...ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil, GEN 3:5b.

 God created man in His own image, in His own likeness. God placed man in "...dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth," GEN 1:26.

The station of authority into which the Lord placed Adam is well described by the words of King Pharaoh to Joseph, "Thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou," GEN 41:40.

King Pharaoh exalted Joseph's authority, "And he made him to ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried before him, Bow the knee: and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt," GEN 41:43. King Pharaoh reserved the first chariot for himself, and admonished Joseph that in the throne he would yet remain greater than Joseph.

God's purpose for placing the forbidden tree in the garden of Eden was for Adam to demonstrate that in the throne God would yet be greater than he. When God told Adam, "in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die," it was for Adam to demonstrate his reverence for the authority of God's Word.

Satan gained the fall of man by placing the authority of God's Word, and God's integrity in question. This made room for the evil thought that man should be equal with God. Satan sold Eve the idea that man should not ride in the second chariot, nor should man be subject to God's authority to decide what is right or wrong, but "...ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil."

God's Word admonishes us to beware of "...false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness, 2CO 11:13- 15.

How are we to identify those ministers of Satan's gospel? They call in question the authority of God's Word, by placing humanistic reasoning above God's Word. They are those, "Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen," ROM 1:25.

Oh, beloved, we must, "Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ," COL 2:8.

Oh, beloved, God's Word warns us to beware of those ministers of Satan's gospel who, "...received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness," 2TH 2:10-12.

We must search "...the Scriptures daily..." trying every doctrine, concept or philosophy by the authority of God's Word. We can be ever so sincere, and yet be sincerely wrong if we are not fully settled upon the authority of God's Word.

May God give you to pray for a closer walk with Christ in submission to the authority of God's Word, "That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death," PHI 3:10. Amen.