97. ADAM'S TEMPTATION by Editor

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Jul 10, 1893

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 19, No. 35.

97. ADAM'S TEMPTATION.

By Editor

One correspondent (J. Q.) of New York, writes in reference to Adam's temptations as stated in Gen. 2: 15-17, and asks: "Do you think that God, who is righteousness, and justice, and mercy, would place a poor fallible being in a position where he was continually tempted, and punish him for doing a thing of which he had no knowledge of its consequences?"

God demands willing service. In order that man shall render willing service, he must have free choice. That God gave him in its fullest exercise. But to have free choice man must be created with the possibility of falling, or there could be no choice. Willing service necessarily involves both of these, possibility of falling and free choice. Man also knew the consequences in the very surest way; for God told him just what those consequences would be. That man did not know it by experience is true, but this sad lot is just what the Lord wanted to keep him from, as he does every sinner now. Man ought to have believed God. Did not God give him proof sufficient that he should be believed? Man saw evidences of God's power in all creation above, below, and around him. He saw evidences of God's wisdom and knowledge in the wonderful variety and adaptation of means to end in every part of that creation. He knew that God loved him, by the beautiful, sinless home that God had made for him, and in the faculties and capabilities given him for contemplating, appreciating, and enjoying all these things. With such proofs of God, certainly man should have believed him. God gave him to eat of every tree save one. He reserved only one to himself, in order to develop faith in man. He did this because faith in a higher power was absolutely necessary to man's highest development and chiefest good; and so God chose that Power absolutely good and infinitely above man. Without faith man's thoughts would center in self, and he would get no larger than his little selfish sphere. With faith in God he would ever be reaching out after the Infinite, ever growing and expanding, and finding increased enjoyment in his continually growing knowledge. It was all for man's good, and in it all only wisdom, justice, and love on God's part were displayed, not only before man sinned, but since.