Has God Indeed Said?
Genesis 3:1–4
Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden'?" 2 And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.'" 4 Then the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die."
This passage introduces the first spiritual attack against humanity: Satan not only questions the truth of God’s Word by asking the woman, “Has God indeed said…?” but he also challenges the woman's knowledge regarding what God has said. This moment sets the pattern for a much larger spiritual battle that continues to occur throughout this age. The core of the conflict—both in the Garden and in the Christian life—is always centered on whether we truly know what God has said, and will we trust what God has said. Or will we follow what seems right to us.
At the heart of Satan’s question is a deadly motive. It is always paired with the lie, “You will not surely die.” The enemy challenges God’s Word while denying the consequences of disobedience. The same tactic appears again and again throughout Scripture and continues today.
What is at stake is nothing less than the salvation of the soul—our future role with Christ in His Kingdom during the 7th Day (not our eternal security). Scripture warns that the unfaithful Christian will experience loss in the age to come, pictured as outer darkness, a place of shame and regret (Matthew 25:30). Our response to God’s Word will determine the outcome (1 Thessalonians 2:13).
This same challenge to God’s Word can be seen in the parables of Matthew 13. The abnormal growth of the mustard seed, the tares among the wheat, and the leaven hidden in the meal all illustrate false doctrine entering the Church. For false teaching to spread, God’s Word must first be questioned—“Has God indeed said?”—followed by the deceptive assurance that “death” or loss cannot happen to a Christian.
The Ephesian church in Revelation 2 also illustrates this pattern. They left their first love because they accepted the lie that obedience carried no consequences. This is why the New Testament repeatedly warns believers not to drift, not to deceive themselves, and to continually remember the truth (Hebrews 2:1, James 1:21–22, 2 Peter 1:12–15).
Because God is the Word, to question His Word is ultimately to challenge God Himself. It attempts to remove His authority, His purpose, and His involvement in human affairs. If God has not spoken with certainty, then there is no judgment—and thus “you shall not surely die.”
This same deception entered the early Church. Peter warned that in the last days people would scoff, saying, “Where is the promise of His coming?” (2 Peter 3:1–4). This teaching denies God’s intervention in history and claims that time continues endlessly. In this view, the Kingdom will arrive through human effort rather than through Christ’s return. Once again, it echoes the serpent’s question and his lie.
The challenge to God’s promise of Christ’s return is directly tied to another attacked truth—the timing and reality of the resurrection/rapture. Both issues rest on the same foundation: Will we take God at His Word? Or will we follow a path that seems right in our own eyes?