Did God Really Say......?

In Genesis 3, we can read about the greatest deception of all times. In a slinky, slimy move, the oldest deceiver of all times displays his favorite tactic, preying on the desire for truth. “Did God really say?” By complicating the simple truth of God (who, by the way is the originator of truth!) the deceiver got Eve (and Adam too!) to disobey God by doubt. Ole Eve could have summoned God in a minute to have that question answered.  Instead she went for the big ‘?’ and it was downhill from there.

Ever since, the big deception has been “Did God really say?” It is prevalent today all over the world, in the highways and byways of life, in homes, in schools, government, politics and it is especially prevalent in religion. People historically have tried to reinvent the truth along the way by adding, subtracting and changing God’s original intent and Judaism was no exception.

Looking at the apostle Paul’s background in the Judaic traditions and oral law it is quite easy to see how the Hebrew of the Hebrews was significantly deceived and his loyalty to God was misaligned to produce atrocity and persecution to the disciples of Jesus Christ in that day. He was loyal (yes!) committed (yes!), bold (yes!) and yes, he thought what he was doing was right with God and proud of it too!  He was blinded until the light of the revelation of God’s plan through the ages was revealed to him in the life of Jesus Christ and what his life represented, the way to God’s heart.

The loyalty, commitment, and boldness remained in Paul but he got off his ‘high horse’ and humbly accepted the truth of God:

Acts 9:20 And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the son of God.

This caused quite a stir among his former friends.

Acts 9:23b The Judeans took counsel to kill him.

The Greeks were not much better:

Acts 9:29b they went about to slay him.

He went to Jerusalem and the disciples of Jesus Christ were at first were afraid of him but a wonderful man named Barnabas helped by standing up for him and people heard what had happened to him.

Today the name of Jesus Christ still causes a reaction.  God’s heart in what he accomplished for every believer is beautifully set forth in Paul’s great prayer in Ephesians 1:17-23. (NIV2010)

I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.