23 Oct Did God Actually Say? The Ancient Lie and the Modern Church.
Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” — Genesis 3:1
From the very beginning of human history, one of Satan’s most effective weapons has been casting doubt upon God’s Word. This simple disbelief inevitably leads us to distrust the very God of the Word Himself.
In the Garden of Eden, during the first temptation, notice the serpent’s shrewd tactic: “Did God actually say?”
Satan, the prince of this world, along with his worldly forces, has throughout history subtly planted seeds of doubt in human hearts about the veracity of Scripture.
The Same Lie in the Wilderness
Even Jesus was not spared these attacks, though He overcame them all! The comparison between Jesus and Adam is striking: Jesus was tempted on a scale far greater than Adam, yet He did not sin. Adam was in a paradise garden, full and well-fed; Jesus was alone in the desolate wilderness, having fasted for forty days and forty nights.
Yet, Satan used the same essential ploy: to cast doubt on what God had said.
Immediately after His baptism, Jesus heard the Father’s clear affirmation: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased” (Mark 1:11). Then, as Matthew chapter 4 recounts, the tempter came:
“If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” — Matthew 4:3
Notice the trick: “If you are the Son of God.” Wait a second—God had just confirmed to Jesus, “You are my beloved Son!” Satan’s attack wasn’t about the stones; it was about undermining the Father’s spoken Word.
Jesus, knowing Satan’s game, refuted him immediately with Scripture:
“But he answered, ‘It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” — Matthew 4:4
We see clearly that we must live by every single word that proceeds from God’s mouth, because the Scriptures show us how to live and walk with Jesus. “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105).
The Attack on Inerrancy Today
Today, the truthfulness of Scripture is under relentless attack. These attacks are often aimed at the foundations, particularly the book of Genesis. God’s creation work, the Fall, and the Flood are under constant scrutiny, with tireless efforts attempting to make them out to be symbolic, figurative, allegorical, or nonliteral.
The premise that Genesis 1–3 can be nonliteral threatens the entirety of Scripture, including Jesus’ virgin birth, His substitutionary death on the cross, and His hope-giving resurrection.
Satan and the world are currently using the tactic of deploying science to disprove the Bible, claiming that science is the ultimate, inerrant source of truth. However, the “inerrancy of science” is not a valid concept, as science is an ongoing process of investigation that is subject to constant error and revision.
Conversely, inerrancy is a theological term meaning the absence of error, applied to the Bible because it comes from a divine, infallible source. As Dr. Marcos Eberlin (https://www.discovery.org/p/eberlin/), a famous chemist who is coming to our church, wisely says:
“We don’t need science to believe the Bible. The Bible is true because God is the source of Truth. However, it’s good to have science supporting our faith.”
Sadly, we have seen many Christians, pastors, and leaders fall into this false concept, attempting to adapt Scripture to fit what “science” currently claims. This is a very slippery slope. If Genesis is not true, if Christ did not die on the cross, and if He did not rise from the dead, as Paul said to the Corinthians, our faith is in vain:
“And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.” — 1 Corinthians 15:14
As believers, we must embrace the Word of God as the only and ultimate source of truth and authority. We must be devoted to knowing it and keeping it in our hearts so that when these demonic and worldly attacks target us, we can stand firm in God’s truth and sufficiency for our lives.
The Solution: Be Equipped
We can face these challenges with confidence! Dr. Marcos Eberlin offers a clear perspective:
“When you do science carefully and accurately, and when you analyze the data honestly, there is no other conclusion than that God created everything that exists by the power of His word, as described literally in Genesis 1, 2, and 3.”
To equip yourself practically to defend your faith, I strongly encourage you to register for our Intelligent Design Conference: Bible and Science—Conflict or Harmony?
It will be hosted at our church on Friday, November 21st, and Saturday, November 22nd.
Dr. Eberlin, a Purdue University postdoc and author of over 1,000 scientific articles, will walk us through scientific findings that confirm what Scripture has already said for four thousand years. He has been advocating not only for God’s creation but for the truthfulness and literality of the Genesis accounts. His best-selling book, Foresight: How the Chemistry of Life Reveals Planning and Purpose, was endorsed by two Nobel Laureates.
Do not miss this opportunity to be equipped!
Check out the link and register today: https://www.rbclondon.ca/idc/
