Satan's Attack on Adam's Faith

Vol 1 - No 2, January 10, 2004:

Satan's first recorded attack on God's Word and faith therein:

In last week's study we reviewed Bible verses that teach, "the just shall live by faith," (Habakkuk 2:44 Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.

and quoted in Romans 1:1717 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

, Galations 3:11 and Hebrews 10:3838 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.

.) "without faith it is impossible to please God," (Hebrews 11:66 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

) and "faith by hearing and hearing by the Word of God," (Romans 10:1717 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

.) In light of these Biblical truths we look to the dawn of human history and to the first man, for in order to be in a right relationship with his creator and God, was to please God by faith in the Word of God if that was directed to him.

In Genesis 2: 16 & 17 we read the Word of God that Adam was to receive by faith: "And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." Adam was created in the image of God so he was an intelligent man, but...he did not have the knowledge of good and evil, and....he did not know what it was to die.

Regardless of his lack of knowledge of good and evil, and about the consequences of death, it was Adam's responsibility to receive God's Word by faith, which means he was to believe God in obedience. Eve was subsequently informed about God's Word to Adam, and she also was to obey God's Word by faith. When we consider the context of Adam and Eve's lives in the area of responsibility and obedience we note that they had nothing else what so ever with which to concern themselves except, .. to place their faith in God's Word and thus not eat of that one tree.

It is instructive to note that Satan's first words spoken to mankind, as recorded in the Bible, are an attack on two things; 1) God's Word and 2) the faith of man in God's Word. This sets the pattern for Satan's behavior throughout man's history. His first words to mankind, and Eve's responses thereto are found in Genesis 3: 1 - 5: "And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil."

In addition to the pattern set by Satan in attacking God's Word and man's faith in that Word, we also note here a pattern or habit of man that has been repeated throughout history and continues even today. That is, man's habit of adding to God's Word. We read that Eve told Satan that God had said they could not so much as touch the fruit of the tree. It may have been that Adam added this caveat to what he was told by God when he told Eve of it, or it may be that Eve herself added this prohibition to what God had said. Whichever; the point is that God did not tell Adam that he could not touch the fruit on the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, only that he could not eat thereof.

Here, in our examination of faith we must ask; what proof did Adam and Eve have that they would gain the knowledge of good and evil and that they would die if they ate of the forbidden fruit? What evidence presented itself to them that these two events would occur? The answer to both these questions, of course, is that they had only the Word of God, which to Adam and Eve, was the substance or title deed of their knowledge of good and evil, it was the evidence or proof that they would die.

We know this from Hebrews 11:11 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

, which instructs as to faith: "Now faith is the substance (or title deed) of things hoped for, the evidence (or the proof) of things not seen."