Thru the Bible

Steve Schwetz: If you read Genesis chapters 1 and 2 and then you read Genesis 4, you have to shake your head and wonder, what happened? Welcome to Thru the Bible, where Dr. J. Vernon McGee shares the scenario in our study and it's a good one. First, we read about man walking with God in a garden and a beautiful marriage. And then, in chapter 4 we're startled to hear about jealousy, anger, murder, lying, wickedness, rebellion, and worst of all, a broken relationship with God.

So what happened? Well, that's what we're going to discover today. So if you can, open your Bible to Genesis chapter 3. We've got some time for one letter, so it's from a listener named Flora in Armenia and she writes this: "For months, a friend in our discipleship group had been sharing the gospel with me and by God's grace I finally gave my life to Jesus. Everything changed. I began reading the Bible every day and felt a deep desire to grow and be a part of a community where I could learn more about my new faith."

"My friend also told me about a youth ministry that uses Thru the Bible for discipleship and soon after I received a call inviting me to join their meetings. I'm 23, I work at a bank, and I come from a non-believing family. Life has not been easy, but when I chose Christ, I did it with full understanding and conviction, not from emotion, but from truth. When I joined the group, I shared my story and they welcomed me with so much love. They even gave me an Armenian Bible since I only had an Arabic one."

"Recently, we had a Bible quiz on Ephesians. I had read all the chapters ahead of time and diving into God's word stirred a passion in me I didn't know was possible. But a few days ago, a difficult situation arose at home. When my family found out I was attending these meetings, they strongly opposed it. Because they are not believers, it created a serious conflict. Out of obedience to my parents, I told my leaders that I wouldn't be able to come next week. It broke my heart."

"Still, they encouraged me and reminded me that trials like these are part of following Christ. They shared 1 Peter 4:12-19 and promised to keep praying for me and I am praying too. I am asking God to soften my family's hearts and to make a way for me to return to fellowship when the time is right. Please pray for me and for my family."

Well, if you would like to pray for listeners like Flora and those who join us on the Bible bus in more than 250 languages around the world, you can sign up for our world prayer team. It's really easy. You can do it through our app or over at ttb.org. Now let's commit this time to the Lord.

Heavenly Father, we grieve the day our sin separated us from You as we'll learn about in Genesis 3. Help us to humbly receive the truth and then respond in faith to Your grace and forgiveness that makes it possible to have a relationship with You. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen. Let's go now to Genesis 3 as we make our way through the Bible with Dr. J. Vernon McGee.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee: We come today to the third chapter. Before we get into that, I move rather rapidly through the last part of chapter 2. We were looking at the creation of woman that was indirect creation, for God took her out of man and to reveal the fact that she's part of man.

Someone has put it like this: "For woman is not undeveloped man, but diverse. Not like to like, but like in difference. Yet in the long years like must they grow, till at the last she set herself to man like perfect music unto noble words. Distinct in individuality, but like each other even as those who love." This is one of the most beautiful stories and the most beautiful record.

We've seen now in chapter 2 man's kinship with God, man's worship of God, man's fellowship with God, man's service for God, man's loyalty to God, man's authority from God, and man's social life from and for God. That is the great message of chapter 2.

Now we come to what some consider the most important chapter of the Bible. It's conceded by all conservative expositors to be just that. Dr. Griffith Thomas called chapter 3 the pivot of the Bible. If you doubt that, read chapters 1 and 2 of Genesis. Then omit chapter 3 and read chapters 4 through 11. You'll find out that there's a tremendous vacuum that needs to be filled, that something happened.

For instance, in Genesis 1 and 2, we find man in innocence. Everything is perfection and there's fellowship between God and man. But the minute you begin in chapter 4 of Genesis and don't go any farther than chapter 11, this first section, you find jealousy, anger, murder, lying, wickedness, corruption, rebellion, and judgment. The question is, where did it all come from? Where did it begin? Where did all the sin originate? It didn't originate actually in chapter 3 of Genesis, but as far as man is concerned, here is where it began.

I'd like to read you a statement of another at this particular point. He's speaking now of Genesis 3. He says, "Here we trace back to their source many of the rivers of divine truth. Here commences the great drama which is being enacted on the stage of human history and which well-nigh 6,000 years has not yet completed. Here we find the divine explanation of the present fallen and ruined condition of our race."

"Here we learn of the subtle devices of our enemy, the devil. Here we behold the utter powerlessness of man to walk in the path of righteousness when divine grace is withheld from him. Here we discover the spiritual effects of sin, man seeking to flee from God. Here we discern the attitude of God toward the guilty sinner. Here we mark the universal tendency of human nature to cover its own moral shame by a device of man's own handiwork."

"Here we are taught of the gracious provision which God has made to meet our great need. Here begins that marvelous stream of prophecy which runs all through the holy scriptures. Here we learn that man cannot approach God except through a mediator." This is a tremendous statement. We want to consider now chapter 3 more or less in depth. We're spending a lot of time in these opening chapters because they are all-important, and God is covering a great deal of ground in a very brief period of space.

In this first section here, we have the very obvious fact of the setting for the temptation of man. Now let me read beginning with verse 1: "Now the serpent was more subtle 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?"

This creature here we find raises a question. Why the temptation? Man was created innocent and man was not created righteous. What is righteousness? Righteousness is innocence that's been maintained in the presence of temptation. Temptation will either develop or destroy you, do one of the two.

The Garden of Eden was not a hothouse. Man was not a hothouse plant. Character must be developed and it can be developed only in the presence of temptation. Therefore, man was created a responsible being and he was responsible to glorify, to obey, to serve, and to be subject to divine government. Man didn't create himself. God created him.

God was not arbitrary in this. God had said to man, "But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." It wasn't the only tree to eat of. It would have been a very arbitrary statement if man would have starved to death if he hadn't eaten of the tree and then be told he'd die if he did eat of it. There were an abundance of trees there that bore fruit so that man didn't need to eat of this tree at all.

Now will you notice that man appears here on the scene a responsible creature. Now we have here the temptation and the fall. In this first verse I read, we're introduced to the serpent. Immediately the question can reasonably be answered, where in the world did he come from? How did he get in the Garden of Eden?

As far as I can tell from the word of God, the serpent was there not as a slithering creature, and we're not told how he came there. We're just told he was there. You see, the word of God leaves a great deal out, but he was a creature that could be used of Satan, and Satan used him. Isn't that exactly the method that he uses even today? Paul said to the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians 11:14, "No marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light."

We find out that especially in the book of Revelation, where more is said about him there than anywhere else, it is said the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent called the devil and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth and his angels were cast out with him. This creature was not a slithering snake as we think of it today. That's not the picture that the word of God gives of him at all.

We're told in Revelation 20:2, "He laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the devil and Satan, and bound him a thousand years." So this is a creature with tremendous ability. There's no record of his origin here at all. Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28 give us the origin of this creature and also how he became the creature that he was.

Why in the world did the serpent approach the woman? Why didn't he approach the man? Let me read: "And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: but 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."

Woman was created last and she got her information from the man. God had told Adam when he created him that he could eat of every tree of the garden, but of this one he was not to eat of. So the woman had gotten her information second-hand, got it from man. So he approached woman first.

Woman was created in a finer way than man was created, but also one who probably was open to this type of thing more than a man would be. A woman really has a nature that probably is more inquisitive than a man. Also, she is the one today that you find goes into the cults and isms more than anyone else and leads men into it. The serpent knew what he was doing.

You notice what he did. He had a very subtle method as he came here. He asked her this question and he cast doubt on the word of God, and he excites her curiosity, and he questions the love and the goodness and the righteousness and the holiness of God. Notice what happens: "Yea, hath God said, ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?"

He raises a doubt in her mind, excites her curiosity. And she answered, "Why, we can eat of all the trees, but this tree God has told us, ye shall not eat of it." That's all God said, but she added something, "neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die." I don't find where He ever said you're not to touch it.

Then the serpent said unto the woman—and let me change our translation a little—instead of saying "ye shall not surely die," he said, "ye certainly shall not die. Why, that is just absolutely impossible." You see, he questions the love of God and the goodness of God. If God's good, why did He put that restriction down?

And if God is righteous, well, he says He's not righteous because you won't die. He questions the holiness of God: "You're going to be gods yourself, for 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."

This is the thing that she did, she added to the word of God. The liberal and the atheist takes from the word of God, and God warns against that. And the cults and some fundamentalists add to the word of God, and God warns against that. There are those that say that today we're saved by law. Oh, they say yes, faith, but it's faith plus something else. This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him whom He hath sent. John 6:29. How important that is.

Now you see here he very subtly contradicts God and he substitutes his word for it. Remember we called attention in Romans to the fact of the obedience of faith. Faith leads to obedience and disobedience leads to unbelief. You see, doubt leads to disobedience always.

Now will you notice: "And when the woman saw"—notice that—"that the tree was good for food, 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."

The appeal that he made here is quite an interesting appeal. It was an appeal to the flesh, but that's not all. That's not really the thing that is really important. It was pleasant to the eyes and a tree to be desired to make one wise. It was an appeal to the flesh, an appeal to the psychological part of man, his mind, and an appeal to the religious side of man.

That's exactly the temptation that Satan brought to the Lord Jesus. First of all, make these stones into bread, it's good to eat. And then He told Him, "I'll give Him the kingdoms of the world," and showed Him the kingdoms of the world. Pleasant to the eyes, appeal to the mind. And then, "a tree to be desired to make one wise, cast yourself down from the temple."

I don't think he's changed his tactics. He uses the same tactics with you and me, and I think the reason that he still uses the same tactics is because it works. He doesn't need to change his tactics. We all seem to fall for the same line. John wrote, "For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh"—that's it, good to eat—"the lust of the eyes"—good to look at—"and the pride of life"—cast yourself down from the temple. These things are not of the Father but of the world.

Jesus said that these sins of the flesh, though, come out of the heart of man, way down deep. This is where he's making his appeal. That's where he's going in after man in a very definite way. It's this method that he's using here in order that he might reach in and that he might lead mankind astray. Well, he did it. They were told they'd know good and evil. What happened?

We have the result of the fall of man. The eyes of them both were opened. They knew that they were naked and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves aprons. What do we have here? We have the eyes open. That is their conscience. Man before the fall did not have a conscience. He's innocent. Innocence is ignorance of evil. Man did not make a conscience. There's an accuser that each one of you and I have that lives on the inside of us.

The psychologist says today that we all have a guilt complex. A leading psychologist in a university here in Southern California, who's a Christian, said to me that the guilt complex is as much a part of man as his right arm is and he can no more get rid of that guilt complex in a psychological way than you can get rid of the arm except by amputating it.

They knew they were naked. These fig leaves concealed but did not cover really, and they did not confess. They just attempted to cover up their sin. The eyes of them both were opened and they knew that they were naked. They sewed fig leaves together and made themselves aprons.

They heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden. And the Lord God called unto Adam and said unto him, "Where art thou?"

Have you ever noticed that the tree that is here, they sewed fig leaves together and that's the only tree that's mentioned. The tree of knowledge of good and evil is not an apple tree. I don't know what it was, but I'm almost sure it wasn't an apple tree. They sewed the fig leaves. They were not ready to admit their lost condition. That is the condition of man today in religion. He goes through exercises and rituals and he joins churches and he becomes very religious.

Have you ever noticed Christ cursed the fig tree? Quite interesting. He denounced religion right after that. He denounced it with all of his being. Satan in this temptation wanted to come between the soul and God. In other words, he wanted to wean man from God, win man over to himself and to become the god of man.

The temptations of the flesh would not have appealed to man in that day anyway. He wasn't tempted to steal or lie to covet. He was just tempted to doubt God. What was the trouble of the rich young ruler? Didn't believe. You have the parable of the sower. The seed didn't fall on good ground. The parable of the tares. Here are those that would not believe God.

Satan's method: first saw it was good for food. Second, it's pleasant to the eye and to be desired. He works from the outside to the inside, without to within. God begins with man's heart. Have you ever noticed that? Religion is something you rub on the outside. God doesn't begin with religion.

May I make a distinction here? Christianity is not a religion. Christianity is Christ, and there are a lot of religions. The Lord Jesus went right to the very fountainhead. He said, "Ye must be born again." Then He said to the Pharisees, who were very religious on the outside, "Make the inside of the platter clean." He said, "You're just like a mausoleum, beautiful on the outside with marble and flowers, but inside dead men's bones." What a picture.

Their eyes were open, their conscience. They knew they were naked. There's no really new style in fig leaves. Men are still going to church and going through religious exercises and good works. What happened when they heard the voice of the Lord God in the garden? They ran from God. Religion will separate you from God. Adam's lost. The Lord God called unto him and said, "Where are you, Adam?" Adam's lost. It's God seeking him and not man seeking God.

There's no confession on his part. Will you notice that? He says, "I heard thy voice in the garden, I was afraid because I was naked and I hid myself." He said, "Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?" The man said, "The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree and I did eat." The important thing there is not so much that he blamed the woman, or as we'd say in common colloquialism of the day, passed the buck, but there's no confession of sin on his part.

Next time we're going to see the judgment of the fall. He will first ask the woman. The Lord God said unto the woman, "What is this that thou hast done?" And the woman said, "The serpent beguiled me and I did eat." More of that buck-passing. Next time we see the judgment of the fall and you may find it's a little different than maybe you really thought it was. Until next time, may God richly bless you.

Steve Schwetz: Well, that's the bad news, but the good news is coming. If you can't wait until we get there, learn more by clicking on "How Can I Know God" in our app or at ttb.org, or just call us at 1-800-65-BIBLE. I'm Steve Schwetz and I'll meet you back here next time as the Bible bus journeys on.

Jesus paid it all,

All to Him I owe;

Sin had left a crimson stain,

He washed it white as snow.

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