Scripture References: Genesis 3
They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.
Then the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?” – Genesis 3:8-9.
Someone has said that the saddest sentence God ever uttered is this, “Adam, where are you?” Up until now, the man and the woman had met the Lord with heavenly eagerness. They were a happy, innocent pair, and it was always a glad, glorious hour when Jehovah came to talk with them. They had no fear. But now something grievous and sorrowful has happened. The man is afraid. Both are ashamed. And the Lord calls with a sob in His voice, “O Adam, where are you, and what have you done?” The answer to that heartbroken question is the whole story of sin and grace and atonement.
The Grief of God
I heard a story of a wise and experienced homiletics professor, teaching his class of young ministers the art of preaching, and he called upon each one to read this section of the book of Genesis. As each student stood up to read the passage, the old professor was watchfully waiting. Some read it as though God were simply asking a question, “Adam, where are you?” Some read it as though God were angry. Some read it as though he were indifferent. But one young preacher read it in pathos, with a sob in his voice, “And the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, where are you?”
The old professor looked at the youth searchingly and said, “Young man, you will be a great evangelist. God has given you a compassion for the souls of men. When God came into the garden in the cool of the day and called to the man He had made, God was brokenhearted as He asked where he was and what he had done.”
“But,” one may inquire, “didn’t the Lord God know about the possibility of the fall before He made the man? Did He not foresee this transgression and guilt? Then how could the grief of God be sincere and genuine?” It is a reasonable query, and its answer can be found in the hearts of fathers and mothers who rear their children in this world. They send them out to live lives of their own, all the while knowing that in their going forth they must face temptation which may prove stronger than they can resist. If their children fall, is the grief of the parents none the less true and sincere because of their foreknowledge? No, no, indeed! Their hearts are still broken when they learn that one of their own has succumbed to the wiles of Satan.
Despite the fact that God did foreknow, it was in His plans for mankind to give them a way out. The grief, the heartbreak was real and sincere, nonetheless; how could it be otherwise, God’s very character and nature is love for His creation.
The Beginning of Sin
Said the Evil One to our first parents, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” – Genesis 3:1. Sin began with a question mark, the questioning of God’s word. The woman repeated the word of the Lord: “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” – Genesis 3:2-3. Then followed the first lie. “Then the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not surely die.’ ” – Genesis 3:4.
This is the way of the archfiend. He whispers in our hearts, “Did God really say—? Does God always say the truth?” Satan always places an interrogation point after God’s word. The father of lies says: “Does God say in His Word, ‘Except you repent of your sins and trust in the Lord, you will certainly die’? Truly, does God say that?” Then Satan answers in our hearts, “You will not die.”
“Seriously,” says Satan, “does God say in His book, ‘You will surely die, you will be lost, lost in hell, forever doomed, shut out from heaven’? Does God truly say that?” Then Satan sweetly whispers: “Never, God doesn’t mean that. There is no second death, there is no hell, there is no final judgment, there is no condemnation. God loves you. He’s just trying to scare you into being good; He doesn’t tell you the whole truth.”
However, God does say, “Unless you repent you will all likewise perish.” – Luke 13:3, 5. But Satan denies, “No, God doesn’t mean it. A loving God wouldn’t do that. Repentance is an antiquated idea. You can be saved without repentance.” Yet God does insist, “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” – Acts 4:12. Yet Satan will continue to deny: “Certainly, God is not so strict or straightlaced. He will save all men, whatever they believe; consequently, belief in Christ Jesus is optional. You can be saved without faith in Christ. There are many ways to get to heaven.” So, it is in this way that Satan blinds the hearts of men and hurls their souls into hell.
To Be Continued
FOR THE LOVE OF GOD 
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