Foundational principle #5 Paying the price

Part 7 – BILBLICAL WORLDVIEW FOUNDATION #5- Man wants to be his own God and pays the price

Man, desires to be like God – Falls from grace

Gen. 3:1-5   Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which Yahweh God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” ² And the woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; ³ but from the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God said, ‘You shall not eat from it, and you shall not touch it, lest you die.’” ⁴ And the serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! ⁵ 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.”

If you want to be your own God – You will pay the price

The problem: Adam and Eve opted for self-rule. We were created in God’s image, Adam and Eve were to have dominion over the earth while displaying His image to all. However, Adam and Eve bought into the lie they could be their own God and rebelled against Him by eating of the forbidden tree. At that moment of rebellion, the image of God was damaged and distorted and  God could no longer be displayed through us.Death and sin entered the world through one act of unrighteousness  (Rom. 5:12) and all humanity became enemies of God (Rom.  5:10). Still today mem remain enemies of God because of the desire to be our own God. Thus, humanity rebelled against God and paid a high price. Let’s look at scripture.

The outcome of rejecting God – Ungodliness, unrighteous and wrath – This is rebellion

Rom. 1:18-32   For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, ¹⁹ because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. ²⁰ For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, both His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. ²¹ For even though they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish heart was darkened. ²² Professing to be wise, they became fools, ²³ and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the likeness of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.

Rebellion against God will always come at a high cost and eventually will cost you everything.

• No God, No Hope. They were lost and having no hope and without God in the world – Eph 2:12
• Only faith in God can assure you of a future and approval from God. – Heb 1:1,2

The high price of the desire to be your own God

• The fall – The desire to be like God – Gen 3:4-7
• The consequences – the serpent, Eve and Adam – Gen 3:13-19
• The price – They were cast from the garden and were subjected to physical and spiritual death – Gen 3:22-24
• The price – Death came upon all – Rom 5:12
• Men rejected God and worshiped themselves – Rom 1:18-32
• The outcome of attempting to be your own God — 2 Tim 3:1-5

Adam and Eve had it all.  The only people in history who had it all. In the garden stood the one tree which reminded them there was a God who created them, and they were not or could not be God. But, when seeing the tree rather than worship God for being what they could never be, rather than worship God for all he had provided, (noting my premise, the tree was not there to see what choice they would make or as a test of obedience. But it should have created a sense of worship as it displays God’s ultimate greatness and glory), instead Adam and Eve ate from the tree thus rejecting God’s rule over them.  They wanted self-rule.  No one has had so much and lost it all because they rejected God.

Gen. 3:1-5   Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which Yahweh God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” ² And the woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; ³ but from the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God said, ‘You shall not eat from it, and you shall not touch it, lest you die.’” ⁴ And the serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! ⁵ 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.”

They had it all: Gen 1 and 2: Adam and Eve were living without want in paradise. They had a special relationship with God.  He even walked and talked with them in the garden. They were formed in the image of God, they had a perfect relationship, they were given the responsibility to be fruitful and multiple, they were to take dominion.  Their dominion was not just over the garden but over the whole earth.  The weather was perfect, there were no diseases, the wild beasts and animals obeyed their commands. Finally, there was no indication they would grow old and die. 

They lost it all: Gen 3: When they ate of the tree at that very moment they also began to die physically so their bodies also began to be subject to decay and death. They also died spiritually, meaning the image of God was fully damaged and rather than having a relationship with God they now hid from Him.. They no longer wanted to even see God, so they fled from him and hid. They were afraid for the first time. Adam and Eve’s perfect relationship descended into blaming each other, the ground was cursed, growing food would now be with heavy labor and pain. The earth would produce weeds and thorns and weeds. The work of growing food would now be accomplished by their hard work and sweat.  Finally, they would grow old, sick, tired and die. Think about being cast out of paradise, everything in life became hard work, Adam and Eve’s relationship and happiness would require a lot of work, even the animals’ natures changed and they no longer were under their dominion, The horror of pain, suffering and dying. But most of all the horror and losing the security of the walks in the garden with God. 

This is now the condition of mankind, Knowing the truth but at the same time fleeing from God.

1. When men wanting to be their own God, This desire leads them to evil continually, murder, jealousy, bigamy, grieving God, blotted out. Men described in Gen 4-6 are now fallen and without God in the world and their condition is as follows:
2. We because murderers: Cain kills his brother, hides the fact and received a curse – Gen 4:4-12
3. Bigamists: Men practiced bigamy rather than the decree of God that a man shall leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife (as in singular) – Gen 4:23, and Gen 2:24
4. Subject to death: Adam and all men will now die physically and are born spiritually dead – Gen 5:3-5, Eph 2:1-3
5. God grieved: God was grieved at the evil of men – Gen 6:5-6
6. Fully evil:  Men’s thoughts and intentions were evil continually – Gen 6:5
7. Men blotted out: God determined to blot man out from the face of the earth – Gen 6:7
8. The solution was the Flood: Evil was so prevalent God flooded the earth and started new with Noah and his family – Gen 7-8

• When men want to be their own God – We become unclean, our hearts are evil, we no longer call on God
• We are all unclean – Isaiah 64:6 – For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, carry us away.
• Not one calls on God – Isaiah 64:7 – There is no one who calls on Your name, Who awakens himself to take hold of You, For You have hidden Your face from us And have melted us into the hand of our iniquities.
• We are born in iniquity – Psalm 51:5
• We have wicked hearts – Our hearts are deceitful and desperately wicked–  Jerimiah 17:9, Matt 7:21-23

• Man’s condition from the view of the New Testament
• Fallen man cannot bear good fruit – A fallen man is like a bad tree and can’t bear good fruit so, it will be cut down and thrown into the fire – Matt 7:17-20
• We are dead in sin – Eph 2:1-5
• None of us seek after God – Romans 3:9-18
• People loved darkness rather than light – John 3:19
• All fall short – All have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God – Rom 3:23

Summary table – Rebellion comes at a high cost

Unfallen man	Fallen Man
Made in God’s image – Gen 1:26	Sin damaged and distorted God’s image – Gen 6:5
Walked with God – Gen 3:8	Sinfulness causes man to fear Gods presence –  Gen 3:8-10
Lived in Paradise – Gen 2:15	Lives in cursed world – Gen 3:15-19
Had purpose they were to rule over the earth  with God – Gen 1:26-29	Man now chases purpose and meaning in this life – They chase after the wind – Ecc 1:14
Blessed by God – Gen 1:28	Cast from the Garden by God – Gen 3:22-24

Next time the final piece of a Christian/Biblical worldview.  So far we have:

1. God is/God created
2. Made in His image
3. God speaks
4. God makes the rules
5. Man wants to be his own God and pays the price

But here is the great news!

BUT GOD! – We were yet sinners and we were dead in our sins but God made us alive together with Christ – Eph 2:4-10 God has given to us a new heart and new life and reconciled us to himself through the blood of Jesus Christ – 2 Cor 5:17-19