When Satan finally got Eve to seriously doubt both the goodness of God and His instruction to eat of every tree in the Garden of Eden except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he said to her, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:4-5). Satan explained that Eve would not actually die, contradicting what God said (Genesis 2:16-17). Satan went on to explain that God did not actually want good for Eve. After all, according to Satan, God knew the benefits she would gain from the fruit, and He did not want her to have anything good.
Adding to the deception, what Satan explained seemed to be true. Adam did not physically die until over 500 years later (Genesis 5:5). Adam and Eve did become like God, in the sense that they did know “good and evil” after eating that fruit (Genesis 3:22).
However, what Eve thought was a bargain did not work out very well (Genesis 3:6-24)! She and Adam were taken by the Satan explanation!We must not let anyone talk us out of what the Bible plainly teaches, whether it be on salvation, the necessity of baptism, church organization or marriage-divorce-and-remarriage.
Most Bible doctrines are very easy to understand. We need help to misunderstand—and plenty of that kind of help is available. However, let us stand on God’s Word and not be taken by the Satan explanation!
