Category: anatomy of man

I Just Wanted to Get Away! #6

Monday, September 15, 2025

“And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself” (Genesis 3:10 KJV).

Will sinners “get away” from accountability before God?

“Busy in ministry” in early Acts, Saul of Tarsus was a Hell-bound, self-righteous Jew, obsessed with his own “goodness.” Filled with religious pride, he nonetheless finally gave up his “dung” and “filthy rags,” and came to faith in Jesus Christ as his personal Saviour (check Philippians 3:1-9). Through his subsequent years as an Apostle, Paul encountered many other such lost Jews in synagogues in the Roman Empire (Acts chapters 9–28). These were the very Christ-rejecting Jews about which he wrote in Romans chapter 2 (the same sinful Jews who looked down upon the “sinful” Gentiles of chapter 1).

Romans chapter 2: “[1] Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things. [2] But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things. [3] And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God? [4] Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? [5] But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; [6] Who will render to every man according to his deeds: [7] To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life: [8] But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, [9] Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;….”

Try as hard as they might, the Bible thunders how no one without the righteousness of God will “get away” from the righteous judgment of God….

I Just Wanted to Get Away! #5

Sunday, September 14, 2025

“And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself” (Genesis 3:10 KJV).

Will sinners “get away” from accountability before God?

Another useful method of evading culpability before God is known as “relative righteousness.” In this scenario, someone points to another and declares, “I am not as bad as that person.” They, of course, are probably referring to people such as inmates confined to the cells of maximum-security prisons—prostitutes, drug dealers, pedophiles, murderers, rapists, thieves, and so on. We can summarize their boast with the ditty, “I neither smoke nor chew, nor run with the girls who do!” They puff out their little chests and lift their noses up high. Many such goody-goodies could be found in ancient Judaism.

The classic Biblical example of this is Luke 18:11,12: “The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican [tax collector]. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.” Unfortunately, there are people who are better than we, so, our bragging must cease when they come into the picture. Moreover, the fact of the matter is, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). No one is as good as He is or sinless like He is!

I once had an “intellectual” friend and college classmate who joined a strange Eastern religion. The topic came up as we were eating lunch in the school cafeteria one day. I had never heard of this philosophical system before, so I asked him quite bluntly an extremely simple question, “What will you do with your sin?” After a brief pause to think, he replied, “I will get back with you on that.” Some 15 years later, I am still waiting for an answer from him—and I know one will never be forthcoming. To my knowledge, he is still dodging accountability before God, trying to achieve a state of “spirituality” without coming through Calvary’s cross.

Alas, time is running out for him and all lost sinners, and they will not get away….

I Just Wanted to Get Away! #4

Saturday, September 13, 2025

“And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself” (Genesis 3:10 KJV).

Will sinners “get away” from accountability before God?

Perhaps the simplest way to avoid accountability before God is just to deny His existence. This is the atheist’s preference. If there is no higher authority beyond the sinner, the sinner can believe and do as he or she pleases without fear of ultimate scrutiny or eternal punishment. In that case, “being good without God” is as self-righteous as those who attend church and boast of their religious rites, rituals, ceremonies, and commandment-keeping (“I am good enough! I do the best I can!”). Both classes are struggling to “get away” from answering to God.

Let us go over to John 3:16-21 now: “[16] For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. [17] For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. [18] He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. [19] And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. [20] For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. [21] But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.”

Did you notice how sinners avoid the light? They do not want their deeds to be “reproved” (criticized), so they hide in darkness, where they think no one can see them and their evil activities. This matches what Adam and Eve did when they “hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden” (Genesis 3:8). Like their parents, they will either blame God or blame Satan when the light shines upon them and their nakedness….

I Just Wanted to Get Away! #3

Friday, September 12, 2025

“And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself” (Genesis 3:10 KJV).

Will sinners “get away” from accountability before God?

Recall that amusing—but true—story. The police forced a robbery suspect, speeding down the interstate, to stop. As they placed him in handcuffs, that adult wept and whined, “Man, why did y’all do that to me?! I was just wanting to get away! I was just trying to get away!” Study those words carefully, friend, for they are a glimpse into the sinful human heart and mind. At no point did he admit any wrongdoing. Instead, he carefully shifted the blame over to the police: the authorities were “at fault” because they prevented his escape! Like almost everyone else being taken to jail, he was “innocent.” Yet, if he were guiltless, why did he run… and for so long?

The parallel is striking. Sinful man supposes he can “get away” from accountability before a holy, righteous Creator God. Adam and Eve repeatedly tried this method in Genesis chapter 3, failing miserably. Religious people have done it through all these subsequent ages too. They presume they can cancel their sins by doing various good works—obeying commandments, helping the poor, getting water baptized, confessing sins, praying faithfully every day, giving money to a denominational institution or theological system, joining a church, eating communion wafers, teaching religion classes, and so on.

So infatuated with their “goodness,” so in love with self and their religious busyness, they show absolutely no interest in hearing about Christ’s finished crosswork on Calvary. As they rattle on and on (brag ad nauseam!!!) about how they have “done this” and “done that,” they sidestep accountability before God—and are therefore like our first parents, Adam and Eve. They respond, “No, I am not ‘that bad!’” Bearing a serious facial expression, some have even announced to me how they are truly sinless. They believe they have done no wrong at all. Ironically, if you point out their sin problem in an effort to lead them to Christ the Saviour of sinners, they accuse you of self-righteousness (!).

Indeed, they “just want to get away….”

I Just Wanted to Get Away! #2

Wednesday, September 10, 2025

“And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself” (Genesis 3:10 KJV).

Will sinners “get away” from accountability before God?

In Genesis 3:1-6, Adam and Eve chose to live outside of the sphere of existence their Creator God had ordained for them. It was activity contrary to how He designed their life to work. Eve was deceived, but Adam was not (1 Timothy 2:11-14). Adam failed to function as his wife’s Bible teacher, and Eve was negligent by not asking her husband for spiritual counsel.

Their first response to their sin problem was to sew fig leaves together to make clothes to cover their nakedness (Genesis 3:7). Here is works-religion. Instead of asking God to intervene, they took matters into their own hands and attempted to make themselves acceptable in His sight. Man sidesteps accountability for the first time. He is too proud to confess his inadequacy. Adam and Eve knew their manmade coverings of fig leaves were not enough, so they hid from the LORD God when they heard Him approaching (Genesis 3:8). Man avoids accountability for the second time.

Read Genesis 3:9-13: “And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.” God calls Adam, the spiritual leader, to confession and accountability—but Adam blames his wife and God (!) for his eating of the forbidden fruit. Man avoids accountability for a third time. Eve then shifts her blame over to the Devil! Here is man’s attempt to justify himself yet again.

While some view Genesis as nothing more than fairytale or legend, they betray their spiritual ignorance. These reactions of Adam and Eve have been played out in every human’s life every day for thousands of years….

In order to bring you a special study tomorrow, we will temporarily break away from this devotionals arc….

I Just Wanted to Get Away! #1

Tuesday, September 9, 2025

“And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself” (Genesis 3:10 KJV).

Will sinners “get away” from accountability before God?

A robbery suspect once led police on a high-speed chase down the interstate. With his vehicle forced to stop after some minutes, officers got him out and onto the ground. As he was handcuffed, the adult man sobbed like a little child and cried out, “Man, why did y’all do that to me?! I was just wanting to get away! I was just trying to get away!” It is human nature to evade accountability. This goes all the way back to the literal events of Genesis 3:1-8, when our parents, Adam and Eve, hid from God because of their guilt.

“Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

“And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.”

Let us see if they “got away….”

The LORD Seeth Not? #2

Wednesday, April 10, 2024

“Then said he unto me, Son of man, hast thou seen what the ancients of the house of Israel do in the dark, every man in the chambers of his imagery? for they say, the LORD seeth us not; the LORD hath forsaken the earth” (Ezekiel 8:12 KJV).

Is it valid to say, “The LORD seeth us not?” and “The LORD hath forsaken the earth?”

Read Genesis 3:9-13. Human nature is to blame someone else. When Adam was asked if he committed wrongdoing, he accused God of giving him “the woman!” When Eve was questioned if she did wrong, she accused Satan! There was no personal accountability in Eden… and there is still none on Earth. To this day, excuses are either “God made me this way” or “The Devil made me do it!”

Firstly (mark it well!), the LORD God did not create robots or machines, people who automatically follow His will and do right. If He did, the cry would surely be heard, “God is such a tyrant for not letting me do or believe what I want!” Therefore, He gave us liberty to choose right or choose wrong. If we choose wrong, then we portray the situation as follows: “I did nothing wrong, so it is God’s fault for letting me face the consequences of my poor choices.”

Secondly (and we dare not forget this either!), JEHOVAH God did not leave Himself without witness (Acts 14:15-17; Acts 17:24-31; Romans 1:18-25; Romans 2:14,15). If we choose right, we realize Bibles are everywhere: we do have access to the Word of God and can know the will of God. We recognize the fact everyone has some sense of right and wrong (conscience). Even the most primitive cultures in the most remote regions have a code of conduct. The very existence of a creation demands a Creator—so if we question if God is there, we are only showing we have not been honest with the evidence. If we are grateful for the light we have, responding positively to the evidence we can identify, God will give us more light and we will see more evidence. If we are unthankful for what evidence we have, however, our vulnerability to a darkened heart is guaranteed (Romans 1:19-32).

We must ultimately bear responsibility for ourselves….

I Am Comfortable! #10

Thursday, January 25, 2024

“But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them” (2 Corinthians 4:3,4 KJV).

Why are they comfortable? Why are we comfortable about their choice?

Today’s Scripture teaches us how Satan, “the god of this world,” blinds the minds of unbelievers (especially using works-religion) so they cannot realize their sin problem or their need for Jesus Christ the Saviour. Nevertheless, God’s light still shines through to everyone to some extent.

For example, Acts chapter 17: “[23] For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you. [24] God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; [25] Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; [26] And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; [27] That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: [28] For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.”

The Athenian philosophers indeed languished in spiritual darkness and pagan ignorance. Still, it was not a total blackout. They were open to the possibility of an “unknown God,” even dedicating an altar or shrine to Him, which Paul was wise to point out that he represented—that he spoke for—this “unknown God” (verse 23). Furthermore, the Greek poets acknowledged a “creator” (verses 27,28), one whom Paul declared could be known if people truly sought to know Him! Yet, when Paul offered them more light, some mocked—though some believed too (read verses 29-32).

If we want to know, we will know….

I Am Comfortable! #9

Wednesday, January 24, 2024

“But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them” (2 Corinthians 4:3,4 KJV).

Why are they comfortable? Why are we comfortable about their choice?

There are three types of revelation from God. Firstly, creation bears record to the Creator’s existence. (Creation is an organized, life-supporting system too complex to fully understand, and whose origin must be a Supreme Being.) “Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:…” (Romans 1:19,20).

Secondly, conscience testifies to the Creator. (We all have a sense of right and wrong, and this moral compass has an intelligent, moral, personal source—an intelligent, moral, and personal God.) “For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another; )…” (Romans 2:14,15).

Thirdly, the Holy Scriptures bear witness to the Creator’s existence. (The Bible is accurate in its claims—historical, moral, scientific, and so on. It is the authoritative guide to the life God has given.) “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:16,17).

Despite all of this clear evidence, we can use our intellectual and emotional faculties to convince ourselves and others how we have no intelligent, moral, personal Creator to which we are accountable. We thus free ourselves entirely from responsibility for all our errant thoughts and sinful actions, thereby becoming our own god or authority. Such ignorance is no accident….

A Naughty Tongue! #13

Tuesday, July 21, 2020

“A wicked doer giveth heed to false lips; and a liar giveth ear to a naughty tongue” (Proverbs 17:4 KJV).

In today’s world of widespread social media, “wicked doer,” “false lips,” “liar,” and “naughty tongue” are all appropriate nouns!

Psalm 63: “[A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah.] [1] O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; [2] To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary. [3] Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. [4] Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.

“[5] My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips: [6] When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches. [7] Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice. [8] My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me. [9] But those that seek my soul, to destroy it, shall go into the lower parts of the earth. [10] They shall fall by the sword: they shall be a portion for foxes. [11] But the king [David!] shall rejoice in God; every one that sweareth by him shall glory: but the mouth of them that speak lies shall be stopped.”

Saints, if we have sound Bible doctrine working in us—as King David did 3,000 years ago—then we will burst forth in song and praise to Almighty God. We can use our tongues to utter man’s foolishness, or God’s wisdom: “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh” (Luke 6:45). “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord” (Colossians 3:16). Have not have a “naughty tongue!”

Our latest Bible Q&A: “What is ‘leasing’ in the King James Bible?”