Temptation

Temptation

In this week’s lectionary, much is discussed about sin. I do not believe in original sin; therefore, I cannot accept that we are condemned because of one story in the Bible about how one man defied the will of God and attained the knowledge (of good and evil). If we read the story of Adam, the devil in the disguise of a snake, convinced Eve that man should eat from the tree of life. Mankind in the form of Eve was unable to resist the temptation of evil.

We are tempted every day, and yet, most of us can resist the temptation to leave the paths of our lives and do wrong, in the church’s words, sin. According to the church, most things that man does are sins. How can that be, if we indeed are made in the image and likeness of God, as it says in the Bible.

I will make one example. According to the story, when Adam and Eve were both created, they were naked, and they were not ashamed. They ate of the tree and then were ashamed, ashamed, not sinned. According to the church, nudity is a sin. But God made man naked in His original design. In God’s eyes, being naked cannot be a sin, only in the limited outlook of church leaders. I may be uncomfortable without clothing, but I am not sinning.

God asks only one thing, and that is for us to say yes to Him. By saying yes to God, we are in fact worshiping and serving only Him. If we say yes to God, we cannot be tempted by evil; we cannot be tempted to leave our righteous paths to seek something God does not want for us. When we pray, we are listening for God to show us the way we are meant to follow. When we listen and say yes, we do not sin. Say yes to God.