Part 1: Adam and Eve

Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good morals.” Become sober-minded as you ought, and stop sinning; for some have no knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame. 1 Corinthians 15:33-34

In this five-part series, we study Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Enoch, Noah, the tower of Babel in three regards: wheat and chaff, human relationships, and the devil’s temptation.

(1) WHEAT AND CHAFF- Did their lives meet both internal and external conditions?

(2) HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS-What can we learn through their human relationships?

(3) DEVIL’S TEMPTATION- How did the devil tempt them?

Cereal crops like wheat need the chaff or husk and the seed to form a complete crop. Without the husk, the seed cannot grow, and without the seed, the husk is useless. As Christians, we need to be like wheat. We perform the superficial, perfunctory motions of life that go hand-in-hand to protect a sacred inner life.

WHEAT AND CHAFF

The chaff or superficial aspects of Adam and Eve’s life is simple: they live in the Garden of Eden. This is how their lives look from the outside. They eat, work, and play in the Garden. Like Adam and Eve, we live in our Garden of Eden. From the outside, we do what everyone else does. We work. We raise a family. We play. Without this husk or protective covering to form a complete crop, the seed will not grow. But if we are nothing more than our jobs or families… if we are nothing more than this superficial layer, Jesus says He will burn up “the chaff with unquenchable fire.” To become wheat formed with an outer shell and a seed, we need a vibrant inner life inside the husk. For Adam and Eve to become wheat, they must obey God’s commands to “work it and take care of it” They can eat from any tree in the Garden but must avoid the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. To be wheat gathered in the barn and not chaff thrown into the fire, we must maintain our exterior life while keeping His commands.

On the outside, we are deacons, elders, and avid church-goers. We go to church on Sundays, read the Bible, and preach the gospel. However, unless we have the word of God living inside of us, we are nothing more than chaff. Unless we have a complimentary inner life of obeying God’s commands, we are nothing more than chaff. We need to be wheat.

HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS

Adam and Eve are the only ones in the Garden. They are close. Adam trusts Eve without question, and Eve does the same. The Bible says, “… a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.” From Adam and Eve’s relationship, we learn to be cautious of putting empathy and human compassion above God. How many times do we turn away from God because our devotion and loyalty blind us? We give a pass when it comes to our family or friends. “Well, it’s my wife” or “It’s my best friend.” They say blood is thicker than water, but our relationship to God transcends all bonds: it is absolute! When it comes to human relationships, we must be wary of our sentimentality clouding our judgment.

DEVIL’S TEMPTATION

God said, “And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” When you know God forbids you from doing something but you want to do it anyway, the devil is tempting you. You know God is not pleased with this kind of work, or having this kind of relationship, or doing these kinds of activities, but you want to do them anyway. You know God does not want you to marry this person, but you are bent on marrying this person with or without God’s blessings. Whatever form it takes, if you want to do something that God forbids, recognize it is the devil at work.

Summary

Lessons learned from Adam and Eve

Chaff life is living, working, and playing in the Garden.
Wheat life is living, working, and playing while keeping God’s commands.
Do not put human relationships above God.
The devil is at work when you want to do something despite knowing it goes against God.

https://soundcloud.com/yhpaik/1988-9-18-adam-and-eve-mixdown