When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” God cannot—and thus will not—be tempted by evil. God does he tempt anyone. 

Birth of Death 

• Each person is dragged away when by their evil desire they take the δέλεαρ bait.
• In Greek literature, δελεάζω is often used in contexts related to hunting or fishing, describing how bait is used to lure prey. ἕλκω is often paired with δελεάζω, meaning “to drag” or “to draw forcibly.” ἐπιθυμία (epithymia) means desires or lusts, which are the internal “lure” that matches the external bait.
• Then, desire conceives.
• In due time, unless aborted, desire’s conception gives birth to sin.
• Sin, if allowed to live, when full-grown, gives birth to death.

Example: Eve saw the forbidden fruit (bait). In her heart she desired it. The bait aligned with a desire in her heart and Eve conceived. Despite God’s command, Eve took the bait and acted on the desire in her heart. Her sin “conceived” death, leading to spiritual separation from God and bringing death into the world.

The name Eve in Hebrew is חַוָּה (Chavvah), derived from the root חָיָה (chayah), meaning “to live” or “to give life.” Her name is significant because she would become “the mother of all the living.” Eve means “life” or “living,” and yet she gave birth to death. In what ways are we, who are created to give life and nurture all living things God places under our dominion, giving birth to death today? 

God Gives Us Holy Birth

• Through His word of truth, God’s seed σπέρμα (sperma) finds a good heart.
• God’s word seed, when planted in a good heart, takes root. Jesus says:
• “The kingdom of God is like a man who scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.” Mark 4:26-29
• In this way, we are a kind of spiritual firstfruits of all God created. 

Eve, as the “mother of all the living,” represents the flesh, but Jesus, as the “firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:20), gives us Jesus’ Spirit and brings eternal life. On the Feast of Firstfruits, Jesus rose, fulfilling the promise of new life through resurrection. At Pentecost, God poured out His Spirit on those who believed in Jesus. Thus, we who are believers became the firstfruits of God’s spiritual harvest, fulfilling the Feast of Weeks. In this way, God redeemed creation God and restored the broken relationship between man and God.

Monday nights at 7, Christ’s Church at Moore Square hosts a “Jesus Study” at the picnic tables in Moore Square or at Subway, 234 Fayetteville St. Dates: December through February—Subway. March through November—picnic tables in the park.