Adam was created to enjoy a perfect life, and he was provided with everything that would give peace, protection, and happiness.  There was no trouble, no sorrow, no physical oppression, and no lack of anything.  Knowing the story of creation has us picture the perfect conditions that existed.  Genesis 1:27-28 “God created man in his own image,” and He “blessed them;” it was God’s perfect plan from day one.

            He was also given the right to choose whom he would love and trust, and how he would conduct his life.  He had the power of choice, but he chose to turn away from the Word of God and to accept the lie of the devil.  God was not able to stop his decision—only Adam could have made a different choice, which would have given much different results.

            God created humans to be sovereign beings who choose their own way.  It is the greatest privilege a Creator could possibly give—the right to decide how they will live their own life.  It is being equal with God in that respect, because only God could choose until He gave the same privilege to humans.  It is a marvelous gift and a serious responsibility.

Everything we need to bring happiness and fulfillment is in our hands to decide.  We must thoroughly understand this God-given privilege of choice, and how most people use it to bring trials, troubles, and tribulations on themselves.  We must also understand how that privilege of choice can be used to bring victory and deliverance over troubles and difficulties.

            Bible colleges, professing Christians, and most churches today place the responsibility on God for troubles and calamities in the world.  When serious harm, injury, or loss happens, most professing believers say it was God’s will that things turned out the way they did, or that He took a loved one from them—they place the blame on God.

            The Bible clearly reveals, however, that Satan is the cause of the troubles, hardships, and losses in the world.  It is how we use our power of choice that things turn out the way they do.  It is not God’s will that we experience harm, injury, and loss, but it is His will that we have peace, protection, and good gifts.  If God is not consulted, depended on, nor trusted, then He is not responsible.

            The critical issue facing everyone is eternal life—or eternal suffering.  As independent and free moral agents, we are responsible for where we will spend eternity—just as the rich man Luke 16 was responsible to listen to, and to believe, accept, and live what Moses and the prophets explained in Scripture.  That responsibility is on every individual.

            God’s love and mercy provides a plan to receive His paradise kingdom—by faith and trust on Him.  He does not ask us to provide the wisdom or the merit for this, but has taken the responsibility to not only give the gift of eternal life, but to prepare us spiritually to receive it.  We only make the choice—to believe.  God has proven that He is the only One who can teach us what we need to know to enter His kingdom—He is the perfect Teacher of His eternal Truth.

The responsibility we have in this critically important matter is to use our privilege of choice to place our life in His hands, and to ask Him to guide us into His plan of trust.  We can be enlightened to know the marvelous results of that choice—but the Holy Spirit is only given to believers.

            If we refuse to follow God’s plan, and we choose to follow the devil’s plan, we will use our power of choice to select the worst possible result, with no way to ever reverse that horrible fate.  If that is how it all turns out, then we can know that it is the way we chose, because we are responsible to decide—absolutely so.

            If we have received scriptural advice on any matter—advice that is based in Scripture, we must accept it, and carry through with God’s will in the matter.  If we reject God’s will and divine way regarding anything, we must repent of that wrong choice, and turn back to God without delay.  It is our responsibility to do that.  God provides the light; we just make the choice to believe and accept it.

            Making scriptural choices brings us to victory, and is a good influence on our family.  Psalm 103:17-18 “The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting On those who fear Him, And His righteousness to children’s children, To such as keep His covenant, And to those who remember His commandments to do them.”

            God’s divine plan includes everything provided by His Son’s Atonement—spiritual growth, and learning how to trust Him in faith.  2 Peter 1:3-4 ”His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.  Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through [by] them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”

            God’s divine plan includes deliverance from Satan’s power, and includes physical healing by faith, peace in the home by trust on God, and every need provided by asking God in prayer.  His divine plan is simplicity itself—it is to learn under God’s teaching, how to get rid of every idol we are trusting on for financial needs, for healing, for our home life, or the control of loved ones.  It is our Atonement right to be free from idols.

            God’s plan from the beginning is for His creation to trust Him only for 2 Peter 1:3 “all things that pertain to life and godliness,” because it is His divine power that provides all these things.  Trusting God in believing faith includes every part of the Christian life on earth—daily provisions, protection, peace, a believing friend, a life-companion—any scriptural request.

            We must make the choice to follow a scriptural plan of trusting God for a suitable friend, because He has promised to do it.  The only safe way is to trust God for guidance in this very important matter.  God provided Eve for Adam Genesis 2:18; He found a wife for Isaac, a husband for Ruth the Moabite, and gave many life-companions for those who asked Him in faith.

      God is the only One who knows who is best for us, and since it is a commitment for life between a man and a woman, our selection must be guided by His Spirit.  The devil wants to spoil what God wants to bless, so we must place everyone in God’s hands to change and control.  God can make anyone be a suitable companion, if He is trusted in faith to do that.  It is another Atonement right of the believer.

      Jesus Christ on the cross gave back to us, everything Adam took from us.  It is all ours for the asking, believing, and receiving.  We get back to Eden-like conditions by reversing the plan Adam followed—the plan Satan used to rob Adam of God’s paradise environment.  Adam believed Satan’s lie, and doubted God’s Word.

      The way back to Eden-like conditions God wants for us, is to doubt the devil’s lie, and to believe God’s Word—a Word that is true and founded on facts.  If Adam had the freedom to choose to believe the lies of an untruthful devil, then we have the freedom to choose to believe the Word of a truthful God.  Hebrews 4:16 ”Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”

      God is always present to inspire us in faith to believe and act on His Word; but we have to ask for His help—and believe He will give it.  This presence of God is an Atonement right of the believer.  The apostle said, God “made from one blood every nation” Acts 17:26.  “God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.”

      God is ready to teach us how to trust Him in faith, if we will let Him do that spiritual work on our heart.  Every day, our prayer is that God will inspire us to believe Him in faith, and to do the spiritual work needed in our heart, life, and home.

Everyone’s Decision: The Lord told the church at Laodicea Revelation 3:15 ”I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot.  I wish you were either one or the other!”  It is not good to be on the fence concerning spiritual matters.  Revelation 3:16 ”So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.”  The Lord will eventually reject those who are not zealous, committed, and passionate about their faith in Him.

             Revelation 3:17-18 ”You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’  But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.”  They were spiritually poor because of no trust on God.  “I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear”—meaning forgiveness of sin, cleansing of heart, and faith righteousness from God.

            It is our Atonement right to have spiritual wisdom, so that we know what God has provided.  The apostle said 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 ”If our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost [on the way to perdition]: 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.”

            When we choose to believe what God has provided through the Atonement, we will know what to claim in Jesus’ Name.  1 Corinthians 2:12 ”We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.”  It is our Atonement right to receive the gift of eternal life—it is by a believing faith that endures in the shed blood of Christ.

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