Jesus quoted Genesis 2 when he said, “That is why a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife. And the two people will become one” (Mt 19.5).
That last phrase — ‘become one flesh’ — is extremely cool. Its literal meaning is a polite way of saying, “They will be physically intimate.” In God’s eyes this is the moment a man and woman become One. It’s also why Paul warned so strongly against abusing this gift in I Corinthians 6.16.
But it goes so much further than that. God gives us the ability to develop a transcendent, impossible-to-describe closeness with another human being that rivals anything else in reality. If husband and wife are willing to put in the work, practice selflessness, value each other, and aim for Jesus’s return, God gives you the best friend you’ll ever have.
You’ll know things without having to ask. You’ll communicate without having to speak. Your lives will — in many literal ways — become One. You’ll have a closeness with someone that defies any ability to describe it, a relationship that you’ll value above anything else. Life’s problems become so much smaller when two peoples’ souls merge.
And this is how we get to experience marriage after humanity’s fall! I am thankful for marriage because God gave us a way to have a connection with someone else that’s almost spooky. The world will always be chaotic. We’ll often have reminders of how stinky this life can be. We’ll experience grief, anger, happiness, peace, anxiety, chaos, and everything else — but as two who became one. Marriage is a tangible proof that God loves us and wants only what’s best for us.
A strong marriage is the most powerful weapon we have against our enemy. It’s the most fulfilling aspect of being alive. It gives us the potential to become something far greater than we could achieve alone. It’s grounding, inspiring, sustaining. It makes us stronger, it models forgiveness, it shows how powerful real love is.
God gave us a lot of cool stuff — marriage is by far the greatest physical blessing of them all. It merges our limitations with some of the transcendent and gives us a glimpse into what new life will be like. Thank God for marriage!
H.G. Wells, an English writer, was never particularly religious, but after he had studied the history of the human race and had observed human life, he came to an interesting conclusion. He said, “Religion is the first thing and the last thing, and until a man has found God and been found by God, he begins at no beginning, he works to no end. He may have his friendships, his partial loyalties, his scraps of honor. But all these things fall into place and life falls into place only with God.”
I am thankful there is a God. That He exists, that He is in control, and that He offers eternal life. My life would be nothing if it wasn’t for His grace and love. There are a million different ways one could go about describing God the Father. Kind, loving, merciful, jealous, powerful, etc. Knowing God requires revelation. All that we know about Him is revealed in scripture. He chose to tell us who He is and what He has done for us.
To dwell on the revealed knowledge of God is one of life’s highest pursuits. There is no better way to spend your time than to learn of the God who created, restored, and saved us. In scripture we read of His perfect attributes, His unfathomable love, His gift of salvation. If we took every writer, philosopher, poet, Christian, and put them to work describing the nature of the Father, the book would be added to until the end of time. As finite humans, it is impossible for us to comprehend the infinite. Our limits will forever keep us from fully knowing God.
To know God completely and totally we would have to be God.
Of all the places in scripture we could look, there is one that stands out. It’s not John 3:16, Eph. 2:8, Rom. 1:16, 1 John 4:8, 2 Peter 3:9. This perfect description for God isn’t found in 10,000 words, it is found in one.
One single, Hebrew word incapsulates all of scripture, the theme of the Bible, and the attributes of God.
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them. He created with His words, the very world we see today. However, the world we are in now isn’t exactly what it used to be.
God made man in His image, His likeness is found in us. He created Adam first, then Eve.
We ruled the earth, God’s prize possession.
He created us to love, to tend to the garden, to be with Him in perfect harmony. That is exactly what we see in Genesis 1-2, but things fundamentally changed in chapter three. The God who lovingly created the world, the garden for Adam and Eve, gave one single command. Don’t eat from the tree of knowledge.
This command gave His special creation a choice. A choice to love, or a choice to disobey. True love is a choice, it is never forced. Sadly as we are familiar with, Eve listened to the serpent and ate of tree. She then turned to her husband and He ate. It is at this moment they realize they are naked and made clothes for themselves. And then…nothing happens. No lighting bolt, no death, no thundering voice from God condemning them to hell forever. The Lord himself comes out to Adam, and notice how he comes. He comes walking. He wasn’t in a hurry to strike the offender. walking in the garden. “In the cool of the day”—not in the dead of night when things are all the more scary.
God is longsuffering, slow to anger, and of great mercy; and so He came walking, in the cool of the evening, when the sun was setting on the last day of Eden. Adam runs and tries to avoid the very God he had once met with confidence, the One he had the sweetest fellowship, talking with him as a man talks with his friend.
Gen. 3:9 The Lord God called to the man, and said one word, “ayyekkah” which is translated, “where are you?” Imagine hearing the voice of God as He cries, “Adam, where are you? This question reveals more than we have time to discuss. It showed that Adam was lost, or God would not have needed to ask him where he was.
Until we have lost something, we do not need to enquire about it. God’s first words after the fall, a question posed to His creation. In this one Hebrew word is compressed a whole theology. In this ONE word, we find the nature of God. Understand these are God’s first words to the FIRST sinner. In asking this question we learn that
God Pursues The Lost Sinner.
What Adam and Eve did was wrong.
They knew it, and so did God. God was very clear on what would happen if they ate of the fruit. “In that day you will surely die” are the exact words God used. When Adam and Eve heard God walking they chose to hide.
Why? Man had sinned against God. Notice the alienation of the heart that sin causes in the sinner. Adam should have sought out his Maker. He should have been running through the garden crying out for God,
“My God, my God, I have sinned against you. Where are you?” Adam should have fallen in humility at the feet of the Father.
He had a closer relationship with God than anyone in today. HE LIVED IN THE PRESENCE OF God. He should have called out to God, ran to His feet, and fallen on his face begging for mercy. But instead, Adam flees from God. The sinner does not come to God; God comes to him. It is not “My God, where are you?” but the first voice that broke the silence after the fall is the voice of grace, “Sinner where are you?” God comes to man; man does not seek his God.
Isn’t this how it has always been? From this one Hebrew Word, we read of a God who reaches out to us, even when we have done our best to hide ourselves from Him. “But God shows His love to us, in that while we were sinners, Christ died for the ungodly (Romans 5:8).” While we spit on the body of Christ, God is crying out, “where are you, sinner?” In this one word, a love like mankind has never experienced is displayed. When God asked, “where are you?” We learn of a God who pursues the sinner.
Today He continues to call, hoping that we will come to Him.
This week’s is possibly one of the most-asked existential questions out there. “Why is suffering a part of the human experience?” Believer and non-believer alike struggle with this one. Believers and even many agnostics struggle to justify the existence of an all-powerful, all-loving God with “bone cancer in children” and other seemingly senseless evils. Non-believers may struggle with the existence of suffering, too, especially if their worldview involves progressivism. After thousands of years of lessons learned, shouldn’t we have found a way to eliminate suffering?
The Bible answers this question: we brought suffering to the human experience by violating the relationship we had with God. The story of the Bible is one that ultimately repairs this condition, thanks to God becoming human and sacrificing himself to repair that breach. On top of that, he came back to life as proof-of-concept and as a promise — we will have immortality, too. The message of Christianity is one that looks forward to a time without evil’s consequences (especially suffering and death). For many people, accepting the hard truth of our (i.e. humanity’s) culpability in the existence of suffering is too much. It can’t be that simple!
We could illustrate this with an adapted pagan myth. Pandora’s box is well-known to many — she opened a box that contained all of the evil in the world, but with hope attached to them. There was no returning those things to the box and it affected everyone. While the framework of the story is decidedly pagan, it is rooted in historical fact. The first woman on earth did actually open something like Pandora’s box, introducing entropy to the planet for the first time. The consequences were far-reaching, as Christians believe all of humanity came from her. We are living with the consequences of Pandora’s box having been opened.
Even if we look at this from a totally naturalistic standpoint, the existence of suffering does not necessarily preclude an all-powerful, loving God. In fact, it offers a fairly reasonable explanation for why suffering affects good people! What it does lack is anything resembling meaningful hope for a brighter future — this explanation ends with physical death, the beginning of eternal non-existence. A naturalistic explanation is something like this: There is suffering in the world because we’re all born ignorant and have to learn from the mistakes we make. Mistakes often have a ripple effect, and can sometimes negatively affect others. For example, a new driver’s inexperience may cause an accident that takes the life of an innocent person. It’s seemingly random, chaotic, senseless. What did that other person do to deserve death? Nothing, they were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Even the naturalistic worldview understands that bending nature’s laws to prevent all tragedies would have devastating consequences in our current framework.
So why doesn’t God intervene in every situation? The short answer is “we don’t know.” He does often intervene (cf. Hb 1.14; I Kgs 17.8-16; Ruth; Dan 3.8-30, and many, many others), but we don’t always know why. His perspective is infinite, ours is not. It’s frustrating, painful, and confusing at times, but we all accept that it’s temporary. We know that he won’t allow us to deal with more than we’re capable of handling with character intact (I Cor 10.13), but not too much beyond this. Christianity views suffering as part of the human experience that we’re quite ready to leave behind. This is why death is something we look forward to!
We have sufferings now, but they are nothing compared to the great glory that will be given to us. Everything that God made is waiting with excitement for the time when he will show the world who his children are. The whole world wants very much for that to happen (Rom 8.18-19).
I have told you these things so that you can have peace in me. In this world you will have troubles. But be brave! I have overcome the world” (Jn 16.33).
Recognizing The “Big Three” Temptations In The Bible And Today
Brent Pollard
The number three is significant in many areas, reflecting its longstanding presence in human consciousness and the natural world. Often, it represents balance, harmony, and the union of opposites, making it a powerful symbol in spiritual practices. The “rule of threes” is a common phenomenon, likely due to confirmation bias, where people tend to notice and remember patterns more quickly, leading them to attribute significance to events that occur in threes.
The number three holds significant importance in religious contexts, especially in Christianity. In 1 John 2.16, John identifies three fundamental categories of temptation leading to sin: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. These categories offer insight into the underlying causes of human moral struggles, with most sins attributable to one or a combination of these three factors.
This pattern of temptation is evident in several biblical narratives:
The Beguiling of Eve (Genesis 3.1–6):
Lust of the flesh: The fruit was “good for food.”
Lust of the eyes: It was “a delight to the eyes.”
Pride of life: It was “desirable to make one wise.”
The Choice of Lot (Genesis 13.10–13)
Lust of the flesh: Fertile plains to support abundant livestock.
Lust of the eyes: The appealing appearance of the land.
Pride of life: Desire for social and economic advancement near Sodom.
The Temptation of Jesus (Luke 4.1–13)
Lust of the flesh: Satan tempted Jesus to turn stones into bread.
Lust of the eyes: Satan offered Jesus all the kingdoms of the world.
Pride of life: Satan challenged Jesus to prove His divinity by jumping from the temple.
These examples show how the “big three” temptations shaped human decision-making and moral choices throughout biblical history. Recognizing these patterns allows us to understand better temptation and how it affects human behavior.
In today’s world, Christians face similar temptations in various forms. The lust of the flesh manifests itself in overconsumption, addiction, and sexual immorality (Galatians 5.16–17). The lust of the eyes manifests itself in materialism, covetousness, and the constant pursuit of the next best thing (1 John 2.15–17). The relentless pursuit of status, power, and self-importance gives rise to life’s pride (James 4.6). However, just as Jesus resisted temptation by referring to Scripture (Luke 4.4, 8, 12), modern believers are encouraged to arm themselves with God’s Word (Ephesians 6.17). They are encouraged to “flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace” (2 Timothy 2.22), remembering that God has provided a way out of every temptation (1 Corinthians 10.13). By recognizing these patterns of temptation and actively seeking God’s guidance, Christians can navigate the complexities of modern life while remaining spiritually intact.
Chapter two is what we’re probably most familiar with when we study I Timothy. Here are the highlights: 1 — God expects us to pray for everyone, specifically that God will do good things for them and give them what they need. “All people” includes people who hate us and want to harm us. 2 — God expects us to pray for anyone who has authority over us. This is for the specific purpose of living quiet and peaceful lives. 3 — This makes God happy, and he’s the one who will save us in the end. 8 — Anywhere Christians are together and worship is being offered to God in some way, he expects godly men to lead that worship. This goes back to 1.4 and the word usually translated “administration” or “stewardship”. The word is οικονομια (oikonomia), and would be best translated “house-law” in this context. The church is God’s house, so he expects us to follow his rules. This is a difficult passage for many to accept because it contradicts our culture’s view of equality. Many in the world think this passage is misogynistic, but it isn’t. When it comes to worship — and because the church is God’s house, not ours — he wants godly men to lead. Notice that not just any man can lead! Hymenaus and Alexander were men, but they weren’t qualified. Men who lead can’t have anger issues and can’t be argumentative. If a man who has those issues leads a prayer or any other act of worship, according to I Tim 2.8 it’s just as sinful as if a woman did the same. 9-15 lists some of the reasons that this is the case, but I want to focus on the most difficult verse in this section (15 — “…but women will be saved through having children, if they continue to live in faith, love, and holiness with self-control”). On its face, this is a weird verse. What’s going on here? Men have the responsibility of leading worship and leading their families. We’re told that this is because Eve sinned first, then Adam (14). Maybe Paul doesn’t want Christian women to get the wrong idea, thinking there’s no hope for them because of something someone did thousands of years before. Women are the only people who can bring new life into the world. The church is made up of people, and only because of mothers. This could be an encouragement — “Women, we’re only here because of you. This is so important that if you live faithfully, you have just as much a claim to salvation as your male counterparts”. This is echoed in I Pt 3.7. But it may also be a call to avoid the lifestyles of the women in II Tim 3.6-7, who may have been former employees at the Temple of Artemis.
Genesis 3 records for us the fall of man. This account reveals to us the methods Satan uses to tempt us, and the choice that changed the course of the world. We can learn a lot about the devil in his first interaction with God’s creation.
“Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.'” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.””
We don’t know how long Adam and Eve were in the garden. There is no timeframe between chapter 2 and 3.
It could’ve been a month, a year, a century that has gone by. Whatever the time frame, Satan comes to Eve and places doubt in her mind. This is quite possibly the worst lie ever told. “Did God really say…?” While Satan doesn’t physically appear and speak to us today, he still uses this same tactic. He has destroyed many churches’ worship to God. “Did God really ask for music with no instruments?” “Did God really say for the women to be silent?” By casting doubt Satan has corrupted the worship and faith of millions.
After he casts doubt, he then blatantly contradicts God, “you will not surely die.” And once again he continues to blatantly contradict God’s word today. The message Satan tells the world is completely different from what God has given to us. Satan contradicts the Father. Rather than “love you neighbour as yourself” he says “love yourself above your neighbour.” Rather than “serve God and keep his commandments, he says “serve yourself and listen to no one.” Satan contradicted God in the past and continues to do so today.
After he casts doubt and blatantly contradicts God, he then offers power, “you shall be like God.” Obviously in their close relationship with God, they understood who created the world. The created wanted to be like the creator, but the devil offered a lie. Satan only has one thing to offer– sin. He oftentimes portrays this lifestyle of sin as a lie.
He offers happiness and joy, but at the end of the day all he has to offer is sin and regret.
Eve was tempted by Satan, and he used the same methods then as he does now. Eve experienced:
The lust of the flesh (she wanted to eat of the fruit)
The lust of the eyes (literally says “it was a delight to the eyes,” v.6)
Pride of life (she wanted to become wise and have power)
The devil always knows what to say in order to get us to stumble. We must be vigilant and ready to refuse the tempter when he appears.
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