One of the primary ways God is drawing Muslims to Himself is through simple Bible studies that highlight passages of scripture from Creation through the Resurrection. The Waha app contains many story sets that have been translated into dozens of languages. Throughout the 30 days we will pray through these story sets that reveal Jesus, the Word made flesh.
As you read these familiar passages, prayerfully imagine what it would be like to read them for the first time – to see the wisdom, power, beauty, and authority of God and to be drawn to trust in Christ and yield your allegiance to Him.
Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” The LORD God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” To the woman he said, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.” And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” The man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living. And the LORD God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them. Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—” therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.
This passage shows God acting with justice, compassion, and mercy as He engages in dialogue with humanity following their disobedience. Despite this disobedience requiring discipline, He immediately launched a rescue plan to reverse the curse.
We see in Jesus’ day that many people did not understand the way of the Messiah. For example, though they had read Genesis 3:15 many times, “I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your offspring and her offspring. He shall bruise your head and you shall bruise his heel,” they didn’t see Jesus.
This passage teaches us that disobedience to God’s commands, even an act that seems very small and simple, like eating a forbidden fruit, results in eternal separation from him.
Jihene jumped in and interrupted Nour, the Christian telling the story of Genesis 3, “…and they ate the apple that God forbade them to eat and were immediately ashamed of their nakedness. As a result God kicked them out of heaven and sent them to earth.”
Nour responded, “Yes, that’s what the Quran teaches, but did you know that there are a lot more details to the story in the Taurat (Old Testament) than this summary?”
Jihene considers herself a good Muslim who has studied Islam, but who has never read the Taurat or Injeel. She is a ‘good person with a clean heart’ and believes her good deeds will ensure a place in heaven. When she talks with Christians, she often shares her own unique version of Islam that borrows many ideas from Christianity and makes her feel good.
This story illustrates the guilt, shame, and fear that covered Adam and Eve when they sinned.
Father, we pray that the people of this land will rejoice in the truth of Romans 5:15-21, because the free gift is not like the trespass of Genesis 3. For if many died through Adam’s trespass, how much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many?
We know that apart from Christ, this people is under judgment following that one trespass that brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification.
For if because of one man’s trespass death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ?
May many receive the free gift of righteousness through Jesus Christ. Convict them of sin and may that conviction bring even greater joy and thankfulness for the free gift of righteousness that covers their sin.