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Have you ever noticed how easy it is to point a finger (away from you) and blame someone (or something) for your screw-ups?
It reminds me of the Apostle Paul’s conversation with himself in the New Testament book of Romans. It is a long discourse, so be patient as you read, but see if you can imagine the apostle conversing with himself.
“What I don’t understand about myself is that I decide one way, but then I act another, doing things I absolutely despise.
So, if I can’t be trusted to figure out what is best for myself and then do it, it becomes obvious that God’s command is necessary.
But I need something more! For if I know the law but still can’t keep it, and if the power of sin within me keeps sabotaging my best intentions, I obviously need help!
I realize that I don’t have what it takes. I can will it, but I can’t do it.
I decide to do good, but I don’t really do it; I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway.
My decisions, such as they are, don’t result in actions. Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time.
It happens so regularly that it’s predictable. The moment I decide to do good, sin is there to trip me up.
I truly delight in God’s commands,
but it’s pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight. Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge.
I’ve tried everything and nothing helps. I’m at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me? Isn’t that the real question?
The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does. He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions where I want to serve God with all my heart and mind, but am pulled by the influence of sin to do something totally different.”
Romans 7:15-25 The Message
If you are a Christ-follower, can you imagine conversing with yourself? I know I can.
The Apostle Paul’s discourse goes deeper than blame but paints a meaningful picture.
In essence, the apostle is saying, I want to do the right thing, but something deep within takes over, and I do the wrong thing.
I don’t know why, and I wouldn’t say I like it, but it often goes that way.
The power of sin
Sin has power, and blame, although not sin in and of itself, comes from the same power source.
The Old Testament book of beginnings—Genesis—tells the story of humanity’s creation. God made man and Woman perfect and without sin.
There is no indication of how long the man and Woman lived in and tended to the garden called Eden. They are known by the names Adam and Eve.
I suspect they lived there for some time because they needed time to get acquainted with their surroundings and everything within them.
It would also take time for the diabolical plan to be devised.
They were happy, enjoying life, as they walked around the garden completely naked.
Their nakedness is essential because it exhibits their childlikeness, but more on this in a moment.
Eve must have been intrigued by the two trees in the center of the garden because that is where the evil plan unfolded. The devil or satan devised the plan. (I understand that as a proper noun, it should be capitalized.)
Since the devil had no idea what God the Father was up to, he could not have had a plan in place to attack God’s creation. This is why Adam and Eve must have been in the garden for some time.
Evidently, Eve visited the center of the garden regularly, which explains why the plan was implemented there.
The diabolical plan
On that day, Eve (her husband at her side) was standing near the fruit-laden tree. A serpent was there (an interesting story by itself), and they thought nothing of it. The serpent began to speak, and they thought nothing of it again.
His speech was planned and scripted to the very last exclamation point.
He cast wonder about the fruit into the couple’s mind (remember Adam was there).
“Do I understand that God told you not to eat from any tree in the garden?”
Genesis 3:1 The Message
Next, he cast doubt, followed by intrigue.
“The serpent told the Woman, ‘You won’t die.’God knows that the moment you eat from that tree, you’ll see what’s really going on. You’ll be just like God, knowing everything, ranging all the way from good to evil.”
Genesis 3:4-5 The Message
The serpent’s speech kept her attention since Eve (and perhaps Adam) was already intrigued.
“When the Woman saw that the tree looked like good eating and realized what she would get out of it – she’d know everything! – she took and ate the fruit and then gave some to her husband, who ate. ”
Genesis 3:6 The Message
The plan worked, but the devil knew God would turn to the man, so he readied phase two of the plan.
Blame is born
Watch closely so you don’t miss the devil’s phase two.
“Immediately the two of them did ‘see what’s really going on’ – saw themselves naked! They sewed fig leaves together as makeshift clothes for themselves.
When they heard the sound of God strolling in the garden in the evening breeze, the Man and his Wife hid in the trees of the garden, hid from God.
God called to the Man: “Where are you?”
He said, “I heard you in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked. And I hid.”
God said, “Who told you you were naked? Did you eat from that tree I told you not to eat from?”
The Man said, “The Woman you gave me as a companion, she gave me fruit from the tree, and, yes, I ate it.”
God said to the Woman, “What is this that you’ve done?” “The serpent seduced me,” she said, “and I ate.”
God told the serpent: “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.”
The devil knew God would talk with the man—the male.
God asks where he is. The man offers an excuse—notice being naked was part of it.
God asks how he knew he was naked.
Then it happens.
This perfectly made creation of God, created without fear, shame, or sin, answers God by pointing the finger at the Woman—his wife—and BLAMES her.
The Woman points a finger at the serpent and BLAMES him.
In an instant, these perfectly God-created creatures spew out blame.
How can that be? Where did it come from? When did they learn to blame?
The answer is the power of sin entered their psyche the moment they disobeyed God’s word.
Blame was not a learned trait. It was and is a tool of the devil to discredit God the Father.
The plan backfires
The devil’s plan backfired because he has no understanding of love—lust, yes (the whole nakedness thing).
His plan was somewhat successful, as the man and woman were removed from the garden and their perfect lives.
It failed because God did not destroy his creation. Instead, he hinted at his plan to redeem them when he killed the animals and used their hides to make clothes for the man and Woman.
In other words, he shed blood to take care of them.
Why was being naked so important?
It was so important because, from that moment forward, nakedness was something to behold. Throughout the Bible, you find stories of prostitution, rape, and sexual perversion.
Nakedness is a big business; it sells products, enslaves people, and makes others very rich.
Being naked opened up a world of attacking God’s perfect creation and the solemn union he planned for them.
It is a special kind of sin because it is a slap in the face of God that diminishes the sacredness of the solemn union he created.
This is why Adam and Eve realized they were naked, which is essential.
A close personal relationship with the Godhead provides you a living hope. It is a living anticipation full of expectation of something good happening.
A close personal relationship with the Godhead is a journey. I invite you to follow along. As I learn, I will pass it along so you, too, can learn. I hope that as you learn, you can pass it along so that I (and others) might learn.
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