Genesis 1 tells us how God created the heavens, the earth, and the things that make up our environment. After He had made everything needed, He made man and made him ruler over everything on earth. God said to Adam, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.” God knew it was not good for Adam to be alone, so He caused Adam to fall into a deep sleep. God took one of Adam’s ribs and made a woman from the rib.
God could have made another man from dirt just like Adam, but He did not. He made a woman from part of Adam with all his basic functions, but with all the differences to be compatible and to allow them to provide for future generations. They were perfectly created to be different but exactly as needed. God could have created a hundred copies of man or a hundred distinct kinds of humans, but God knew what would be best. His plan was that each generation would come from a man and a woman who had left their family to be married and start their own family.
Genesis 3 tells us that the serpent placed doubt in Eve’s mind about eating fruit from the Tree of Knowledge. God had not told her, but He had told Adam. God could have made the tree too tall or made it hard for them to reach the fruit, but it was not out of reach. This is where God’s “free will” is shown in the Bible. Without “free will” we would have no ability to make any wrong decisions. However, without “free will” we would have no way to show love either. It is our decision where we choose to do good or bad. Words are just words, but our actions are where we disclose who we are and what our values are.
God had placed Adam over Eve and Adam was responsible and the first “sin” occurred. God chose to not have Adam or Eve die at that point, but they would have that in their future. The scriptures then tell of all the things that make our lives difficult that God added as punishment to them and all future generations. About 1400+ years later, God gave Moses the Ten Commandments to provide clear instructions of how they were expected to live to remain faithful to God. This was after everyone had been killed by the flood except for Noah and his family. Then we see the nations of Sodom and Gomorrah destroyed by fire except for Lot and his daughters.
Throughout the Old Testament, we see God’s people struggling with straying away from God and choosing the ways of the world with God allowing His people to be punished to bring them back to His values. God sent His Son, Jesus to be a living example of what living a perfect life is like. Jesus did that throughout His youth and then became a teacher so we could learn the true meaning of God’s laws and learn of God’s great love. Then when that task was completed, Jesus became the living sacrifice for our sins and our only path to be with God for eternity.
Our relationships with everyone are affected by the choices we make. The words we use in our conversations with our spouses, family members, or friends, are worthless if they do not agree with our actions. Our actions are the result of the decisions we make by exercising our free will. If we tell someone we love them, our actions must show that love. We cannot say we love Jesus, and our actions terminate a life of a gift from God. If we put ourselves above others, we are not showing God that we trust Him to know what is best for others or even for ourselves.
We make thousands of decisions each year, so how do we know what choice is right or wrong? There are times when it is not so clear and there could be negative outcomes with either choice. If you have a relationship with Jesus, the Bible is a good place to seek help with your decision. Every circumstance you find yourself in, there is an example in the Bible. It may not be exact, but it is there at a different time in history. If you pray in earnest, your problem may not go away but you will find the path you should take. The greater love and faith you have in God, the clearer the choice will be. At the same time, the world may be telling you what you should do with their blessing. Remember Satan is in control of the world, but only God will be the judge for your soul.
2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Romans 12:2 English Standard Version
The Statler Brothers – Don’t Eat The Fruit
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