Quick Thought - representing God's Word faithfully

Beware of preachers who say they want to share "a few words". Inevitably a lengthy speech is coming. 

Yet today I do want only to share a quick thought. 

In Genesis 3 we're given the account of Adam and Eve's rebellion against God in the garden of Eden. Today was the first day I had ever thought of the first sin as a failure to properly represent God's Word. I've had similar thoughts before, about the serpent's role in twisting God's Word, Eve's role in listening to the serpent (rather than rejecting the serpent), and Adam's role in lacking exercising dominion (God had put Adam in the garden and said he was in charge including of the animals, why take life advice from a serpent?). Yet I had not previously thought about this particular sin as a failure to faithfully represent God's Word. 

3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” 2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’” 4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. (Genesis 3:1-6)

The trademark ploy of the serpent was to twist God's word. A failure to faithfully represent God's Word as God intended has led to all of the evil that we presently now know, experience, and do. Had Adam and Eve faithfully recounted and proclaimed God's Word there would be no curse, no death, no broken relationships, no war, no famine, no disease, no evil or any of evil's byproducts. 

Representing, recounting, and faithfully proclaiming God's Word is essential not just for the benefit of believers, but so also for the entire creation. The ground would not be cursed had Adam faithfully represented God's Word.

3:17 To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. 18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. 19 By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.” (Genesis 3:17-19)

Faithfully representing God's Word is a high honor, noble duty, and effort of tremendous consequence.  Since we have received God's Word, it is our honor, and duty to expend efforts to faithfully represent what God has said and intended in his Word.