GOD created man upright; in mind and spirit reflecting the image and glory of God. “I have created” him “for my glory.” Isaiah 43:7.MEDM June 17, 1908, page 494.1

God created the man to stand and to abide with him eternally. Yet whether he would thus stand and abide, must he at the choice of the man himself. He was created free—to make his choice and decide his conduct for himself, spontaneously and voluntarily, in accordance with reasons or motives. He was created to stand—though free to fall, if he should so choose.MEDM June 17, 1908, page 494.2

Accordingly, “the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.... And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”MEDM June 17, 1908, page 494.3

“With the mind I myself serve the law of God.” The man was created to glorify God; that is, to receive of God and make it manifest. It was with the mind that the man was to receive the knowledge of God. God gave to the man his word and word is the expression of thought. Man receiving through the Spirit the word of God, the word containing the thought of God, which was the expression of the mind of God, the man would thus by the Spirit be constant partaker of the mind of God; would ever be at one with God; would ever be at one with God, and ever growing in the knowledge of God.MEDM June 17, 1908, page 494.4

There came to the man another word: The serpent “said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” “Yea?” Is it so? Hath God said? The question is one suggesting doubt and distrust; and is expressed literally only by that sneering grunt that is familiar to all, but which can not be indicated in any form of actual word.MEDM June 17, 1908, page 494.5

“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.”MEDM June 17, 1908, page 494.6

Here was another word, expressing another thought, the product of another mind. The two ways were now before her; the two words, the two thoughts, the two minds. The power of choice is fully and freely hers; which way now will she use that power? Will she choose the word, the thought, the mind of God, or that of Satan? She knew the word of God; would she faithfully hold and trust that word, just as the word stood as the word of God? or would she allow herself to be drawn away from that word to an “interpretation” and a “meaning” suggested by a mind that was foreign to that word?MEDM June 17, 1908, page 494.7

For note: Though Satan did antagonize the word of God with his “ye shall not surely die,” yet he did not say flatly that it was a lie, and not to be followed at all. He concealed his antagonism under the suggestion that she did not have the correct idea of the word, that she had not caught the true meaning; and that what he was telling her was the true meaning and interpretation, as even God himself knew—“for God doth know” that in the day ye eat thereof, instead of dying, as you suppose that the word means, ye shall be like God, knowing good and evil. And He knows that what I am telling you is the true meaning and interpretation of the word that you have cited.MEDM June 17, 1908, page 494.8

Here, then, is the first comment and the first commentator on the word of God; the first to suggest that the word of God does not mean what it says, and to offer to show the true meaning and interpretation by presenting something different from what the word says. There is the first, but unfortunately not by many means the last, of these.MEDM June 17, 1908, page 494.9

But to it all forever the answer is, No, no, no. God is perfectly able to say exactly what he means; and is sufficiently intelligent to select the words by which he means exactly what he says. There is never any need, nor is there any room, for anybody to tell what the word of God means; for it means just what it say.MEDM June 17, 1908, page 495.1

Accordingly it is written, “Consider what I say, and the Lord give thee understanding in all things.” (2 Timothy 2:7.) Understanding of the word of God is the gift of God to the believer who reads that word. It comes from God direct to the believer, and not through comments and “meanings” and “interpretations” given through wild conjecture of men.MEDM June 17, 1908, page 495.2

And it is by the Holy Spirit that God give this understanding of his word to the one who will consider what he says. And so it is written, “The Comforter which is the Holy Ghost whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” John 14:26.MEDM June 17, 1908, page 495.3

Please note that even when the divine Spirit gives understanding of the divine word, even He does not do this by attempting to tell what the Lord means, but only by bringing to the mind “whatsoever I have said.” Even the Holy Spirit, in teaching, and giving understanding in, the divine word sticks to what the word says. And only this, and such as this, is true teaching of that word forever. Let every one who stands as a teacher of the word of God, spend any length of time, and any degree of effort, that may ever be needed, to enable the people to see and consider what the good Word of God says; but never a moment in any attempt or suggestion to show what it means.MEDM June 17, 1908, page 495.4

Just here is where lay Eve’s salvation or her loss. If she had said to Satan this day: “Whether the word that I have cited may mean what you suggest, I know not, nor do I care to inquire. I know what the word says, and I shall take it for just what it says; and there I stand and will stand. I will not eat of the fruit of that tree, because the word says that I shall not.” If Eve had done just that simple thing, everybody knows that she would not have sinned. Yea, not only she would not have sinned, but so long as she should continue to do this simple thing, she could not have sinned.MEDM June 17, 1908, page 495.5

And that simple thing is as true to-day and forever to every person now in the world as it was and as it would have proved itself to be that day to Eve. And in that simple thing lies the power of the divine word to keep the soul from sinning. That divine word thus simply held by Eve would forever have kept her from sin. That divine word thus simply held kept the Lord Jesus in human flesh from sinning. As it is written, “Concerning the works of men, by the word of thy lips I have kept me from the paths of the destroyer.” (Psalm 17:4.) And that divine word thus simply held will keep every other one from sinning, just as it did Him, as it is written, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee.” Psalm 119:11.MEDM June 17, 1908, page 495.6

And to all people forever there stand written the all-gracious words: “I fear lest by any means as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtility, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.” 2 Corinthians 11:3.MEDM June 17, 1908, page 495.7

“Consider what I say and the Lord give thee understanding.” “The Comforter which is the Holy Ghost whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatever I have said unto you.”MEDM June 17, 1908, page 495.8

June 10, 1908

June 24, 1908