A Sinful Twilight
It started when I noticed that a ton of flair on Facebook started to show up with the word "Twilight." And not only "Twilight" - but others like "I heart Twilight" - and "I want to be Cullen when I grow up."
So where have I been since 2005? Apparently missing a highly popular and extremely anticipated movie based on the Twilight novel. Essentially a forbidden romance story with supernatural twists and turns as good vs. evil takes the vampire stage.
If you check out the cover of the book, you'll see two hands that are cupped and holding an apple. So why that image and not vampires? Well according to Wikipedia, Stephenie Meyer used an apple to exemplify the forbidden fruit as referenced in Genesis 2:17. The fruit represents Edward and Bella's forbidden love just as the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden was forbidden to Adam and Eve. Meyer also states that the apple represents choice.
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In case you're wondering, Genesis 2:17 reads this way:
…but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.
These are the words from God - giving a command and a warning. The command is not to eat the fruit produced by the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The warning is that if Adam and Eve (the first humans on earth) did, they would die.
In other words, just like today, there are choices and consequences. Each and every day we wake up and choose life or death in the little and big things we think, do, and say. So why would anyone choose death? Well, let's check out why Adam and Eve made that choice and brought death and destruction to the entire planet:
The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the LORD God had made. One day he asked the woman, "Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?"
"Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden," the woman replied. "It's only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, 'You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.'"
"You won't die!" the serpent replied to the woman. "God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil."
The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. (Genesis 3:1-6).
Incredible, isn't it? God gave Adam and Eve complete freedom with only one responsibility - don't eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. And what is even more amazing is that they already knew what was good. The only thing they had to gain by disobeying God was… Evil
So again - why did they choose that? Easy - same reason we choose evil and death as well. Satan tempted Eve by telling a lie combined with a half-truth:
"You won't die!" the serpent replied to the woman. "God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil."
First - the lie: You won't die.
Second - the half-truth: You will be like God.
That one -two punch convinced Eve - and what previously looked evil now looked 'delicious' - and she bought the lie that knowing evil would be a good thing.
Sound familiar? You know what I'm talking about:
First - the lie: Sin won't cost you a thing.
Second - the half-truth: A sinful lifestyle has certain pleasures you aren't currently experiencing.
Of course, what Satan leaves out of that truth is that with every ounce of pleasure is a pound of pain when you reap the consequences of a guilty heart and a broken world. Next time your heart tells you to pursue forbidden choices with deadly consequences - listen to this truth instead:
The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure. (1 Corinthians 10:13) You always have a choice - no matter how delicious sin looks or how convinced you are that God is somehow keeping you from what life has to offer.
Life apart from following Christ offers only death - and God has only forbidden the things that will ultimately destroy you.
Compared to vampires, sin is infinitely more powerful and deadly…but you have a choice. For your sake, please choose wisely!
Head: Sin is a powerful and destructive force that we can choose to resist
Heart: Think through what damage sin has already done to your life, and how much pain and scarring it has left on your soul. Remembering these things is a great way to resist temptation in the future
Hands: Jot down the areas/circumstances that drag you into sin most often, and then develop a plan of resistance that keep you from repeating the wrong choices.
