240928-Be-like-God.htm

F5
5:37 AM 9/28/2024

Do you want to
Be like God?

.1. Genesis 3 fail: Look at the serpent, at Eve, and at Adam, each in their mistakes.

Genesis 3:
1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, "Indeed, has God said, 'You shall not eat from any tree of the garden'?"
2 And the woman said to the serpent, "From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat;
3 but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat from it or touch it, lest you die.'"
4 And the serpent said to the woman, "You surely shall not die!
5 "For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes shall be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.
7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings.
(NASB77)

What I see of their mistakes:
The serpent uses flawed reasoning to futilely oppose God, and uses flawed reasoning of the goal of knowledge, to deceive Eve.
Eve confuses knowledge with wisdom. It appears she also was swayed to add "or touch it" to the "You shall not eat from it" command.
Adam listens to his wife rather than rebuking her, and rather than consulting with God. -jc

.2. Jesus quoted, "You are gods."

John 10:
27 "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me;
28 and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand.
29 "My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.
30 "I and the Father are one."
31 The Jews took up stones again to stone Him.
32 Jesus answered them, "I showed you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?"
33 The Jews answered Him, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God."
34 Jesus answered them, "Has it not been written in your Law, 'I said, You are gods'?
35 "If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken),
36 do you say of Him, whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?
37 "If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me;
38 but if I do them, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father.
39 Therefore they were seeking again to seize Him, and He eluded their grasp.
40 And He went away again beyond the Jordan to the place where John was first baptizing, and He was staying there.
41 And many came to Him and were saying, "While John performed no sign, yet everything John said about this man was true."
42 And many believed in Him there.
(NASB77)

On 'You are gods,' Jesus had referenced Psalm 82:6.

Psalm 82:
5 They do not know nor do they understand;
They walk about in darkness;
All the foundations of the earth are shaken.
6 I said, "You are gods,
And all of you are sons of the Most High.
7 "Nevertheless you will die like men,
And fall like any one of the princes."
8 Arise, O God, judge the earth!
For it is Thou who does possess all the nations.
(NASB77)

.3. See Jesus' words from Matthew 5 about being perfect.

Matthew 5:
43 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy.'
44 "But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you
45 in order that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
46 "For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even tax-gatherers do the same?
47 "And if you gree your brothers only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?
48 "Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
(NASB77)

Do you want to
Be like God?
This phrase came to mind, which I believe was also lived by Jesus:
"Value people at great expense to yourself, including those who reject and despise you."

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