The Dark Side – the Enemy Within
In literature, drama is defined as a composition in verse or prose intended to portray life or character or to tell a story usually involving conflicts and emotions through action and dialogue. And in every basic drama story, we always find three characters: a hero, a villain and a damsel in distress.
Now, in the last posting, you were introduced to the villain of the Garden of Eden: the Serpent who is really the Devil in disguise.
I know what question you want to ask. Why did God create a Devil? If you want to pursue it, you can click HERE.
There is much that can be said about this villain, but for the purpose of this advent story, let us look on what he did. Jesus said…
John 8:44
“…He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”
How did the Serpent of Eden commit murder? Not biting them, for sure.
Genesis 3:1-5
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.”
Do you see his craftiness? First, he twisted God’s original words. Then he outright called God a liar and a selfish deceiver.
Clearly, the Serpent of old was the instigator of this tragic drama, but was he the only one?
Genesis 3:6
When 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.
You would think that Eve would be the damsel in distress of the story but in this case, she was far from being distressed. Instead, she was too inquisitive for her own good which led to a dangerous desire. This desire was so effective that she set aside God’s commandment and ate the forbidden fruit.
By the way, Adam was no hero here either. According to verse 6, he was there and witnessed it all. And he warned her not. He knew God’s commandment very well. Afterall, he had spent the longest time with God and yet he did not stop her… worst yet… he did not stop himself.
In the long run, they were their own worst enemies. They chose to think that they knew better than God. Unfortunately, there was a price to pay.
Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is DEATH…
When you think of the word, ‘wages’, the verse translates that death was earned! Adam and Eve earned death for themselves. Here comes the BAD NEWS for us.
1 Corinthians 15:22a
For as in Adam all die…
Romans 5:12
Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned…
In my next post, we really need to look closely at the consequences of sin and understand why the bad news is BAD for all of us. Again, do not be disheartened. . Here is a complete look at the Romans 6:23 verse to remind you of hope.
Johann Quisumbing 