Recognizing Our Nakedness

Following Adam and Eve partaking of the fruit of the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, the first thing that happened was they recognized they were naked (Gen. 3:7).

When the serpent tempted Eve, he told her that God knew if they ate of the fruit, they would gain KNOWLEDGE.  The knowledge they would gain would be knowledge to know how to live independently without a need for God, his provision and protection.  There would be no need for God’s sustaining power to give them a peaceful and satisfying life.

Some have misinterpreted the knowledge of good and evil as man gaining knowledge of what is good and what is bad; this is not the case.  The knowledge they would gain is learning how to use the mysteries of God’s created world to create technology that would help them build a world that would meet all their physical needs independent of God.

Lucifer and a third of the angels were cast out of God’s heavenly kingdom after they attempted to overthrow Almighty God.  Lucifer was the intended ruler of this overthrown heavenly kingdom.  Almighty God was more powerful than those rogue angels.  He is All Powerful not simply stronger.

When lucifer and a third of the angels were cast out of the kingdom of heaven, where did they go?  Is it possible, this is the time in eternity Almighty God created the physical heaven and earth?  God’s heavenly kingdom is a spiritual world.  At this point in time only God and the angels know for sure.

It is possible lucifer and the fallen angels, upon being exiled, took residence in the new created physical heaven and earth.  Some religious scholars would disagree since they believe the physical heaven and earth were created in seven days and Adam and Eve were the first inhabitants of our physical earth.  This belief however may not be true.

If we take a closer look at the biblical record of creation, we learn God planted a garden on earth eastward of Eden (Gen. 2:8).  This garden was the garden of Eden located in the land of Eden.  This means Eden was a territory on the earth.  What other territories could have existed?

This idea sounds anti-god and anti-creation but if one reads further, they will learn that after sinning, Adam and Eve were cast out of the garden.  If the whole earth was the garden of Eden as many believe, and Adam and Eve were cast out of the garden, what land or territory were they now inhabiting?

If one continues reading the book of Genesis they learn after Cain killed his brother Abel, God exiled him from the land where he and his family were residing into another territory.  Was their residence in the territory of Eden, however outside the garden God planted?

Cain’s greatest fear was being murdered by others if they found him.  Who were these others who lived in territories outside the territory of Eden?  Were they also created by God or were they lucifer and the fallen angels or were they a combination of the two.  Were they the “giants” known as Nephilim mentioned in Genesis 6?

At this point in time and history, Adam and Eve had gained knowledge to farm and raise livestock.  Their son Cain was a farmer while their son Abel raised livestock.  They had gained knowledge to provide for themselves having food to eat, clothes to wear and housing.  There was no need for God in their new life, so they thought.

If we read further in Genesis, we learn there were others living on the earth, some of which were rogue, posing threats of murder, looting, rape, slavery.

The conclusion is that upon partaking of the fruit of the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, the first thing Adam and Eve realized was that they were naked, having nothing apart from God! 

We all need to draw the conclusion and recognize we are naked without God.

What is Sin?

What is Sin? This is a great question. Most of us have been told what is “sinful” and what is not. The ten commandments is what most monotheistic religions teach to be the basics of what God has declared to be sinful and these same ten commandments have become the benchmark for defining sin.

Unfortunately, many religions have taken it upon themselves to logically and “spiritually” expound upon the ten commandments to further define, describe and elaborate on what sin is.

This elaboration has done nothing but lead to confusion, guilt, shame and legalism. Was this God’s intention? The answer is a resounding “NO”.

The original “sin” of Adam and Eve which caused the broken relationship between God and Mankind was the partaking of the forbidden fruit of “Knowledge of Good and Evil”. The story goes, Eve was tempted by the serpent to partake the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil. She succumbed then shared it with her husband Adam who also succumbed and they both partook of the forbidden fruit.

The first thing they realized after gaining “Knowledge of Good and Evil” was that they were naked. That sounds terrible! Wow they were naked, but they were husband and wife. What’s the problem?

Also, What’s the big deal? Why is knowing right from wrong such a bad thing? If we knew what is wrong wouldn’t it be easier to avoid committing a sin unknowingly out of ignorance? The serpent’s temptation was only rational, Right? Wrong!! Let me explain.

First, the serpent was Satan in disguise. Satan is known as Lucifer, the highest ranking angel BUT a fallen angel. He was one of the third of the angels that rebelled against God while they were residing in Heaven, God’s residence, and subsequently cast out of heaven.

After being cast out of heaven, where did those angels go? Their being cast out of heaven is believed to be before the creation of mankind, but nobody knows for sure.

Angels are also believed to be “created” by God, however, unlike mankind, they resided in heaven with God. While in heaven, they witnessed God’s power directly. They were firsthand witnesses of many of God’s mysteries and powers, yet one third of them rebelled against Almighty God.

I tell you this so you can now better understand what the Sin of mankind really was. It was Not knowing right from wrong. The Sin was gaining Knowledge of the Mystery of Nature and how God created our universe.

The fall of the third of the angels and their being cast out of heaven was because they rose up against Almighty God and followed Lucifer as their new leader and god. As you may recall, Lucifer cried out, proclaiming that he would overcome Almighty God to become the supreme ruler of all that was God’s. That obviously did not work or go well! He underestimated the power of Almighty God and was cast from the presence of God.

Somewhere in God’s realm of time, He created Mankind (humans), the universe as we know it, earth, animals, plants and all that exists. After creation, He chose to commune and have fellowship with mankind on earth in a “perfect life” where He met ALL the needs of His creation.

Lucifer and the third of the angels saw an opportunity. They needed to recruit more members to support their coup against Almighty God. The temptation was to lure mankind by telling Eve, the first to be approached, that if she and Adam agreed to collaborate with Lucifer and his fellow fallen angels, she and Adam would be taught the “Mystery of Nature” and learn and gain knowledge to live their life “without God”. They would be able to meet all their needs without depending on God. THIS WAS THE SIN OF PARTAKING OF THE FRUIT OF THE TREE OF KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL. Good is allowing Almighty God to meet all our needs and guide and direct us while Evil is “living life without a need for Almighty God”.

Both Adam and Eve believed if they had knowledge to “be like God”, knowing and understanding the mystery of His power, they could live and direct their own lives. They believed by having this knowledge they could do as good of a job as God to meet ALL their needs. In fact, they thought maybe they could even do a better job. This was the SIN.

My above explanation is validated because God cast Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden, where ALL their needs were met to a life where “By the sweat of their brow”, the curse, they would work and toil, using their new-found knowledge to live. No longer were their needs met by a loving, caring God who strongly desired to love and care for mankind, whom He created.

Adam and Eve never realized how good they had it allowing Almighty God meet ALL their needs!

Jesus, God, Man, or God/Man?

Jesus is one of the most controversial figures in history.  He is recognized by Christians as being the Messiah, but a “good” person or prophet by Judaism and Islam believers.  Jesus, nevertheless, is recognized as being “special” by all three religions, but whose characterization accurately describes Almighty God’s perspective of Jesus?

As an elder of the family, I would like to share my current understanding of Jesus.  My perception is based on a lifetime of trusting Almighty God.  The basis of my belief is based on understanding Almighty God is far greater in power and ability than anyone could imagine.

I believe Jesus is the Messiah who was born of a virgin mother of flesh, whose father was Almighty God, lived in the flesh, died on the cross, and arose from the dead.  I believe Jesus, in the flesh, was both God and Man.

First, we must understand that before the fall of Adam and Eve, heaven and earth were in perfect harmony where God and mankind were united in a perfect relationship. God met every need of mankind and mankind glorified and enjoyed God and His presence.  It was only after the fall (sin) of mankind that heaven and God’s presence separated from earth.  Heaven is God’s dwelling place while earth is mankind’s dwelling place.  They were united prior to sin but separated after sin.

Second, we must understand God never told us to learn about Him to know Him better.  He told us to TRUST HIM AND BELIEVE HIM; This is FAITH!  Genesis 15:6 tells us that Abraham’s faith and believing God is what made him righteous in the eyes of God.  Abraham was “saved” (redeemed) because of his faith in believing God.  Abraham was not “saved” because he believed in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus BUT he believed God would provide a way because He was Almighty God, all- knowing and all-powerful to do what He said He would do.

Because of Abraham’s faith, he was righteous and “saved”.  Jesus whose name means “God Saves” is, in my belief, the “Method” which God used to fulfill the death penalty for mankind’s sinning.  The death penalty was God’s own requirement for redemption.  This makes Jesus a MIRACLE!  Jesus in First Corinthians is referred to as the “Last Adam”.  The “First Adam” was the one who lived in the garden of Eden communing with God in a Perfect relationship before sin entered and broke the perfect relationship.  The “Last Adam” is the one who Re-unites the perfect union of Heaven and Earth.

The Miracle of Jesus is twofold.  First, Jesus not only died to fulfill the death penalty requirement BUT He arose from the dead thereby overcoming death.  How was Jesus able to do this?  The answer is the Second miracle; He was both God and Man/flesh.  God loved mankind, His creation so much, He, being Almighty and All-Capable was able to Himself die in our place while simultaneously being human flesh/mankind.  This was His method, JESUS.

Why was this Method important? Answer: Jesus was sinless, NOT deserving to die for sin, BUT HE died the penalty so we, who deserve to die would not need to die.  How was He able to be sinless?  He was the son of God and the son of Man (the Virgin Mary). 

My point is this; I don’t fully understand the details and science of how this is possible AND God NEVER told me I needed to “Have Knowledge” of God’s mysteries and abilities BUT to TRUST Him and that He is Able.  God wants FAITH.  Faith that “God Saves” (another name for Jesus).  Faith is what saves.

To further prove my belief Revelation chapter 21 refers to the new Heaven and New Earth.  The first heaven and first earth pass away because of the First Adam.  The bible lets us know that God’s tabernacle will once again be reunited with earth.  The uniting will be new because of the miracle of Jesus, the Second Adam who paid the penalty.

God is simple; He simply wants to restore the relationship where He meets all our needs, we glorify Him and Enjoy His presence.  Jesus always pointed to Almighty God, the Father, giving glory to Him and Him alone. 

Jesus during his life on earth was a good man, a prophet, and God/Man BUT I Do NOT fully comprehend and know how God did it BUT I Trust and Believe Him.

To enjoy life, we must enjoy HIM.  God bless.  Amen.

How to Pray

Prayer is more than simply asking God for something.  It is pouring our heart’s feelings to God.  It is confessing to God, and it is praising and worshiping God.  It is sharing with God, and it is listening to God. Prayer is communing with Almighty God the Father.

The world Adam and Eve lived in was perfect before sin entered their lives.  In that world, their every need was met without their asking.  They only communed with God and enjoyed life.

Prayer is important and Jesus taught us what the content of a perfect prayer includes.  We will attempt to elaborate on that prayer so we can understand its importance AND value.  The model prayer is known as the Lord’s prayer and is found in Matthew chapter 6 of the New Testament.  We will do this over a series of postings.  Let’s begin.

The Lord’s prayer begins “Our Father who art in heaven”.  Notice Jesus addresses Almighty God as Father; therefore, He acknowledges a relationship with God as being a Family with God as “head of household”.  This is why we call our group of believers Congregation Family of God.

I want to stress that the Sin of mankind was mankind’s being tempted and succumbing to the temptation to live life without God as their father.  To restate, sin was the proclaiming to God that mankind could do better without God and exceed His ability to manage and sustain their lives; This is the SIN that caused the broken relationship.

God is not just any father; He is the perfect father.  Fathers of flesh are not perfect.  Because sin entered when mankind decided he could manage life better than AND without Almighty God the father, Self-Centeredness and Selfishness became the motive behind behavior.  Bad fathers are self-centered while good fathers give and provide for their children in a loving way for the good of their children. 

Thank You Almighty God our Father for your Love, Mercy, and Kindness, Amen.