January 1, 2012 … In the Beginning, Man’s Sin

Blogger’s/Pastor’s Note: For the information of any who might follow with me in 2012, I will be using the YouVersion.com chronological bible reading plan, which can be accessed by going to this link. ... Each day I will reference the Bible chapters/verses which I’ll be reading on the chronological reading plan; and any who follow me can go to that passage to read/meditate. I’m hoping that any who do follow along with me will not undertake to read my thoughts (i.e., my journal entries daily) without first reading the entire passage I’ve read. However, if I end up concentrating on one section or passage of the reading plan for my day, I will reference that segment or print it out for the follower’s benefit. And you should know if you’re following here, all scriptures I use, unless otherwise referenced will be in the New International Version of the Bible.

Passage of the Day: Reading Plan Reference … Genesis, Chapter 1 – 3 … Study Scripture Reference: Genesis 3: 6 … 6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it.

My Journal for Today: Genesis: Chapters 1 – 3. … Wow! What a start for my reading of the Bible chronologically for 2012. But I guess it’s certainly logical to start a chronological reading plan in the Bible by starting “in the beginning.” And as we read in Genesis 1: 1: ”in the beginning, God!”

One could spend days meditating and journaling the spiritual and personal applications and lessons in these three chapters. There is certainly a lot of spiritual meat to chew on in these passages. Theologians have written volumes on just these three chapters alone. Preachers have preached for weeks on the theological applications found in what the reading plan had me study today. However, as I read these three chapters on my first day of my reading plan, I guess it was the Holy Spirit’s plan for verse 6 of Chapter 3 to jump off the page for me; and so I’ve reprinted that verse above [in the NIV] above in bold/italics.

And I could probably craft a 20 minute homily or even a longer sermon on just this one verse alone. But I’ll just try to bring out one pertinent aspect of this verse which has a lot of personal meaning for me (and hopefully you, too).

As I read Gen. 3: 6, another Bible passage I had memorized years ago bubbled up from my consciousness. It is in the New Testament, … 1st John 2: 15-16 Let me copy/paste it here for your edification: Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. 16For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.

Now, my fellow Christian, mediate on that passage and compare it to the one printed above from Gen. 3: 6. Do you see the comparative parallels? In reality, when John was writing about the inclusive categories of sin in 1st John 2: 16, he may have had our Gen. 3: 6 passage in mind; because if you notice, all the sin types which there are in human nature - and they are many - would fit into the three generic categories of sin outlined in these two passages – “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.”

And as you can see from Gen. 3: 6 those where all three types of sin exhibited by Eve when she was being conned into taking of the tree of life by the serpent. She saw that the fruit was good for food (“the lust of the flesh”). She saw that the fruit was pleasing to the eyes (“the lust of the eyes” ). And finally, she reasoned that the fruit was, as the serpent had argued, desirable for making her better than she was at the time (“the pride of life”).

So, my friend there you have what you and I deal with every day of our lives, … being tempted in the same way written about for Adam and Eve in Garden. However, the Apostle John wrote about these same sin forces (i.e., temptations) with which we are confronted in our current lives; and we, like Adam and Eve have been banished from the garden as we learn to deal with our sin nature, inherited from these two whose choices were actually much simpler than our tempting choices are today.

Every day we must deal with the “lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” just as did Eve first and then Adam. They blew it; and their sin nature is ours, banished from God’s garden. But God has made a way back to the garden; and His plan will take us to a place – a New Garden – where we will not have to deal with the lusts of our flesh and eyes; and our pridefulness will never be an issue. Do I sense a “Hallelujah [!],” my fellow Christian. And that plan, of course, was God’s plan for mankind right from the beginning … to bring us His Son to redeem us from our sin nature and take us back to that bliss-filled state which we read about in Genesis 1-2 … before mankind had to deal with the serpent.

And, … when we come, in faith, to receive God’s free gift of grace and His salvation, we – one day – will be returned to a place – like God’s garden for His creation, mankind – to walk with God, for eternity, in the bliss of the relationship He created for us to enjoy with Him “in the beginning.”

Well, there’s my first day in reading through the Bible this year. And if you come along with me, I’ll be journaling my trek right here in this site each morning. Maybe not as long as this entry; but every day here. …

Happy New Year, my friend!

My Prayer Today: … Teach me, Lord, each day from Your word as I come here to get to know You more. Amen