Topical Studies
What the Bible says about
Ingratitude for What God Has Given
(From Forerunner Commentary)
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Genesis 3:11-13
God asks the questions to impress them on their minds, allowing Adam and Eve to convict themselves with thoughtful and honest answers. Honest, yes, and very revealing. Both cast a measure of blame away from themselves. They plainly believe that they are not to blame and should not bear full responsibility for their transgressions. Thus began mankind's practice of self-justification in defense of sin. But neither Satan nor anyone else made them sin. Nobody twisted their arms. Notice how the sin of self-justification intensifies the original sin. By attempting to dodge responsibility, claiming that circumstances made them sin, they compounded their sin by lying. Adam's sin is particularly egregious, blaming God's gift to him, Eve, whom he had held in such high regard just moments before. In a somewhat roundabout manner, he is blaming God, essentially saying, “God, if you hadn't given me this woman, I wouldn't have sinned!” Similarly, Eve says, “If You hadn't allowed that Serpent into the Garden, I wouldn't have sinned.” Today, we might say that it is in our genes to sin; that we grew up in a bad neighborhood; that our parents failed to teach us; or that our father or mother was a drug addict or alcoholic. Some of those circumstances may be true, but they do not make us sin. God is teaching us that, regarding sin, circumstances offer us little assistance when under God's judgment. Should a situation that invites sin arise, it is our responsibility to exercise faith and control ourselves, remaining in alignment with God's righteousness. When he told his audience that he had done something wrong, comedian Flip Wilson claimed, “The Devil made me do it!” and everybody laughed. But that, too, is simply a backhanded way of blaming God, as He created the angelic being who became the Devil. We can reach a couple of brief conclusions from our evaluation of Adam and Eve's experience: First, if we do not honestly and fully accept responsibility for our sins before God, we will surely reap their grim effects. Sin's fruit, regardless of the circumstances in which it is committed, is always the same. When sin occurs in the course of history makes no difference. Adam's and Eve's sins occurred at the outset of mankind's history, and they are still affecting us. Not every sin has this level of power, but the potential exists. Besides the death of the sinner, like leaven, sin's effect is to spread from its initial point of origin. Second, as shown by Adam's and Eve's excuses, self-justification tends to blind us to God's goodness, His gifts, because it intensifies what originally occurred. In our haste to absolve ourselves, we forget things that God has provided us: life itself, a mind that can gather information, the ability to reason, the ability to remember, and a spirit that, not only makes us human, but confers the potential to be like God. Adam's blaming of God for His gift of Eve reveals his horrendous ingratitude for what he had been given.
John W. Ritenbaugh
Leadership and Covenants (Part Seven)
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1 Timothy 6:6-8
People, influenced by their self-seeking human nature, tend to forget the wonderful things done for them. There is even a common saying that reflects this: "What have you done for me lately?" When it comes to what God has done for us, though, we dare not have this attitude because what God has done in the past is a solid foundation of our faith. We cannot afford to forget or become discontented with the gifts of God. Discontentment is like a disease that slowly and insidiously affects the mind, and people who suffer from it find that it grows out of control if left unchecked for long. Before we realize it, we can find ourselves thinking and then doing things we have perhaps condemned in others. Discontent, like all thought waves from Satan, comes about very subtly, and it takes vigilance to resist its pressures and push it from our minds. The apostle Paul writes in I Thessalonians 5:16-18: "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." This is God's antidote to help us ward off discontentment. If we are busy being grateful for everything that God has done in our lives, it leaves no room for discontentment. In giving thanks, we soon realize that, despite the seemingly too-frequent stumbles we all experience, "all things work together for good for those who love God" (Romans 8:28). The bar is set high because God knows better than anyone else—certainly from His experience with Satan—just what can result when a person allows himself to become discontent. It is a constant choice. At some time or another, all of us have faced disappointment, and when that happens, we have to choose whether to accept it and move on or fall into discontentment. The main thing is not to let circumstances cause us to be discontent. Have we considered that, by letting our tongues run away with themselves in sharing our discontent with others, we could seriously hurt other people? Have we ever said something, perhaps in all innocence, only to see the look of disappointment cross a listener's face because, through our thoughtlessness and discontentment, we have deeply hurt them? Discontentment can lead to marriage problems, adultery, distrust, murder, jealousy, lust, pride, hatred, coveting, and many other sins of mankind. It can hurt not only our families and friends, but have a ripple effect on others as well. It is responsible for all the wars of our world, robberies and fights among neighbors, and all sorts of problems that plague our generation. And it will not stop until we do as God's Word says: "In everything give thanks." This was not a suggestion by God but a command, and unless we obey it, we fail a great test of faith. Do we imagine God will allow discontent people into His Kingdom, where none of man's ways will exist? For those of us whom God chooses to be His firstfruits, it will be a time of continual rejoicing and giving thanks for everlasting life and a truly intimate relationship with the Father and Son. Would God allow anyone to be part of this most wonderful time if he had not overcome his discontentment? Think of what discontentment would do to the atmosphere of His Kingdom and the damage it would ultimately cause to relationships. We would be right back where we started! Only this time, we would have no Savior to die for us, to pay the penalty for our sins. We cannot sacrifice Christ a second time (Hebrews 10:26). Better by far to overcome our discontent now and live for all eternity in perfect joy, peace, and harmony with our God.
Geoff Preston
Be Content in All Things (Part Two)
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