The Paradox of Self-Ambition
“And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” -Genesis 3:4-5
Perhaps all of sin can be boiled down to a few simple premises, as can be seen in the verses above. In essence, what we want when we are in sin is to be a god. It was not enough for Eve to be living in the garden of paradise, walking closely with her Creator and Lord: God Himself. She wanted to be a god instead, and so contradicting the Lord’s true commandment, she ate of the forbidden fruit so that she might have her eyes open to good and evil, and become as a god.
The paradox
Yet the contradictory thing about this self-ambition is that it brought about spiritual destruction, as well as pain, heartache, and turmoil in Eve’s life. And so it is with mankind today—even among Christians—that when we seek to be “free” from God’s authority and guidance over our lives, that we really truly become slaves.
Why is this?
We become slaves because we are merely created beings, and we are in no way fit to be “gods” at all. Who can know all the deep things of God, and see into His ways and hidden counsels? It has been said that one of God’s greatest gifts is unanswered prayers. That is to say, sometimes we ask for something very selfishly not even knowing what we are really asking for, and it is through God’s mercy that He keeps us from our own desires.
“Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.” -James 4:3-4
When we seek to make ourselves “gods” by making all of our own decisions in life, and walking against the ways that we know God has shown us to be correct, we bring only misery upon ourselves. We seek to become gods, yet we are turned into only animals. We were made to have fellowship with God, yet we make ourselves into gods, and we lose our fundamental link to God, and become animals.
“And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.” -Luke 15:13,-16
Much as the prodigal son who made himself to be above his father—who could not bear to be under his household—so too we take our possessions and make ourselves into gods in a momentary fling of sin and rebellion. The son went from his father, and lived in his own desires and lusts, until he was reduced to nothing more than an animal. He had not only failed at being the god of his own life, but he had lost his connection with his father, and was deceived by his own ambitions.
“And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!” -Luke 15:17
Now let us, who have left the one true God by our own sins, and by our selfish and vain living, return to our Heavenly Father. As the prodigal son, let us acknowledge our wrong-doing, and submit ourselves under the loving hand of God Almighty, and let Him work in us His perfect work—however painful or self-abasing it may be—and in so doing fulfill our very purpose for life upon this earth.
“I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.” -Luke 15:18-20
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