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Deceived!, January 9
Genesis 3:1-6
And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every
tree of the garden?
Genesis 3:1
.
To man, the crowning work of creation, God has given power to understand
His requirements, to comprehend the justice and beneficence of His law, and its
sacred claims upon him; and of man unswerving obedience is required.
Like the angels, the dwellers in Eden had been placed upon probation; their
happy estate could be retained only on condition of fidelity to the Creator’s law.
They could obey and live, or disobey and perish....
The angels had cautioned Eve to beware of separating herself from her
husband while occupied in their daily labor in the garden; with him she would
be in less danger from temptation than if she were alone. But absorbed in her
pleasing task, she unconsciously wandered from his side.... She soon found
herself gazing with mingled curiosity and admiration upon the forbidden tree.
The fruit was very beautiful, and she questioned with herself why God had
withheld it from them. Now was the tempter’s opportunity. As if he were able
to discern the workings of her mind, he addressed her: “Yea, hath God said, Ye
shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” ...
The tempter intimated that the divine warning was not to be actually fulfilled;
it was designed merely to intimidate them....
Such has been Satan’s work from the days of Adam to the present, and he
has pursued it with great success. He tempts men to distrust God’s love and
to doubt His wisdom. He is constantly seeking to excite a spirit of irreverent
curiosity, a restless, inquisitive desire to penetrate the secrets of divine wisdom
and power. In their efforts to search out what God has been pleased to withhold,
multitudes overlook the truths which He has revealed, and which are essential to
salvation....
Eve really believed the words of Satan, but her belief did not save her from
the penalty of sin. She disbelieved the words of God, and this was what led to her
fall. In the judgment men will not be condemned because they conscientiously
believed a lie, but because they did not believe the truth, because they neglected
the opportunity of learning what is truth
[16]
12
Ibid., 52-55
.
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