Lies of Freedom: Week 2

Once Upon a Curse STUDY

This Bible Study series accompanies my new book Once Upon a Curse. Week two uncovers our lack of freedom and our constant striving towards it. We will specifically look at the curse proclaimed upon the serpent from the mouth of God.

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The illusion of freedom is the most prestigious fable told to mankind. A lying serpent taught the wide-eyed woman in the Garden of Eden that she was free to choose her own path, outside of the will of the Almighty God. Once upon a time, humans believed that they were entirely free.

However, the challenge with confessing God’s story is admitting that you exist in the midst of a reality where you do not have ultimate control. Created by Another, bound by the vision and physical construction of Another. Born into this world, placed on a road, a much longer timeline than your own. Whether under the disguise of political freedom or captive in physical oppression, you are a slave. Not one is free, no matter which king or authority you serve. There is no system on this earth that will produce the freedom for which you hunger. Stubbornly, you will struggle to learn that you can’t just choose anything that is to be desired.

READ Genesis 1:26-31

What were man and woman created to do?

Mankind was created in the image of God. This was good, this was perfect. This was not their own free choice. Not at all. It was a complete gift, fully given by the Almighty God. Life, breath creation love, dominion, water, trees, relationship. All of it was determined and decided for them at the beginning of time. They did not select the abundant life into which they were placed. But it happened to be the truest form of freedom any human since them would ever know. Because in the goodness and mercy of the Almighty God, His creations are free to be exactly what they were meant to be.

READ Genesis 2:7-20

What was man created for?

READ Genesis 2:18-25

What was woman created for?

The lie of freedom was that man and woman believed they could be something different. That they had some sort of control and design over their own life. The lie that the serpent encouraged was that they were wiser than the Almighty God. They had found a wisdom that released them from the gift of just being human.

But their supposed freedom didn’t work. They couldn’t choose to be anything they desired to be. Immediately after Adam and Eve assumed “freedom” in this cosmic story, they were painfully shown that they were never free.

READ Genesis 3:15

What was the cursed battle between serpent and woman?

The serpent’s lie of freedom not only enacted a war on God’s first people, but also changed the existence of everyone involved. Proclaimed by God, this was the new reality, the new battle. The one who twisted the Word of God, embodied as a creeping creature, acted as the deceiver, Satan. This one who has shown himself to be the enemy of God, will continually fight with the children of man.

Previously the serpent was a beloved creation of the Almighty God, under the loving rule of Adam. But God proclaimed that the animal and human kingdom were no longer united and working towards the same goal. Now there is enmity. There is an angst. There is a disconnect that was not previously present. From now on this enemy is bound to work woe on all of Eve’s children. Since the beginning, Satan has enflamed the curses, encouraged doubt, spread lies, and dealt death to every offspring of woman.

And yet this struggle is nothing new. In Holy Scripture, we often hear of feigned freedom that is really deep bondage to sin. Struggles with the lie of freedom, the lie of Satan, and our darkened understanding under the curse. There are histories of people, societies, offsprings of the woman, that continually tell of this combat. It is the same story that has been told for ages and ages, over and over. And it certainly reflects our story, even today.

READ Romans 1:18- 32

How did the “unrighteousness of men suppress the truth” of God?

The lie of freedom. Forced to follow the bondage of desire. Unable to break free from the sins of past, present, and future. Trapped with a dark shadow inside that would not let them be anything but unworthy. Only hearing the tempting lie of Satan, forgetting the ancient battle. Chained. Bound. Death. Sin.

God’s judgment is giving His creatures up to their own desires. They can’t see anything else, focused on their own hungers and passions. The promises of an Almighty God fade into the background. The Word of God doesn’t seem like it matters, up against the sovereign desire of the self. When God allows you to do exactly as you feel in your own heart and head, that is the same point where God is letting go.