Pathway to Paradise: Finding Your Way to True Salvation by the Holy Scriptures

By Elaine Threats

Looking for God in all the wrong places? Then read this book. Its an in depth journey through the Holy Scriptures of the bible to guide you through Gods pathway of salvation which he has provided for human life on this earth. In the world of today, there are some many avenues and paths to choose in life. God has given man the freedom to choose his own destiny, but in that freedom he has asked that we choose wisely making right choices. What is the right choice in life? This book is here to help answer that question.

The bible says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; therefore, having godly fear is the first wise path that anyone can choose. Why is it wise to fear God? It is wise because once we begin to give God his due respect as the creator of life, is where we begin our journey toward discovering every other right and wise pathway life has to offer, which leads to true salvation and in the end eternal life.

This book is a journey through the Holy Scriptures of the bible in finding that right path to help clear up the fog in the minds of so many looking to know and understand what is true and what is right. God has already laid the foundation by the scriptures that we may have the tools and the ability to build a life of success according to the Master who created this great world in which we live; and who knows best.

If you have a true desire to understand the scriptures and want to know what God can do in your life; if you are confused about the bible and religion but hope to find the pathway leading to true salvation; then read this book. Is is here to give good education on biblical truths. And as you read, keep the bible handy: because this book is designed so that as you read it, you will need the bible for reference; in hopes that you might find the true pathway to paradise.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: May 8, 2008
• ISBN: 9781477174623

Elaine Threats

God has given Elaine the gift to teach the scriptures, and this book is pure evidence of that. She is not a bible scholar, but has written every word of this book as the Spirit has led her to do so. She has a strong desire to see the souls of men and women everywhere come to the wisdom and knowledge of our savior Jesus Christ which is the foundation and purpose for this writing.

Book preview

PATHWAY TO PARADISE

Finding your way to true Salvation by the Holy Scriptures

Elaine Threats

Copyright © 2008 by Elaine Threats.

Library of Congress Control Number:   2006905503

ISBN:      Hardcover      978-1-4257-1982-1

                Softcover        978-1-4257-1981-4

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Unless otherwise indicated, bible quotations are taken from the Thompson Chain-Reference Study Bible, King James Version. Copyright 1988, by the B.B. Kirkbride Bible Company, Inc.

Note: All scriptures were taken from the King James Version (KJV) of the bible. However, the author has made minor word modifications to better clarify understanding of some scripture for the modern day English reader; for example: the KJV of James 4:8 reads "Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you . . . . Author’s modification reads; Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you . . . ."

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

1-888-795-4274

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CONTENTS

About this Book

About the Author

Introduction

CHAPTER 1   In the Beginning God

The Existence of God

God the Spirit

God the Father

CHAPTER 2   In Search of the Truth

The Gospel Truth

Separating Fact from Fiction

Separating Fact from Fiction

Separating Fact from Fiction

The Spirit of Truth

CHAPTER 3   True Confessions

Wiping the Slate Clean

Breaking Loose From the Shackles

Walking the Strait and Narrow

CHAPTER 4   Living the Life

The New Birth

Making a True Commitment

Abundant Life through the Word

CHAPTER 5   Separation Between Church and State

Living in Enemy Territory

Living on the edge of the World

A Final Resting Place

CHAPTER 6   Sign of His Time

Expecting the Unexpected Guest

ABOUT THIS BOOK

L OOKING FOR GOD in all the wrong places? Then read this book. It’s an in depth journey through the Holy Scriptures of the bible to guide you through God’s pathway of salvation, which he has provided for human life on this earth. In the world of today, there are so many avenues and paths to choose in life. God has given man the freedom to choose his own destiny; but in that freedom, he requests that we choose wisely, making right choices. What is the right choice in life? This book is here to help answer that question.

The bible says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; therefore, having godly fear is the first wise path that anyone can choose. Why is it wise to fear God? It is wise because once we begin to give God his due respect as the Creator of life, is where we begin our journey toward discovering every other right and wise pathway life has to offer, which leads to true salvation, and in the end eternal life.

Within this manuscript, you will find a clear cut guide shedding light toward understanding of biblical scriptures into finding that right path; to help clear up the fog in the minds of so many looking to know and understand God and his true plan for human existence on earth; for those wanting to know how to find the Spirit of God to live life according to his righteousness; and not religiousness; and to realize what are the dangers in life we face if we fall short of living according to his expectations. God has already laid the foundation by the scriptures that we may have the tools and the ability to build a life of success according to the Master who created this great world in which we live; and who knows best.

If you have a true desire to understand the scriptures, and want to know what God can do in your life; if you are confused about the bible and religion, but hope to find the pathway leading to true salvation; then read this book. It is here to give good education on biblical truths that many have been raised up to believe in, but not knowing according to actual scripture why they believe what they believe. And as you read, always keep the bible handy: because this book is designed so that as you read it, you will need the bible for reference; in hopes that you might find God’s true PATHWAY TO PARADISE.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

E LAINE THREATS WAS born Elaine Russell in a small town of Alabama in 1960. She moved to the northern suburbs of Chicago Illinois with her mother when she was a small child, and has resided there most of her life. She was raised without ever getting to know her natural father; and her mother passed away when Elaine was in her early twenties; being her mother’s only natural child. Shortly after the passing of her mother, she found herself divorced and having to bring up her three young daughters as a single mom.

With no husband, father, mother, or siblings by her side, and with only a high school education at the time of her divorce, she re-entered college in hopes to improve her situation; to better provide for her children. As the grace of God would have it, he opened many doors of support for Elaine, which allowed her to successfully complete this task, achieving first an Associate, and later a Bachelors degree; by which she was able to find employment paying well enough whereby she could afford an improved lifestyle for herself and her children. When all was accomplished, she began to realize God’s love for her, through helping her to make it through during her trying days, even while she was living a life of sin. So, when the Spirit of God called her to rededicate her life to God, she didn’t hesitate in surrendering to his calling.

Her life experiences include that of a wife, mother, and grandmother; struggling with life issues day to day like so many others. In her struggles, she has found great value in keeping God at the forefront as her shield and guide, with the knowing his power is all the strength she needs to take her through life’s circumstances; showing her how to remain at peace, with joy and hope, despite the situation; and she shares her knowledge of this great and wonderful resource with everyone through this writing.

God has given Elaine the gift to teach the scriptures, and this book is pure evidence of that. She is not a bible scholar; but has written every word within, as the inspiration of God has led her to do so. What she writes, she stands behind by faith, and by her own life testimonies in Christ Jesus. She has a strong desire to see the souls of men and women everywhere come to the wisdom and knowledge of our Savior Jesus Christ, which is the foundation and purpose for this writing.

Elaine understands that this world will some day come to an end as scriptures has forewarned; and knowing this, it is her God given desire to spread the gospel that someone, somewhere will accept Christ as Lord and Savior before it’s too late. And not only is it her desire for men to come to accept Christ, but that they also learn how to live a true fulfilling Christian life free from sin, as God intended when he sent his Son to die on the cross for the sins of the world. For truly this is the only way one may inherit eternal life as this book will explain.

INTRODUCTION

T HERE IS MUCH propaganda in the world today surrounding the authenticity of the bible, and Christ as being the Son of God, Savior of the world. I am only one person, but I am a person able to testify that Jesus is Christ through my own life experiences. There was a time in my life when I didn’t believe as strongly as I do today; that is, that we need to believe on Christ to be saved. I once believed that it didn’t matter how you get to God, so long as you get to him; and that Jesus was not necessarily the only way. I began believing this even after being raised up in the Christian church from a child.

I learned to believe this way concerning faith in Christ because like many people, I had a not so pleasant experience with church life, giving me a sour taste for Jesus. Thus, in my mid twenties I left the church and began living life as I saw fit, which was a life of sin. But even in this newfound freedom, I felt a longing in my life; as if I was missing something. Somewhere along the way, I began to realize that the sinful life I’d chosen; living separated from God was not as satisfying as it had first appealed. At this time in my life I was a divorced mother having no parents or siblings for support. No husband, no father, no mother, no sisters or brothers to tell me what to do with my life; thus, I was free to live life however I felt; but yet in all this freedom, I felt something was missing, and I can’t say that I knew at that time what that something was.

Then one day, the day of the Million Man March, spearheaded by Louis Farrakhan; a follower and teacher of the Muslim faith; this man made a televised appeal that African-American men should come to our nation’s Capitol for this event, and the women should stay home and pray. His purpose for this was to try and rebuild dignity and unity toward family life in the black community, and I thought within myself this was a nice gesture headed by Farrakhan; and after all, my thinking during this time was we don’t really need Jesus; any positive act of faith toward God would do; and I saw this as a positive step. So I followed the request of the leader of the Nation of Islam, and stayed home that day to pray; something I hadn’t done for years (except when I needed a big favor from God), after I’d left the Christian life years prior.

I recall the event that day as I played hooky from work; after sending the children to school, I went into my bedroom to pray as Farrakhan requested the women to do. I kneeled down by my bedside and began to pray; and this one act became the most monumental moment of change for my life; a most positive change of events from that day forward. As I began to pray that day, unsuspectingly, the Spirit of Christ met me in my room, taking control of my prayers, as I began praying in tongues through his Spirit, a practice I had abandoned years ago when I’d abandoned the church. And as I prayed in the Spirit, I was moved to tears, and they began flowing, rolling down my face. It was as if the Holy Spirit of Christ took this one opportunity of my commitment to praying on this day to call me back home to God where I truly belonged.

When I finished praying, I got up and went about my life the same as I had before; not realizing what had taken place; that the Holy Spirit through Christ had breathed new life into my soul during my prayers, who actually came to fill that void in my life.

Sometime shortly thereafter, a few weeks after or so is my guess, still dumbfounded that the Spirit of Christ had planted a new seed of life in me, I was overcome with this strong urge to read the bible; another act I had abandoned when I’d left the church. I ran out one evening, feeling like an addict needing a fix; only the fix was not a drug, but a hunger for the word of God. I found a used King James bible for five dollars in a used book store in town because I’d no longer even owned a bible in my home; and when I took it home, I began reading it, motivated by the hunger of the renewed spirit within me. And as I read, and continued on reading, over the course of time, that spiritual seed God had re-cultivated began to show new signs of life, as my sinful desires became less and less appealing. When I once solved my problems with a drink in hand, I eventually put down the drink, turning only to the word of God for all my help instead. My sinful habits which once seemed to me as so much fun, became less attractive as I continued reading and studying the word of God, building up my spiritual strength, and through this, I began to overcome many of my old sinful habits.

This transformation in my life didn’t take place in anybody’s church, but it took place in the right place; in my soul, as I read and studied the word of God with sincerity, right at home as often as my spirit craved after it; which eventually became every day. And as God would have it, after a period of a few years, it became apparent I’d received the spiritual gift to teach the word of God. In order to begin utilizing this gift, the Spirit of God led me to a small local church in town, where I served as their weekly bible study, and youth Sunday school teacher; up until the time God called me away from that work to devote my bible teaching skills solely to authoring this book; which has been a true labor of love for me.

Assuredly, today I thank God greatly for this experience. I thank him for taking control of my life when I thought I was in control. I thank him because I know without a doubt it was not man, or religion that changed my life, but it was the combination of the Spirit and the word of God which changed me. And this is how I know Jesus is real, and this is what God is allowing me to share with you as you read this book. God has given me this specific work, to demonstrate through the writings in this manuscript how to help others know and understand what is truth surrounding the word of God and Christ.

In reading this book, you will find it provides evidence to help you to also see who Jesus really is. It will help to erase doubts and concerns, and answer many questions about the bible, God, religion, sin, and Christ. Truth is a substance containing the greatest values in life, which seems to be so hard for mankind to find at times. This book is here to help you find that truth, the same way I found it when I kneeled down that day to pray.

God wants to teach us the true way of love; the way to make a true positive difference in life as God sees; not as man sees. If we all find God’s way of truth, then we all find life through truth. The life of Jesus the Christ came to show us how to make that positive difference through the truth of the gospel; and this book is here to thoroughly explain how he does it through the scriptures of the bible.

This book will give evidence that God is true in me; because everything written herein is not written unless it coincides with the scriptures, to show that you don’t have to believe me, but believe the word of God. These following pages are a roadmap through the bible to help you plainly see biblical truths; thus, it is imperative that you read the scriptures which have been outlined in this book¹: this is the most important part of this book. This writing is not associated with any denomination; just simply, faith in Christ. It is not written only to be persuasive, but to persuade through truth; and to shed light on those things which has been distorted and twisted when it comes to the bible. To help you understand the scriptures; to demonstrate how absolute the bible really is.

Through this book, you will find what true salvation through Christ really mean, by tearing down walls of confusion, debate and untruth regarding Christ and Christianity. If you are not a Christian, this book will demonstrate to you why we believe. If you are a Christian, it will confirm your faith while giving you the strength to continue therein. It will also show the sinner the way to becoming a saint; it is written for everyone.

There are many life issues that we must deal with every day we live. God knows the issues and he has given us instruction as to how to solve them by the scriptures. God has allowed me this great opportunity to share with you how to solve some of these issues in this neatly packaged all-in-one bible study. This book is not meant for the speed reader; so read it thoroughly and carefully from beginning to end, taking the time to digest the messages that will unfold as you read, and when you finish, I am highly confident it will make a positive difference in your life.

All glory and honor to God through Christ Jesus for all the things he has done… and for those he has yet to do.

In the way of righteousness is life; and in the pathway thereof there is no death. Proverbs 12: 28.

CHAPTER 1

In the Beginning God

THE EXISTENCE OF GOD

" . . . Who is the Lord that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go". Exodus 5:2.

T HESE WERE THE words that Pharaoh, king of Egypt uttered when Moses told him to let the children of Israel go free from the bondage of building Pharaoh’s great cities so they could serve God according to his commandment (Exodus 1:1-14; Exodus 5:1-2).

Who is the Lord? Some people will say God doesn’t exist, and there is no one Supreme Being of all creation. Some scientist have suggested life probably came into existence by a combustion of gases causing the heavens to form, insinuating God had nothing to do with the existence of life. The idea of God creating life makes far more since than the theory of the Big Bang scientists have conjured up. Just what is a theory anyway? A theory in itself is nothing more than a belief, making it no more different than simply believing in God. None of us alive today was there at the beginning, so whatever we conclude about how life began is only based on our beliefs.

Despite all the work of Scientists to come up with the idea of the Big Bang, people all over the world continue to have faith in the belief that there is a God. Even our basic reasoning tells us God exists without extensive research on the origin of life. If life came into existence by some chance, then why hasn’t life by chance stopped existing? What hope would we have for tomorrow if life began with no forethought? How could this world create itself so perfectly, accidentally?

Just the sheer complexity of all the intricate parts making up the whole human anatomy, joined together with the soul of man, is only one of the greatest miracles and mysteries of what is defined as life on earth. And even though we all have the same physical parts, there are no two people who are exactly the same. How could this strange phenomenon of a living, breathing, seeing, walking, talking, thinking, emotionally feeling thing called the human being; the greatest work of art in the world, just coincidently happen with no master plan, when we can’t build a simple-structured lifeless house without first drawing up a blueprint? Only a living God can do something this grand; not lifeless gases.

If you’ve ever gambled, you know that the odds of losing are at least equal to, and most often, greater than the odds of winning; yet this world has been winning in the game of life since time began here. Why is this? It is because the orchestration of everything in life couldn’t have come into being haphazardly; but was obviously a very well planned event from the first day up until this present day; and because it was so well planned, is the reason why this world continues on existing for days on end.

The mastermind behind everything existing in life is God; and there is no greater explanation whereby we can understand how life came into being. He created this world and commanded it to replenish itself unendingly since time began, in order to provide for every creature our daily needs and resources; from the animal world to the human habitat. This world has never run out of any element that’s needed to sustain life on earth; while at the same time providing us things for our pleasure, far beyond just our basic needs for survival.

God is the reason why the heavens remain in their respective places in orbit, even long before man knew they existed. He is the reason why the sun, an enormous ball of fire, suspended in space millions of miles away, far too hot for any habitation, and too bright to even look at in the noon hour, is positioned at the perfect distance from the earth, giving us the optimum climate for our survival each and every day. And, when man’s work is done at the end of the day, we can sit down and watch the beautiful glow of the sun as it sets under the horizon in the western sky. Certainly we can see in this, there has to be a God (Romans 1: 20).

Imagine life on earth if all of a sudden this world began spinning out of control; or if the heat from the sun doubled in intensity? What if the clouds dissipated and the rain stopped falling? What a drastic change to life on earth this would bring, and that change would be the end of life; yet we never seem to fret that such a tragic event could ever occur as we lay down to sleep each night, rising up each day trusting that the glow of the sun will rise up to meet us.

We have no need to be concerned over such things because subconsciously we have learned to have faith, that there’s some kind of a control mechanism in the universe that we trust to keep us safe from instantaneous world catastrophe as we live on this planet; and this control mechanism encourages our faith each day to know that we can trust tomorrow’s earth will be the same as it was yesterday; meaning we don’t need to worry whether or not we will have the air we need to breathe, or if the sun will or won’t shine. We have confidence that the birds will continue to sing, and the flowers will bloom come springtime; these are some of the ways we know there is a God (Genesis 8: 21-22).

God is that control mechanism keeping life in tact, because there are so many things in life man needs to sustain his life which he himself has absolutely no control over; and life will continue on earth until God says otherwise; and man can’t destroy it, unless God allows him to since man didn’t create it (Ecclesiastes 3: 14). It’s good to know there’s a God we can trust; one who’s in control of all things. Thank God we don’t need to put our trust in Heads of State to make all of life’s right decisions for us on earth; in men whom we don’t know whether we can truly depend; in men who we ourselves make a mockery when they make bad mistakes.

67284.jpg The hope of life exists through God 67286.jpg

Even though we’ve learned to trust that the sun will keep shining come tomorrow, yet we can’t be sure if we will live long enough to see that sun come tomorrow; for the word of God tells us; James 4:14 Whereas you know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is life? It is even a vapor, that appears for a little time, and then vanishes away. Scripture explains that the life of one man, compared to all of life is like a vapor in steam, which appears for an instant, and immediately vanishes away. We are all only a tiny speck in life when compared to all of life; like one tiny grain of sand among the countless multitudes along the sandy sea shore. The time span of the life of one man in the vast scheme of all life is like the equivalence to one blink of an eye; we’re here for only a minuscule moment in time, before vanishing away.

Man has pursued many paths and missions in his attempt to try and satisfy his curiosity into understanding life. He has studied life on earth since the beginning of time up until this present day. However, it is impossible for something as small as man to fully comprehend something as great as how came about the existence of God and life. God is far too big for any man, individually, or collectively to begin to figure him out. For man to try and fully comprehend God and his creation is more foolish than a chair trying to understand man. The thing which was made cannot explain the thing that made it.

The writer of the biblical book Ecclesiastes concluded this: Ecclesiastes 12: 12 "And further, by these, my son, be admonished (enlightened): of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh. ¹³Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man". The point the writer makes here is that with all the studying and learning that a man can do in this world, of this world, he can never completely comprehend all there is to know about life, and to attempt such an undertaking will only exhaust him. As grand and as smart as we might think of ourselves from our perspective on life, like finding a monumental discovery in the eyes of man; this is less than child’s play from God’s eye view on life.

The bible lets us know that we cannot conclude the existence of God nor his handiwork through any means of mankind, because he is just not capable (Ecclesiastes 3: 11; Romans 11: 33-36). So in final summation, as the writer in Ecclesiastes 12: 12 concludes, after man has studied every thing that he can find to study, his existing purpose comes down to simply performing the commandments of God. As inquisitive as man has become with life, and with all of his study and research on the subject, I find it hard to understand why many more haven’t come to this same conclusion; especially after studying the infinite galaxies; which in my view is just another God-given piece of tangible evidence that infinity does exist, and by knowing there is infinity, helps to substantiate our faith in the existence of an infinite God (Psalm 147: 5).

We as men don’t have the control over our own lives as some might think we do. For what man ever born was able to choose to be born into this world; or who his parents will be; or the place or time of his birth? And once born into the world, there is not a single soul who can stop himself from dying. We were never asked if we wanted to come into life, and we will not be asked if we want to leave this life. If man can’t utterly control his own life’s journey, how can he truthfully discover through himself how life originated; seeing he himself is a product of life?

Scientifically speaking, you can’t accurately conclude the end result of a theory unless it is tested under controlled conditions in order to achieve the highest degree of accuracy of the end result. The more uncontrolled conditions, the less accurate the end result of the experiment. Take predicting the weather as an example. For as much, and as long as man has studied the history of the earth’s weather, making an accurate weather prediction is yet a challenge, as the Weatherman tries to figure out what the weather will be from one day to the next, as a result of the many uncontrollable atmospheric conditions which play a role in weather development.

Meteorologists can predict by today’s conditions that a hurricane forming in the Atlantic will likely land in Texas; but when tomorrow comes and the conditions change, the prediction changes to now say the hurricane is more likely to land in Florida instead. After all of man’s many decades of weather study, the best he is able to do is to predict, that is, guess what the weather will be for only the next few days to come. Why? It is because man doesn’t have control over weather.

If man can’t control the factors which make up life, how can he conclude scientifically how life began on earth with any kind of accuracy? Life has far too many uncontrollable conditions that it is utterly impossible for him to draw any kind of accurate conclusion of how life originated; so no wonder he came up with the Big Bang theory. In the bible, in the first book, the first chapter, and the first verse simply states: Genesis. 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth, and that’s all the studying we need to do to conclude how life began. Man probably wouldn’t have even known this world had a beginning without him reading the bible telling him so.

Faith in God spans the entire universe. People all over the world of all races, creeds and colors believe in some kind of a Higher Power (Romans 13: 1). Faith is as important to life as is food, clothes and shelter. Why? Because we believe by faith it is God who provides us with food, clothes and shelter. We all know that the primary necessities to sustain life are not provided by man, the most intelligent creature on earth; whereas all other creatures on earth are subject to him, because he received his intelligence to reason and invent being the only living creature made after the likeness of the intelligence in God (Genesis 1: 26-27). And because our needs on earth are being provided by a source beyond man’s ability or power, this leads us to believe there is someone with supreme intelligence providing all these things for us; providing us our faith in God. When tragedy strikes in our lives beyond man’s ability to fix, we call out to God in hope for resolution of the situation. God is hope for man. When there is no other hope, there is always God (Psalm 146).

How often times does the star of a movie finds him or her self in a seemingly no-way-out situation, but yet believe, and because of their faith, finds a way out? It is because we have hope, and hope is something that no combustion of gases gave us. Hope is in the spirit of man which God gave him. Hope is to believe in the existence of a thing which cannot be presently seen or touched (Romans 8: 24). If man didn’t have hope, he wouldn’t search to find the unseen answers for cures of sicknesses and diseases. We can’t see hope or touch hope, but we know hope exists; and so it is with our hope in God. We can’t see God or touch God, but we know, God exists!

67299.jpg Man’s life is dependent upon the word of God 68386.jpg

I suppose by now it’s pretty obvious that I believe in God. As a child, I was taught about the existence of God, and was brought up to go to church, but it wasn’t until my adult life that I have truly come to know and better understand the ways of God for myself. I’m a Christian, and I read and study the Holy Bible. The Holy Bible is God’s greatest avenue of communication to mankind in the world in which we live in today. Jesus is quoted saying; Matthew 4: 4 It is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. This teaches us that even though God provides bread for the natural body for life, it alone doesn’t sustain a man’s life. Man was not created like the animal world; living by instinct; whose survival is off the earth alone; man lives by something greater within. He needs more than natural food to keep him alive; he also needs food for the soul for life survival; to keep him from self destruction, and destroying those around him.

The nourishment man needs to govern his soul for survival is found in every word of God as Jesus stated; which are the Holy Scriptures of the Holy Bible. The scriptures teaches about God, and they give us his instructions for the soul of mankind (2nd Timothy 3: 14-17). We need the word of God for survival on earth, because it was by his word as to how life originated; therefore, only through his word is how life is successfully sustained (Genesis 1: 3-28; Deuteronomy 8: 1-3).

Surely there are many who may have never picked up the bible; which is the word of God, and yet seem to live a sustainable life. This is because many have learned how to operate in life through certain portions of godly principles applicable toward every day survival of life. We are taught early on, how to obey God’s basic principles of life. We learn at young ages basic biblical fundamentals such as thou shall not kill, thou shall not steal, thou shall not bear false witness (tell a lie), thou shall not covet thy neighbor’s property, which are biblical commandments many of us have learned to obey through life without ever opening the bible (Exodus 20: 12-17; Romans 2: 14-15). As long as men follow these basic biblical fundamentals, life is sustainable upon earth; but if and when we deviate away from God’s basic commandments, life becomes disarrayed, and even chaotic. There’s not too many who desire to live in an environment that’s riddled with home invasions and killings.

Subconsciously, many of us obey God in some ways without ever reading the scriptures. Through life training from childhood, we’ve come to understand that there are fundamentals of life man must obey if he wants life; and many of these life fundamentals have even been established as laws by governments, to help govern mankind to maintain and sustain life on earth. A country having no governing body to keep order is a country destroyed. We have governing laws against murder; against theft; against lying (defamation of character); and property boundary laws between neighbors; and even this law, which was likely adopted from the scriptures that we obey unconsciously: A person who owes a debt to a creditor where the debt is in default, is released from the debt owed after the debt has been in default seven years (Deuteronomy 15: 1-2).

Every human being needs the guidance of our Creator every day we live. We require instructions, or as the bible calls them, commandments from God to piece together life, the same way one require instructions to assemble a bicycle. If we can’t put together a few pieces of metal properly without instructions, how can we assemble our entire lives correctly without them with so many options in life to choose each and every day?

If we try to assemble a bicycle without reading and following the instructions of the manufacturer, there is a very high likelihood it will not be put together properly, and not fit for its intended purpose. If we go back and read and follow the instructions, then we will see how the bike truly fits together, and it can now be assembled properly for riding. God is our manufacturer, and the bible is his instruction manual to assemble our lives. If we don’t follow it, our lives will not be fit for our Maker’s intended purpose either. As Jesus said; man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. God has his words of life for each and every one of us, but he won’t force them on us; He lets us know what he wants us to know, and he gives us the choice to follow him or not, because he has given every man a freewill to decide to obey, or not to obey (Deuteronomy 30: 19-20; Joshua 24: 14-15).

The relationship between God and mankind is very similar to the relationship between earthly parents and their children. When our children leave home, we give them advice for life, but it’s up to them to choose to, or not to take that advice (Proverbs 13: 1; Proverbs 4: 1-4). We’ve seen them make bad choices by not taking our good advice and suffer the consequences. It’s hard for us to understand why they won’t take our good advice, especially since we only mean them good and not harm. When we refuse to follow God’s advice, we too only hurt ourselves (Proverbs 1: 22-33).

Many of the problems we have in the world today happen because we don’t take God’s advice for life often enough. God’s way is always the right way. His way doesn’t always have the appearance of being right, but that is because we are not capable of seeing what the end result will be as we follow under the rule of his greatness. If you didn’t know any better, you wouldn’t think that a caterpillar and a butterfly are one in the same because their appearances are so diverse from each other; but the butterfly must first be the creepy crawling caterpillar before it becomes the beauty of a colorful floating butterfly. If we continue to follow God during those uncertain times, he will certainly reveal to us his beautiful purpose in the end.

This is what is meant by Proverbs 3: 5-6 where it says; ⁵"Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and lean not unto your own understanding. ⁶In all your ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths". We need to follow under the guidance of God because we can’t know what’s up ahead in life. We need him in the driver’s seat so that we can find our proper destinations in this vast world successfully. Who will get behind the wheel of a car driving aimlessly not knowing the destination or how to get there? Or who would drive a car blindfolded not able to see the road ahead? None of us can see what’s up ahead in life, but God does. Nevertheless, he gives us the choice to lean to our own understanding if we so choose. We can either choose his way, or we can choose our own way. Our way is really not our own way; but Satan’s way, because in life there is only good or evil; life or death; God’s way; or Satan’s way (1st John 3: 8-10; 3rd John 11; Romans 6: 20-22). We are controlled by either one, or the other.

Naturally, men can’t help choosing Satan’s way often times because we are all first born into sin by default, and to sin is a natural impulse for all men. A mischievous child learns quickly how to tell a lie when he’s caught doing wrong. This is the reason man needs governing laws; to learn how not to commit sinful acts, to the saving of human life (Genesis 4: 1-10).

Sin offers us selfish pleasures toward our hurt, but often times difficult to say no to. The child wants his good-tasting dessert cake before eating his good for him vegetables because cake tastes the best; and that’s the way it is with sin. Often times we choose the bad over the good because good doesn’t have the same appeal as the bad; or to better describe it, good lack the alluring temptation found in the bad. We even say yes to bad things by thinking the bad we say yes to, is actually good, through leaning on our own understanding of a situation; because we’re blindsided in the situation for one reason or another, unable to see all truth; sometimes not wanting to see truth; or not having all past, present, and future understanding of the matter in order to make the real right decision; the decision God would have us make; and because we operate with a tunnel’s view perspective in decision making, we end up often time inadvertently making bad or wrong choices, without even realizing it. This is why we need God’s guidance. He sees everything perfectly and truthfully; and he makes every right decision (Proverbs 15: 3; Psalm 18: 30-32).

We are compelled to say yes to bad things through ungodly temptations; the greatest tool the devil uses against mankind (James 1: 13-15; Matthew 4: 1-4). Temptation has a way of luring men, even men with good intentions into making bad decisions, by giving evil the appearance of being good. It has a way of covering up the truth, causing one to follow blindly down a path that’s destructive. God wants us to learn how to first recognize, and then say no to temptation, because yielding to temptation means we don’t obey him; and to disobey God can be deadly; as it was for Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.

67301.jpg The original sin 67303.jpg

In the book of Genesis, after God created the first man Adam, scripture reads; Genesis 2: 15"And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. ¹⁶And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, of every tree of the garden you may freely eat: ¹⁷but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat of it: for in the day that you eat thereof you shall surely die". Here we see the first man Adam given his first freewill choice to choose between good and evil. God placed Adam in the garden and gave him his commandment and left him there. God instructed Adam that he was free to take of every tree in the garden as it pleased him, except one tree: the tree containing the knowledge of good and evil. God even explained to him the consequences if he did not follow his instructions; he would surely die; not maybe, not probably.

How often times do we instruct our children to follow our commandments for their own good because we want them to live? There are many life-threatening situations in this world appearing as fun and good; and we try to teach our children to avoid the temptation of these life threatening events. We want them to go to the party and have a good time, but don’t drink and get behind the wheel of the car, because if they do, they could die or kill someone else. And even after we give them good warning, some choose to follow after the temptation anyway; and end up never making it home alive when the party is over.

We understand in life that there is good and there is evil, and we want our loved ones to stay away from the evil if we are good and loving parents. God is our good and loving parent; as a matter of fact, he’s the perfect parent (Matthew 5: 48). Our heavenly Father wants us to stay away from that which is harmful to us through obeying his command, even if the appearance of this temptation seems right and good in our eyes.

The tree of knowledge of good and evil was harmful to Adam, and God let him know this. At this point in Adam’s life, he was perfect; pure and innocent, like our little children are before they come into the knowledge of good and evil. The word pure means, something is one hundred percent of one thing; having no flaws or imperfections. Adam was one hundred percent of what God had made him to be, and it was not God’s will that he should be anything other than perfect; the way he was created, no more than we want our children to be exposed and corrupted by the evils of this world. If we could, we would lock them in their room and throw away the key; but we all know this is not realistic; our children must face life and make their own decisions, the same way Adam had to in the garden.

The day came when Adam was put to the test. The bible explains, one particular day there came along this serpent challenging the commandment God had given to Adam, for he said unto Eve, Adam’s wife: Genesis 3: 1 " . . . Yea, has God said, you shall not eat of every tree of the garden? Eve responded in saying; ²We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: ³but the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, you shall not eat of it, neither shall you touch it, lest (for fear that) you die." The serpent didn’t stop there, but probed further into the mind of Eve to arouse her curiosity, tempting her to disobey the word of God; He said to her; ⁴"You shall not surely die: ⁵for God does know that in the day you eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be as gods, knowing good and evil".

The serpent painted a completely different picture to Eve than what she and Adam had been told by God. He enticed her to believe that they would not die, but become like gods themselves, by knowing good and evil. He told Eve God was the liar, and he was telling her the truth; and that God was withholding a good thing from them by keeping them in the dark; tempting her toward turning away from trusting God’s word to leaning toward her own understanding of the issue through evil influence.

In this world we live in, there are always those who sugar coat lies, to give the appearance that a bad thing will actually be beneficial. People are conned every day into buying a product, or choosing a candidate because they advertise how good it, or they will be for them. Scam artist use devious tricks by sometimes twisting the truth to fool people for the purpose of self-gain. Satan as the serpent (Revelations 12: 9), certainly had something to gain by deceiving Eve. If he could convince Adam and Eve to obey him and not God, he would become their god. Unfortunately, Eve fell for his story and went against God’s specific instruction, and ate the fruit of the forbidden tree, for the bible says; Genesis 3: 6 "And when the woman saw that the tree