The serpent deceived me, and I ate.
Summary: The greatest deception was a simple one, and it continues to deceive millions as we wonder what is all the excitement about.
Since Job has introduced us to the idea of our spiritual eyes, this is a good time to return to the beginning of the Bible and revisit the first temptation.
If we look at the story of Adam and Eve from a flesh and blood perspective, then it makes very little sense. We see Adam being placed in a garden and God giving him instructions. He is told not to touch a certain tree, or he will die. God then gives Adam a “helper suitable for him” (Genesis 2:18), and a few verses later, we find both Adam and Eve eating from the forbidden tree. After this, they are thrown out of the garden and put under a curse (Genesis 3: 16-19), but we don’t see them dying.
There is another way of looking at the story, which makes more sense to me. (We have discussed this in part before.)
While talking with Nicodemus, Jesus says, “Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit” (John 3:6). There are other more subtle divisions of spirit and soul discussed in Scripture, but here Jesus provides the fundamental division between our visible and invisible parts; the body is visible and the spirit invisible.
We tend to think of the body as pre-eminent, meaning the body is more important than the spirit. The flesh imagines that it can survive without a spirit (This belief is illustrated by the Sadducees in Matthew 22:23), but the opposite is true (Galatians 6:8). The spirit is eternal while the flesh has a very limited life span.
Why was the serpent’s deception so devastating? In the beginning, our bodies served our spirits.
When God puts Adam in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2: 15-17), he commands Adam not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, “for when you eat of it you will certainly die.”
Who is God speaking to? Adam’s flesh or his spirit?
We know from the story in Genesis that Adam’s flesh does not die at that time. We also know from John 3:6 that our spirit needs to be “born again” because it is no longer alive (John 3: 6-7). It does not take a great detective to figure out that what died that day in the Garden of Eden was Adam and Eve’s spirit. (This is explained in the parable of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15, specifically Luke 15:32, “this brother of yours was dead and is alive again.”)
So who was deceived in the Garden of Eden? The flesh or the spirit? If God spoke directly to Adam’s spirit, then the serpent, who was a physical being, spoke to the flesh. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil awakened a sense of self in the flesh that hadn’t existed before. Now, instead of serving the spirit, the flesh developed a will of its own while our spirit, once in union with God, was dragged from God’s presence to submit to the flesh’s will.
When the flesh was awakened scripture says “the eyes of both of them were opened” (Genesis 3:7). The first thing the eyes of the flesh saw was a naked body. The spirit in them responded with a sense of shame. It was not wrong to be naked, but it was wrong for the flesh to gaze upon a naked person or be seen by others naked (Revelation 16:15).
When God curses Adam that fateful day, he is not speaking to Adam’s spirit but to his now awakened flesh. He says, “for dust you are, and to dust you will return” (Genesis 3:19). Our spirit was not originally dust, nor does it return to dust. Only the body, that is the flesh, returns to dust.
Understanding our dual nature is essential to understanding the first temptation. To put it in modern terms, man’s spirit was intended to inhabit our body as a driver inhabits a car. The spirit was meant to be in relationship with God and in control of the flesh. When the flesh was awakened, our spirit was relegated to the back seat. Our spiritual relationship with God died, and our spirit is stuck in a self-driving car going places we shouldn’t be going.
Application: Think of yourself as you are, a spirit being driven in a self-driving car going places you don’t want to go.
Food for Thought: How is it helpful to understand that our flesh and our spirit are two different things?
I think definitions of terms helps. When I think of “flesh” I don’t think so much of a body as I do the sinful nature. The body itself was created by God and is good (in Genesis 1 God looked at all He created and saw that it was very good). Ultimately the sin nature is a spiritual problem, not a physical problem. and without Christ I am spiritually dead.
I like to think of our bodies as tents that house our spirit (although I think I like your car analogy better). When we die our bodies leave this tent. That is when we either go to Heaven or hell, depending on whether or not we trust in Christ and His provision. So just because we house a spirit does not mean the spirit leads to life. Jesus is life and without Him we are dead (Ephesians 2: 1 – 10).
Specifically to your question, we need to understand that we do have an eternal destiny after we die. The body goes into the ground, but the spirit either back to God or into an eternal existence without God. It is important because the decision we make about Jesus while in this life determines our eternal destinies. It is also important because Jesus is not only life then, but now. Through Him we also have an abundant, meaningful life (John 10: 10).
One final thought, in 1 Thessalonians 5: 23, Paul states, “May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Two things from this – first, our body, soul and spirit can be kept blameless through Christ and His righteousness applied to us. Of course, our body will die as a result of sin (Romans 6: 23). As mentioned in your devotion, our spirit is dead due to sin until in comes to life in Christ.
Second, if we take this literally we have a body, soul and spirit. Everyone has an active body and soul (some see this as who we really are – similar to our heart – the center of our will, intellect, passions, desires). But not everyone has an active, alive spirit. That part only comes to life in Christ. 1 Corinthians 2: 14 – 16.
Rich,
Thank you for your thoughtful answers this morning. I like your analysis of soul and spirit but I am not expert enough in Greek to fully understand the differences between psyché and pneûma.
What I am certain of is that we consist of both visible and invisible parts. The visible being subject to death and decay, the invisible being eternal.
I think Satan is working overtime in our culture these days to convince people that we have no invisible parts, no spirit or soul. If he can do that, he has pulled of a really nasty deception.
Yes. Agreed. He has too many convinced that there is only the material. That is dangerous.
01-16-2023, How is it helpful to understand that our flesh and our spirit are two different things?
Because of sin, these bodies of flesh are in the process of decay and will one day cease to function. However, our spirits have been given eternal life through Jesus Christ, and will join with Jesus Christ, be given new, perfect eternal bodies and will once again be serving our Lord as perfect beings.
As creations of God, Adam and Eve physically perfect humans living in perfect bodies, in a perfect world as eternal beings, with access to the tree of life, commanded to not eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Eve wanted to be like God, knowing good from evil and chose to disobey God, then gave to Adam to eat. They recognized they had become contaminated by sin, separated from God.
Genesis 3:1–7
“Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, so also death was passed on to all men, because all sinned.” “For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.”
Romans 5:19, 5:12
“For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want”.
Galatians 5:17
The fleshly or unregenerate person does not have the Holy Spirit. The Bible refers to this person as “the natural man.” The natural man or woman, according to the Bible, is unable to discern the truths of God, comprehending only “human judgments.” This person lives according to the “old nature”
Romans 6:6, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Ephesians 4:22-24, Colossians 3:9-10
“You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you. Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation – but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children” Romans 8:9-16.
Thanks Ron!
The Galatians 5:17 passage is especially appropriate to today’s discussion. Thank you!
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