Basking

Yes, Joel and I are currently in Florida, where we are not only basking in the warmth of the sun, but we're also basking in some great teaching of God's Word at the Ligonier National Conference.  The theme of the conference is "Light & Heat:  A Passion for the Holiness of God."  This afternoon, we were blessed to hear Steve Lawson teach on the topic of the "War on the Word."  Taking us to the first assault on God's word in Genesis 3, Dr. Lawson explained how the holiness of God came under attack by His avowed adversary Satan. Through all generations, the strategy of attack on the infallibility and inerrancy of God's word by Satan has not changed.  Dr. Lawson noted the following five stages of progressive attack against God's holiness:

1.  Doubt:  Satan planted doubt in Eve's mind about the certainty of God's word when he asked, "Did God actually say...?" 

2.  Distortion: Satan continued, "You shall not eat from any tree of the garden?"  He purposefully changed the word of God as if to imply God was holding out on some goodness. 

3.  Denial:  In Genesis 3:4, Satan said, "You will not surely die."  He made God out to be a liar.  Satan also made an emphatic repudiation of the doctrine of divine judgment by implying that there is no penalty for sin.  The message of the gospel of Christ shines against the backdrop of divine judgment.

4.  Defamation:  "For God know that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good an devil."  In verse 5, Satan attacked God's goodness by implying that God used a scare tactic to keep Adam and Eve from knowing too much.  

5.  Deification:  Also in verse 5, Satan brought God down by raising man up, when he tempted Eve with "You will be like God knowing good and evil."  He suggested to Eve that she would no longer need the word of God.  The world is full of messengers telling us that we can be our own "god."  

The result of Satan's assault on God's word was death.  Eve took of the fruit and ate and also gave some to Adam, who was with her.  Their disobedience cast all of humanity into spiritual death as explained in Romans 5.  Satan's assault on the inerrancy and infallibility of God's word continues to have numerous casualties:  denominations, missions, evangelism, seminaries, and the list goes on.  Whenever there is a departure from God word as inspired, authoritative, and inerrant, "death" results.