February 26, 2023 Text: Genesis 3:1-21
Dear Friends in Christ,
Back in 2020, a new board game hit the shelves. It was created by Jeopardy champion and now host Ken Jennings, along with well-known game designer Richard Garfield. The game gives you a category like, “World record holders weighing over one ton,” or “Queens of Egypt.” It lists six possible answers. Three are correct, three are wrong. The name of the game? Half Truth. I love trivia games and it sounds like an enjoyable evening. Want to join in playing the game of Half Truth?
Don’t we already play the game of half-truth quite consistently? It is not a fun party game. It is you and I trying to level the playing field of our sinful lives by offering half-truths about what we are doing. It is not a game by Hasbro or Milton Bradley. It is Satan’s game. It doesn’t bring smiles and witty banter, but tears and heartache.
The devil is quite clever in our text for today. He is spewing half-truths. But if we lay all the blame on him, that is only a half-truth. Eve and Adam give in to the half-truths. We thank God for His truth in keeping his promise that day in the garden to send a Savior for our sins.
“SAVED FROM OUR HALF-TRUTHS”
We try to cover our sin with half-truths. “Lord, I know I messed up with those words I used back there, but look at all the other good I have done today. I opened a door for a fellow citizen, gave my wife some love and read my devotion this morning.” We try to compensate for our shortcomings. God must really be impressed, isn’t He? We try to cover our backsides just like Adam and Eve did with their fig leaves. “Who told you were naked?”
Instead of compensating maybe we look for the easy mark. “She had it coming, she is so difficult to get along with.” Who me? We start redefining our relationships as adversarial, like Adam did with his wife. He doesn’t just blame Eve, he blames His Creator, “The woman whom you gave to be with me.”
Here is where we have a hard time handling the truth. As with the first man and woman, our intimate knowledge of evil brings shame of which we cannot overcome. You’ve felt that shame, haven’t you? Red-faced, tense, knowing what you did. It hurts. We can’t fool God by trying the end around play where someone else is responsible. “Must have been my brother, he is always getting into things.”
Our half-truths leave us crying, “Officer, I know I was speeding but I’m late for my massage.” Our half-truths leave us indignant, “Come on, do you really think I would do that to you?” Our half-truths leave us in pity, “I’ve had a hard day. I’m tired. I’m sick.” Our half-truths leave us seeking new prey, “Who can I tell on to get me out of this one.” We can be quite pathetic at times, can’t we? Do you think God had the same thoughts about two people who had the whole earth and couldn’t get along?
We need someone to cover our half-truths. How about the Truth Incarnate – Jesus Christ? Yes, we need the whole truth of Jesus who is going to cover our sin by taking the full responsibility of our sin. He is going to crush the serpent’s head. Christ was crushed on the cross for us. He truly paid the whole price to compensate. He covers our shame with Himself. Come out from behind the couch. The Lord forgives our blame and our excuses and our pity and our fake emotions. He does it because we are His.
His own Adam and Eve received the same cover for their half-truths. In verse 21, “And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.” He clothed and covered them, and men and women have been covered and clothed ever since.
This Whole Truth brings life. Like Adam and Eve, we have to leave the garden, but life comes in Christ. Amid death that would now come into the world because of these half-truths, the promise of life comes through the first female – Eve – “the mother of all the living.” Amid death, the promise of unending life will come through the seed of the woman.
For now, then, the life we lead is a life of repentance. I have an inkling our half-truths aren’t over just because we heard them in a sermon. Daily we need the Lord’s cleansing. Daily we need the covering of His righteousness. The Truth Incarnate works faith in us so that we know we have life. Forgiving life, sanctified life, life eternal.
Telling half-truths might be a fun game to play but it won’t get us any closer to life. Only Truth can bring life. Only Jesus in the flesh is the Whole Truth. That is the right answer. Please advance to the heavenly kingdom.
Amen.