What would have helped Adam and Eve to avoid sinning and what will help you avoid sinning? Here are Two more ways:
Remembering — 1) God’s Generosity and 2) His desire to Walk with You.
1. Remember God’s Great Kindness to you — God made a Garden of delight and pleasure for humanity, and they could freely eat from any of the many trees (except just one). The word “good” occurs so many times in Genesis 1-2.
- God’s plans for us for so good — work was no burden but a joy; God provided the “helper” that Adam needed to be ‘complete’; Eve was given the very important and very dignified role of being the “helper”, the completing counterpart to the man. So, when you’re considering doubting God’s goodness or ways, REMEMBER His great, great love and generosity and kindness to you. Why would you want to grieve and disobey someone who is so kind to you?
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” (Ephesians 1:3)
2. Remember that God wants to “walk” with you in sweet Fellowship — When Adam and Eve heard the LORD God “walking in the garden in the cool of the day” (3:8), the impression is that He regularly did this. God chose to be in physical form and physically with humans. He wants to have a joyful, enjoyable relationship with His creatures—with you. This is a simply amazing thing, that the Eternal, Immortal God WANTS to relate to us! What a privilege this is!
- The word “walk” here means to ‘walk to and fro’ or ‘to stroll around for one’s pleasure’! God LOVED taking a regular pleasure stroll with Adam and Eve.
- God LOVES it when people choose to “walk with him” e.g. Enoch (5:22, 24); Noah (6:9); Abraham (17:1 cf. 24:40); Isaac and Jacob (48:15).
- In Chapter 3, God is almost always referred to as “the LORD God”, where “LORD” is ‘Yahweh’, the covenantal God, the God who voluntarily bonds himself with people. The only time ‘Yahweh’ is not used is in the snake and Eve’s conversation (v1-5); they always ‘only’ call him “God” i.e. not the personal God who wants to walk with people. The snake and Eve deliberately make God seem ‘distant’, not personal. If you think of God that way, it is easier to ignore and disobey Him. So, remember that He is personal and wants you to personally “walk” with Him, as He does with you!
“… in the city … the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light” (Rev. 21:22-24)
Cameron