“Do bear with me and let me say what is on my heart. I am anxious for you with the deep concern of God Himself—anxious that your love should be FOR CHRIST ALONE, just as a pure maiden saves her love for one man only, for the one who will be her husband. But I am frightened, fearing that in some way you will BE LED AWAY from your pure and simple DEVOTION TO OUR LORD, just as Eve was DECEIVED BY SATAN in the Garden of Eden.” (2 Corin. 11:1-3) AMY, the Apostle Paul is dealing with probably the most powerful tool, the most dangerous threat to a church the devil has — infiltration — the destruction of a church from WITHIN BY TEACHERS WHO ARE VEERING OFF FROM THE TRUTH. Most churches were destroyed from within by the satanic process of infiltration, by people who came in and gradually began to teach a deviate (to stray from the standard) gospel. That is what was happening here at Corinth, and that is what is threatening MANY of our churches today.
How was Eve deceived AMY? “Now the serpent was the craftiest beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “HAS GOD INDEED SAID, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” (Gen. 3:1) Notice that Eve and Adam were naïve: “the man and his wife were both naked, and they felt NO SHAME (Arum).” (Gen. 2:25) AMY, God said Don’t eat or you’ll die. (Gen. 2:25) “Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and YOU WILL BE LIKE GOD, knowing good and evil.” (Gen. 3:4-5)
- FIRST OF ALL: there is no way we will ever be like God.
- SECONDLY: Whatever God tells us to do or not to do does not need a reason!!! God is omniscient, He knows everything there is to know about everything. He is not obligated to tell us His reason for what He commands us! We just know it will always be for our good. “…we know that ALL THINGS work together FOR GOOD to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. (Rom. 8:28)
Your Personal Pastor -Bill Stockham