Listen to our message on your audio player.

"Did God really say..." (Genesis 3:1)

The last several years we have heard a lot about disinformation, misinformation and "fact checkers". But of course this is nothing new. It's existed all through human history going back to the fall.

But the increase during our lifetime is a result of the continued breakdown in the fundamental ninth commandment, "You shall not bear false witness" (Exodus 20:17). In the New Testament we read this command simply expressed, "Do not lie to each other" (Colossians 3:9).

Lying is surely one of the dominant sins of our age and on the increase as many have a seared conscience as mentioned in 1 Timothy 4:2. The conscience is the God-given moral consciousness within each of us (Romans 2:15) and when it is “seared”—literally “cauterized”, it has been rendered insensitive.

I am wary of "fact checkers" due to this. How can I be sure that they are telling the truth? Where are they getting their facts from and how reliable is that? What types of biases do they have? Who is paying them? Great discernment is needed.

Today let us consider the original "fact checker" who as it turns out really messed it up intentionally.

God spoke truth (facts) to Adam, making His will plainly known, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die" (Genesis 2:16,17)

But  disguised as a serpent Satan's first words were, "“Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”" calling into question the integrity of God, also misquoting the original command. God did not say "any tree" but a specific tree, " the tree of the knowledge of good and evil".

Now Eve knew the command of God, "The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die’” (Genesis 3:2,3). (She added the "must not touch it" to the command. Perhaps Adam had told her "Now Eve, don't even touch that tree". This was probably not a bad idea. I am of the school of thought that if I err, I will err on the safe side. Thus there may be things I might be permitted to touch that I don't.*)

But Satan "fact checked" God's word, "you will certainly die!” by informing her, "You will certainly not die".

Thus the original fact checker was a dud (to say the least!). One of the greatest needs we have as believers, especially in this information age, is discernment so that we have the ability to distinguish truth from lies, enabling us to fact check the so called fact checkers.

Peter Heck observes,

From the beginning Satan has tormented the human race with the query, 'Did God really say?'. The human race has questioned God’s commands ever since, to our own demise. The outstanding beauty and sumptuous variety of vegetation God offered them in the Garden was suddenly not enough. Conversation with the devil stirred up doubts and discontent which led to disobedience. The lie, acted upon, led Adam and Eve to believe that God was actually withholding from them the best He had to offer.

But the ultimate fact checking source, the Bible, says this, "His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness" (2 Peter 1:3).

Be encouraged today! Hebrews 3:13

Stephen & Brooksyne Weber

Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources