Bible Minute Lesson 2

True Freedom

Read Genesis 2:15 – 3:1

¹⁵ The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. ¹⁶ And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; ¹⁷ but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die. 

¹⁸ The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”

¹⁹ Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. ²⁰ So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the field. But for Adam no suitable helper was found. ²¹ So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man's ribs and closed up the place with flesh. ²² Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.

²³ The man said, "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.”

²⁴ For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.

²⁵ The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.

3:¹Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

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Life with Jesus is liberating. This part of the creation story shows us the difference between God’s emphasis in His commands to us and the way the devil wants to twist and corrupt them to confuse us and tempt us toward disobedience. When we give in to that, we are going back to slavery instead of living in the freedom that Christ died to procure for us. The apostle Paul told the Christians in Galatia that it was for freedom that Christ had set them free (Galatians 5:1). The same is true of us. God’s design for us is to live in loving relationship with Him as we follow His commands for us in freedom. Look at the difference in how God communicates with Eve and the way the serpent does:

God says: "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; ¹⁷ but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die." The first words reveal everything about God’s intention for His children in the perfect garden: you are free. They had the entire garden and everything in it to enjoy, including each other. The result? Look at verse 25: The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame. The freedom of God’s plan is to enjoy safe and authentic relationship with God and with each other. Any limitation within that freedom is to protect and provide. This is always true of God’s commands. The commands against murder or stealing are not to limit us, but to allow us safety in community. The commands limiting sex to the confines of marriage is to protect our bodies and hearts. Then we can experience freedom to be vulnerable and love with abandon. This was happening in the Garden of Eden when the serpent came along and began his conversation with Eve. Look at how he puts his own spin on God’s directions to Adam and Eve in 3:1 –  Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?" The serpent’s communication style here reveals a lot about his motivation in the world today. I see three things that are true about this interaction as well as the interactions we may have with the Enemy today.

1)   He twists the truth. (In 3:2-3 Eve straightens him out, but she gets a little confused as well…)

2)    He causes doubt in the minds of those who would follow God. (See strategy in #1) 

3)    He emphasizes the negative. Instead of allowing us to live in freedom and healthy relationship with God and others, Satan wants us to focus on the limitations to our freedom.

Paul said: “Everything is permissible” – but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible” – but not everything is constructive. “Everything is permissible for me” – but I will not be mastered by anything (1 Corinthians 10:23-24; 6:12). God says, “You are free”. Satan says, “You are limited”. Whose voice will you listen to this week?

Some questions to ponder or discuss:

• Are there parts of God’s Word that you struggle to understand or obey? Why?

• Do you recognize the voice of the enemy in your struggle? (In other words, has Satan twisted truth in your mind? Caused you to doubt God’s Word or His goodness?) How can you train yourself to hear the truth of God’s voice as you work through your understanding?

• Remember that God says, “You are free”. Highlight or underline that in this passage. As you come against temptation to doubt God or emphasize the negative in any given situation, ask Him to show you the truth. Tell someone or write in a journal what you may hear and how you change because of it.