Christian Living

THAT OLD SNAKE, THE DEVIL

by Charles (Chuck) Robey
01/08/17
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^"The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." (Galatians 5:19-23)

I don't know about you, but as far as I'm concerned the only good snake is a dead snake.  So why was a snake chosen from among all the other creatures in representing Satan? Why was the snake chosen as a representation of evil in the Garden of Eden?

It is unclear why Satan chose to posses the serpent in deceiving Adam and Eve.  In (Genesis 3:1) we see that the serpent was craftier than any other beast of the field. Apparently the serpent was such a beautiful creature in its uncursed state that Satan decided to use it in his temptation. And apparently Eve was not surprised that this animal could speak.

From a human nature perspective, neither Adam nor Eve gave any resistance. Apparently, they both were easy prey for Satan's cunning attack. One would have at least expected Eve to say something like, "Well, what do you know a talking snake! Adam, come here quickly, you've got to see this. A snake is talking!”  Even man's unfallen state was no match for Satan. So why would man, now born in a state of sin, not be fair game for the wiles of Satan?

In the account of the fall, Eve was the prominent character, whereas Adam was less prominent. Adam's sin was more passive, while the serpent and Eve were more aggressive. Today's sin is much the same way, the leader follows Satan's  evil ways, and the followers then lead others into sin.

An analogy, we humans are warm-blooded. The snake however, is a cold-blooded creature.  And being cold-blooded unlike us humans, the snake is limited in its ability to endure. So the snake is a sure fit for Satan's plan. Evil is cold-blooded, and short-lived.

In scripture, the snake was represented as a symbol of evil. (Revelation 12:9) (Revelation 20:2)  Not because snakes are evil in themselves, they just provide a symbol of evil. Much like sin, snakes tend to hide in dark places, hidden under rocks.  This resemblance to sin oftentimes will play into the reflection of sin in one's life.

Much like the snake’s limitations in the ability to endure, so in some ways is evil. No matter how enticing evil may appear, it will never endure. No matter how attractive, how alluring, how inviting evil may seem, it cannot last. You see, deception is cold-blooded, hatred is cold-blooded, slander is cold-blooded and so is oppression.

But good is not cold-blooded. In the end, good will always win out over evil. So continue in what is good and keep doing what will last. Keep standing for the right.  The Apostle Paul gives us a good example as our introductory scripture shows.  Evil has its interpolations, as well as does the fruit of the Spirit. Simply put, evil is evil; whereas good is good. Evil is of Satan, whereas good is of God.  Unlike good, evil never lasts.

In the face of whatever evil you may be facing, never give up, never give in to sin. (Isaiah 54:17) (Matthew 24:13) (John 1:5)

Nothing has caused Christ more pain than sin, from the Garden of Eden to our own personal lives. Remembering how much our sin cost Jesus should serve as a reminder to us all. (Luke 19:10) 

 Author's Postscript:

Many questions surround this particular incident of Man’s first sin. For instance, if Satan was only using the snake for his purpose, why curse the entire species? My opinion, since this was such a flagrant violation of God's law, the curse was just that. It was a reminder of the instrument Satan used, with which mankind fell into inbred sin.

And did the serpent walk upright before the fall? Yes, but again this physical change took place as a result of Satan's action. Sad to say, many other physical changes took place, as a result of the sinful fall. Changes took place in the woman's body. (Genesis 3:16) Physical changes took place in the land (Genesis 3:17-18), and physical change took place in plants. (Genesis 3:18).

The most important change of the fall of humanity from a state of sinlessness to a state of sinfulness is one of the pivotal events as described in the Bible and the fact that mankind is now born of inherited sin, and in need of being redeemed. Thus, the work of the cross was required. (Galatians 3:13)

You see, Jesus was sent to this Earth for one purpose; to destroy the works of the devil.  He was sent to die the death of the cross so that mankind could live on this Earth free from the curse that came on the Earth when Adam sinned. (1 John 3:8).

God never intended for mankind to live on this Earth in bondage to the curse.  The believers who stand up and fight the good fight of faith, not tolerating any part of the curse in their lives will walk in the freedom that Jesus obtained for us through his sacrifice.  As believers it is time to stand up for what Jesus did on the cross at Calvary. (John 3:16-17)

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