By Staff
It began in the Garden of Eden. A gracious, good God created a pristine environment. There were no negatives except the possible evil influence of Satan.
Into that wonderful Garden of Eden, God placed a man and a woman, gave them authority, meaningful work, and daily interaction with the Creator. Isn't that all any of us desire: some control, some status, and some face time with our leader or boss?
There was some wiggle room in God's structure. Man and woman had enough power to choose, even against their own good.
The possible evil influence, Satan, stepped in and with one question attempted to undermine the visible reality of God. The question by Satan was, “Has God indeed said . . . ?” (Genesis 3:1). Satan did not refute the existence of God-that would come later-but He did plant the idea that God was holding something back.
A mystery greater than The Da Vinci Code is that people will so quickly believe an unsubstantiated lie against overwhelming evidence of the truth.
Adam and Eve met with God often (Genesis 3:8). They knew and experienced the goodness of God continually, yet there is something in the human psyche that says, “There must be more-more freedom, more power, more status, more, more, more.”
That insatiable quest leads all of us to minimize the reality of God at times for a fleeting fling at “doing our own thing.”
The Psalmist presents God, His ways, and His acts in Psalm 103. Even if you discount the Bible as absolute truth, you would have to agree that Psalm 103 presents a God with whom all of us would desire to be aligned.
In verse 1, God is holy, One to be respected as pure and righteous. In verse 2, He gives benefits. We are quicker to run to government for questionable entitlements, when God urges us continually to draw on the riches of Heaven. In verse 3, He forgives all our iniquities. Where else can you find that? He also heals our diseases. In verse 4, He is the redeemer who crowns us with loving kindness and tender mercies. In verse 5, He is the satisfier and renews our youth. In verse 6, He is the One who levels the playing field by taking down the proud and lifting up the humble in heart. In verse 8, He is “merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.”
In verses 9-18, He knows us - everything about us, our weakness and how temporary we are, yet He initializes the mercy (Psalm 103:11), the pity (Psalm 103:13), and the removal of our sins (Psalm 103:12). Who else will know us and love us other than God?
God delights in revealing Himself. We do not seek Him; He seeks us out, lifts us up, and takes us to Himself.
Another mystery greater than The Da Vinci Code is that God would provide salvation for us. Look around.
Nobody is getting out of this life alive, and nobody has given us conclusive evidence of what will happen after death other than God. Jesus Christ is God's gift to the world. He is the only means of conquering sin, death and the grave.
The perpetrators of The Da Vinci Code are asking us to reduce our status from possible benefactors of being God's children and enjoying eternity with Him through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ to assuming the position of mere animals.
When you take Jesus Christ out of the picture, you remove all hope of the future. It is the survival of the fittest and there is none to save or redeem us.
The Da Vinci Code is a bold stroke by the great deceiver, Satan. There have been whispers for centuries about the deity of Jesus Christ, but this is a frontal assault that could alienate many from the truth of the gospel.
Will God defend Himself? That is another mystery. He has a plan, He will be glorified. The Da Vinci Code will come and go, but the Living God of Heaven will remain.