Previous Genesis 08 -- Next Genesis 10
09 -- Do you deny your sin?
GENESIS 3:8-13
8 And they both heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden during the blowing of the wind of the day. So Adam and his wife hid themselves from the face of the LORD God in the midst of the trees of the garden. 9 Then the LORD God called Adam and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 So he said, “I heard your voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” 11 So he said, “Who told you that you are naked? Did you eat of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat of it?” 12 Then Adam said, “The woman whom you made to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate.” 13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, so I ate.”
It is known from experience that the man, whose sins are not forgiven, becomes troubled and lives with no rest or peace in his heart, because his conscience constantly blames him. Also his thoughts and deeds are influenced by psychological complexes, which result from his sin; so that his whole life becomes a flight from God, for he senses that the righteous Holy One will judge him.
God addresses you, saying, “Where are you?” Stop and declare yourself! Where have you reached in your running? Do you flee from your creator and hide yourself from him? Do you deceive yourself? Confess your sins and do not lie before the Holy One, because He knows your innermost feeling and grasps the sources of your thoughts. Open your heart to your Lord and confess all your deeds! Deliver yourself to this eternal judge!
The word of God condemns your lies, even the white ones, and it will burn you in the fire of truth. Every lie, theft, pride, hatred, vanity, as well as ungodliness and unbelief will appear in the light of God's word. And the righteousness of the Just One will uncover your secrets, no matter how you tried to hide them. So throw yourself into the dust and confess your sins, and do not blame them on another person, as Adam did, who disobeyed and claimed that the woman, whom God had created, was the reason for his downfall. This reveals that normal man is rebellious and cowardly. Truly, every man, who does not confess before God and does not concede, “I am the sinner”, is a coward.
In the same way the woman was not better than her man. She tried to justify herself from her sin by sticking it on the serpent. From this it became evident that the lying spirit of Satan hat filled her such that she regarded her sin as being his sin. She did not feel her lust lingering in her heart, but searched for an excuse outside herself, as though the pride of her heart had concealed the truth from her view.
Truly, sin in the life of man is something huge and painful. But the denial of sin is even more horrible and of greater filth. So confess your sins openly before God, and he will have mercy upon you. But the hypocrites will crucify Christ anew.
MEMORIZE: Where are you? (Genesis 3:9)
PRAYER: Oh Father, It is me, who is the sinner! I have fled from you for years and now your word has caught up with me. Do not destroy me, but save me from my sins, because my heart is evil. Give me a new heart, cleansed by the blood of Christ, and filled with your Holy Spirit, so that I will not lie at all, but remain in the truth with all those who repent in Senegal, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia.