it didn’t exist. But Jesus did say that (Matthew 7:21). There are those who think they know the Lord who will certainly die.

To some up all this dreariness, here’s what Jesus said: “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” (Matthew 7:13-14)

The Hope of the 60’s

 (Heaven is our future)

Revelation 22

 

 

The 60’s generation thought we were the hope of the future. We thought we were going to correct all the mistakes that our parents had made; that politicians had made; that the establishment had made.

 

Then came the assassinations of John F Kennedy, Martin Luther King and Robert F Kennedy. It was a tumultuous time with the Viet Nam war, demonstrations and Woodstock.  Yet, we thought we were the hope of the future.

 

What keeps you going when you fail to meet your own expectations; your own hopes; your own dreams? What keeps getting you up in the morning after life knocks you down? What keeps you trying when circumstances seem hopeless?

 

When John wrote the book of Revelation, circumstances did seem hopeless. Emperor worship was being enforced. Christians were facing greater and greater hostility, even to the point of martyrdom. John himself had been exiled to Patmos, which was a penal colony, probably for his missionary activities.

 

God’s Covenant of Hope always seems to include fruitfulness. He started in the Garden of Eden; continued with the promise of a land filled with milk and honey; and concludes with the promise of the restoration of Eden. See if you can visualize this idyllic garden that John describes.

 

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb ² down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. ³ No longer will there be any curse. NIV

 

“No longer will there be a curse”… In the 60’s, we thought we would put an end to the

curse. We were wrong. Only the Living God can do that. Through the promises of Revelation 22, He gives us hope. Not only is it hope for us as believers, but also for us to share with others in a world without hope... Come.

 

 https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation%2022&version=NIV;TLB

https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/mclean/niv/Rev.22

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Turning Point

(Serpent)

Genesis 3:1-13

 

Turning points, and the decisions that lead up to them, come in all sizes and shapes; some barely noticeable while others are life changing.

 

For instance, between my sophomore and junior year of college I had two summer opportunities to choose from. The most exciting was to go to California as a summer intern for Campus Crusade for Christ. The second was to go to East Lansing, Michigan, find a job and participate in a local church sponsored discipleship training program. I chose the latter.

 

As a result, I changed colleges, degrees and careers; met my wife, started our family and bought our first house. The impact of that small, barely noticeable decision to go to East Lansing for the summer, literally changed my life.

 

James wrote how decisions that starts small and seemingly insignificant, can have an adverse life changing effect. ^15 “Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.” This is the pattern of Adam and Eve. Unfortunately, it is our pattern too. It all started in the Garden of Eden.

 

The serpent was the craftiest of all the creatures the Lord God had made. So the serpent came to the woman. “Really?” he asked. “None of the fruit in the garden? God says you mustn’t eat any of it?”

^2-3 “Of course we may eat it,” the woman told him. “It’s only the fruit from the tree at the center of the garden that we are not to eat. God says we mustn’t eat it or even touch it, or we will die.”

⁴ “That’s a lie!” the serpent hissed. “You’ll not die! ⁵ God knows very well that the instant you eat it you will become like him, for your eyes will be opened—you will be able to distinguish good from evil!”     TLB

 

This conversation in the Garden was absolutely a turning point, not just for Adam and Eve, but also for you and me. As a result of their decision, our lives would never be perfect; our relationships would always have pain and suffering; our faith in God would always include failure...

 

Every day is another turning point in your life. What decisions will you make today? Will you choose life, or will you choose death?

 

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=genesis%203%3A1-13&version=NIV;TLB
https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/mclean/niv/Gen.3.1-Gen.3.13

 

 

 

BAM! It’s a Celebration!

Genesis 3:14-15

 Have you ever watched a movie where in the beginning everything is going great? “Life is good” as they say. But then… the bad guy enters, and life turns upside down. One thing after another goes wrong as the villain gains power and wreaks havoc.

As you watch, first you begin to root against the bad guy. Then your feelings become a little stronger; maybe borderline anger. Finally you reach your limit when you find yourself wishing that something terribly wrong would happen to the villain.

And when it does, BAM! It’s a celebration! If you’re at the theatre the audience may even applaud and cheer.

The story of Adam and Eve is kind of like that. They are in the Garden of Eden in perfect harmony with each other, the world around them and especially with God. But then the serpent enters. He spins a few lies and all of a sudden, life is turned upside down.

When you think about this, does it make you angry? Do you even feel hatred for the serpent? He doesn’t care about Adam or Eve or God or you or me. He’s like the guy in the All State commercial who loves to create mayhem. That’s what the serpent does; death and destruction.

Finally, the Lord God enters to declare the consequences of all of their behavior. He directs His first comments toward the serpent. If you listen carefully, you can hear His angry, booming voice as He pronounces the final defeat of the snake.

 “Because you’ve done this, you’re cursed, cursed beyond all cattle and wild animals, 

Cursed to slink on your belly and eat dirt all your life. I’m declaring war between you and the Woman, between your offspring and hers. He’ll wound your head, you’ll wound his heel.”            MSG

The serpent is doomed. But who is it that will wound the serpent’s head, or as it is translated in the NIV, “crush your head”?

 These two verses are the first promise of Jesus. He will crush the head of Satan. He will have victory. Go ahead. You can stand up and cheer. Satan has been defeated. We have been delivered. The Lord is alive and still at work in us and through us.

 BAM! It’s a celebration!

The Story - Chapter 1 - Genesis 3

After reading the account of Adam and Eve in Genesis 3, I realize more fully how our actions impact others.  It is becoming clear to me that my behavior will have an effect on others and could very well change the lives of people I care about.  Sin became part of the world when Adam and Eve listened to evil when it spoke to them.  Adam and Eve decided God was not enough and they exercised their free will to rectify the situation.

If God is perfect and all we need, why was Eve susceptible to Satan’s taunts? If the Garden of Eden was beautiful and stunning and filled with everything anyone could want or need, why did Eve want more?  If God loves us so much, why did He put a stipulation not to eat from the tree in the middle of the garden?  These are questions that have been asked for centuries, and an answer I have always been given is because one of the greatest gifts God has given us is our free will.

“Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?

The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’” (Genesis 3:2-3)

Life would be simpler if we did not have this gift.  Without free will there would be no need for us to have a mind, to have feelings and emotions.  Without free will we would not know we were happy, we would just be.  Existence would have no meaning.  Think about it for a minute.  What kind of books and movies get you excited? What stories do to encourage friends to read?  Aren’t they stories of love and victory?  Isn’t your hero or heroine the strong and courageous soldier who is fighting to regain freedom?

Free will is a gift to be cherished; it is a gift with a price tag.


Read Genesis 3 here

Listen to Genesis 3 here