the serpent's trap

we all know the story of eve's temptation in the garden of eden: how satan twisted God's Word and got eve to doubt what God had said, how eve misquoted God's command, etc.  but here's something that we possibly don't often think about: what was he tempting her with?  paul writes in 1 Tim. 2 that eve was deceived and so fell into transgression, whereas adam was not deceived and chose sin willingly.  that implies that there was not a full consciousness of sin in eve's poor decision, and certainly not a desire for it.  it follows that satan could not have been tempting her with something evil or sinful, as she had no sin yet.  so what was the temptation?

satan's temptation to eve was contained in the phrase "in the day you eat of it, you will be like God".  now i think we often read that and think that satan was tempting eve to "be her own god", to cast of the shackles of the Lord's rule and rebel.  i used to assume that was the meaning.  but that doesn't fit with the idea that eve was deceived.  the deception implies that what she was doing she thought was a positive thing!  the temptation was for eve to be like God - in the sense of being god-like, or we might say "godly".  surely it is a good thing to be like God!  i believe eve's desire was not to rebel and be her own lord, but to be become more like God. 

but here is the problem, here is the serpent's subtle trap: he says, "you can be like God, and all you have to do is eat the fruit".  but the fact is, eve was already like God!  she was created in his likeness and image!  the trap was to trick eve into believing there was something else she had to do to be like God, when God Himself had already made her like Him!

satan's ways have not changed.  today he still tempts us with the same deception, one which exploits our good desires (only present by God's Spirit in us) to be more like Him.  satan slithers up and says, "yeah, you can be godly, more holy, and all you have to do is add this fruit or that fruit"  "you just need to bear this fruit in the ministry or have the fruit of doing that work, THEN you will be holy, godly, like Jesus".  the deception in this is that Jesus has already made us like Himself by the blood shed for us on His cross!  we are already made anew in His image by His grace.  we have been made the holiness and righteousness of God in Him!  but satan would have us (mind you all the while with good intentions) mistrust God's completed work by making us think we need to add something to it for it to be complete.  don't let the serpent speak his lie into your heart today.  simply be still and know that Jesus has already made you holy, godly by His great grace.  as paul wrote to the corinthians, "lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ."  (2 Cor. 11:3)  so enjoy the simplicity of Christ and the beauty of His completed work!