The evil that is manifested on the outside, is the result of the evil that is found in the hearts of the people, in their sinful nature. How have people got to this state? This will be the subject of today’s article.
The devil was and is interested to destroy people by knowing the evil
The third chapter of the book of Genesis begins in this way:
Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’” The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! ”For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. (Genesis 3:1–5)(NASB)
The serpent doubted the Words of God and by telling lies, he presented another perspective than the true one to the man. He didn’t tell him about the death that had to come together with knowing the evil, but deceived him, telling that the man will be like God. The Bible tells us that this serpent is the devil, that is Satan.
And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. (Revelation 12:9)(NASB)
In the garden of Eden, the devil took the image of a serpent, because he has this quality, that is confirmed by the Apostle Paul, when he says:
No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. (2 Corinthians 11:14)(NASB)
Knowing evil and being influenced by it and by its consequences was the man’s choise
After the devil said to the woman that “in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil”…
the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. (Genesis 3:6)(NASB)
Knowing the evil has affected man’s perspective of the creation, of his own person and of God gravely
Immediately after they had eaten from the fruit of the banned tree and had begun to know good and evil, the Scriptures says:
Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings. (Genesis 3:7)(NASB)
What was the sense and place of these coverings between a man and a woman that were husband and wife, among God’s creation? These coverings were the expression of mistrust and of shame that affected their relation and the relation with God, as we see this further below in the following text…
They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. Then the LORD God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?” He said, “I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.” (Genesis 3:8–10)(NASB)
The evil came into the world through the Devil, who was and is interested to destroy the man by knowing evil, but this was man’s choise not to listen to God and to get to know evil and death together with it. Knowing the evil has affected man’s perspective of the creation, of his own person and of God gravely.
Yesterday I had a discussion with a group of students from the Pedagogical College “Alexei Mateevici” from Chisinau. I received many questions from which I understood that there are subjects that have to be touched in separate articles and published on this portal. Come again tomorrow to read the article “How to act when teachers do you an injustice?”
Translated by Djugostran Felicia