We are not built for guilt. Guilt means “liability to punishment” in the Hebrew Bible. Guilt inevitably impacts how we answer the questions posed to us as individuals. Our answers may be evasive, defensive, or even blame shifting in nature. Observe how God approaches two different people, both guilty, in the aftermath of their failure.
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We are familiar with the tree of testing from the story in Genesis 3. Eve saw that though the fruit tree was forbidden to eat from, she saw that it was desirable to the eye, beautiful, sort of like eye candy. The beauty of the tree became the bait by which the serpent drew her attention to it. But the forbidden tree is not the only beautiful “tree” in the biblical stories. Humans are portrayed as trees throughout Scripture. And some of those humans are also beautiful, desirable to the eye. Just as the original tree became a tree of testing, so also there are people who become “people of testing.” Let me explain.
Read MorePaul’s reading of the Genesis narratives can be, at times, quite confusing. It appears that he might just be reading more into the Scripture text than what is actually there. A Roman governor once said to him: “Your great learning is driving you mad!” Does Paul go off the rails at times, driven by an excess of passion and creativity? Some think so.
Read MoreThe next time you are asked about what the Scriptures say about a particular topic or controversial issue, will your answer be precise, a bulwark never failing, or will it leave you wide open to temptation? It pays to be precise with Scripture.
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The first recorded meal in human history shows an act of great foolishness by children. Let me explain.
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