7 Questions God Isn't Afraid Of: Question 1 - Did God Really Say?

For the next seven weeks, we will be looking at some of the most common questions that Christians ask and answering them straight out of God’s Word. Now, before we look at specific questions, I think it’s important to start where those questions began. Before I do, I want to remind you that I just finished a four-part blog series about lies that the enemy wants you to believe. If you haven’t read that series, you can start here.

The first recorded question in Scripture was asked in the Garden of Eden. It’s important to note that this question was not asked by Adam or Eve. It was asked by the enemy. That one question led humanity down a road God had explicitly forbidden them to take, and the effects of that decision still shape the questions we wrestle with today.

So, the enemy did not start with a lie. He started with a question. And that question is what we will discuss today.

The Day Everything Changed

On the sixth day, God created man in His own image. Adam and Eve were placed in a beautiful garden where God Himself walked with them. They had everything they could ever want or need (Genesis 1:26-31), and God gave them only ONE command about what they could not do. In Genesis 2:17, God told Adam that "of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die."

One tree. One command. One enemy who showed up with a question.

Did God Really Say? The 45 Words That Changed Everything

Genesis 3:1, 4-5 (NKJV) tell us the 45 words the enemy used to plant seeds of doubt in the heart and mind of Eve:

"Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden'? ... You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." (Genesis 3:1, 4-5)

It only took forty-five words, spoken by the serpent, to change the course of humanity forever.

I want you to notice how the serpent worked. He did not walk up to Eve and announce, "God is lying to you." She would have run the other way. Instead, he asked a question: "Has God indeed said?" He wanted Eve to wonder. He wanted her to doubt what she knew. Once the doubt was planted, the lie ("you will not surely die") had somewhere to grow.

This is still Satan’s favorite tactic today. The devil rarely introduces himself with an obvious lie. He introduces himself with a question that makes you doubt what God has said in His Word. Did God really say He would never leave you? Did God really say you are forgiven? Does He even hear you when you pray?

Do these questions sound familiar? Every lie the enemy tells starts with questions just like these. This is why it is important to read and study God’s Word so that you know exactly what God has said.

Eve's Real Mistake

Here is what I want you to see, and this is important for all of us because it is the basis for the questions we ask: Eve’s mistake was not hearing the question. She could not control what the serpent said to her. Her mistake was answering the question without standing firmly on what God had actually said.

Eve did not repeat God’s command exactly. God had said they could “freely eat” from every tree except one, but Eve omitted the word “freely.” She added, “nor shall you touch it,” although that restriction is not recorded in God’s original command. God had warned, “you shall surely die,” but Eve softened it to “lest you die” (Genesis 2:16–17; 3:2–3). Before she ate the fruit, her understanding of God’s Word had already begun to shift.

She engaged the question on the enemy’s terms. Then she ate the fruit and gave it to Adam, who was with her, and he ate it as well. Through their disobedience, sin entered the world (Genesis 3:6; Romans 5:12).

Questions are not the sin, even the hard questions or the ones you are embarrassed to say aloud. The danger is not the question itself. The danger is who you allow to answer the question for you.

A New Series: 7 Questions God Isn't Afraid Of

This is exactly why I am starting this new series today. Over these next seven weeks, we are going to take the hardest questions, the ones the enemy loves to use and the ones your own heart asks in the middle of the night, and we are going to answer them the way Eve should have: with the Word of God.

The serpent's question was the first one ever asked, so it counts as Question #1.

Here is where we are headed:

1. Did God really say? (that's today)

2. Can I really trust the Bible?

3. Why does God allow suffering?

4. Why does God feel silent when I need Him most?

5. How do I know if I'm hearing God, the enemy, or just my own thoughts?

6. Is it a sin to have doubts?

7. Does God still love me when I keep failing?

If you have ever asked any of these questions, you are not faithless; you are human. God is not afraid of your questions. He gave us an entire Book through which we can seek His truth.

Don't Face the Questions Unarmed

The Word of God is called the Sword of the Spirit for a reason (Ephesians 6:17). It is the weapon whose truth the enemy cannot overturn. Satan may distort Scripture, as he did during Jesus’ temptation, but he cannot make God’s Word untrue.

When Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness, Jesus answered him with the same declaration each time: “It is written” (Matthew 4:1–11). Jesus did not answer with feelings, opinions, or human reasoning. He stood firmly on the written Word of God.

This series comes with something I made just for you. Each week, I am releasing a free one-page reference sheet for that week's question, starting with the question the serpent asked in the garden.

Each sheet gives you a clear Biblical answer, important distinctions, practical guidance, and carefully selected Scripture references so that you can examine each question through the truth of God’s Word. Just fill in the box below and then check your inbox!

I will see you next Monday for Question 2: Can I really trust the Bible? If you have ever wondered whether this Book is truly God's Word, you do not want to miss it.

Blessings,

Amy

I'd love to hear your thoughts! Which of these seven questions have you wrestled with the most? Share in the comments below.