We continue with our interview series, with the focus on Seth, the third son of Adam in this month’s edition of the magazine. Creation story as recorded in the first three chapters of Genesis paint a picture of man’s brief romance with God in the Garden of Eden, and the fall instigated by the wily serpent or satan. We have heard from Adam and Eve, as well as Cain and Abel in previous issues of the magazine. Seth, born to Adam after the tragic murder of Abel by his brother Cain, is here to tell us his side of the creation story.
Seth: The pleasure is mine. My parents were thrilled with the matured way you handled your chat with them.
Shepherd Heart: We are delighted to have you with us Seth.
Seth:
The pleasure is mine. My parents were thrilled with the matured way you handled your chat with them.
Shepherd Heart: Thank you for that feedback. We try as much as possible not to add or subtract from Scripture. As you must have been told by your parents, our primary interest is the nature of the relationship your family had after the fall. Of course, you must have been born after your parents were sent out of the Garden of Eden by God.
Seth:
(Laughs) The Garden of Eden saga was not something any of us forgot for a moment. My parents made sure that we all remembered what they lost to satan’s deception. Even my own children were constantly reminded by my parents to be wary of the devil.
Shepherd Heart: Are you saying that your parents regretted siding with satan against God?
Seth:
Who wouldn’t? It’s true that my dad initially deflected blame on that act of disobedience to my mother. After they started life outside the Garden of Eden, the reality of what they lost dawned on them. It was then they became sober and would have turned the hands of the clock if they had the power to do so.
Shepherd Heart: Could the murder of Abel by Cain have had something to do with their remorse?
Seth:
That may have contributed to it, but they actually regretted listening to satan in the first place.
Shepherd Heart: It’s great to know that the devil did not have total control over your family after the fall.
Seth:
He certainly did not despite the sad demise of Abel. The truth is that God did not abandon my family after the fall. You remember that He provided clothing for my parents in spite of their exposure to evil. God’s mercy and protection prevented satan from destroying my family. I am sure you know that he hates humanity with perfect hatred.
Shepherd Heart: Yeah. If he had his way, all humans would end up in the Lake of Fire with him. That is the measure of his hatred for us because we are created in God’s image. So, what kind of childhood did you have?
Seth:
(Laughs) I’m sure everyone assumes that I was spoilt by my parents; since I was their consolation after the death of Abel. First and foremost, they were very busy tending the land. They had little time left to spend on themselves or to pet anyone. I grew up as a normal child and enjoyed the outdoors, especially when I could play with the girls my mum gave birth to much later.
Shepherd Heart: Looking back at your life, what would you have changed about yourself if you could turn back the hand of the clock?
Seth (Pensive):
That is a tough one. In my teens, I was a little bit stubborn. Sometimes, this brought pains to my parents. If I had the power to turn back the hands of the clock, I would erase that part of my life. I didn’t know how much it infuriated my parents until I got my own children. Some of them were even more stubborn than I was!
Shepherd Heart (Laughs): There is a saying that grandchildren are every grand-parents secret revenge to their own children for putting them through hell.
Seth (Laughs):
Whoever coined that saying must have had a first-hand experience of what we are talking about. Anyway, I did not carry that stubborn streak into adulthood. And that has to do with the fact that my father disciplined me with love. I came to appreciate his tutelage and by the grace of God, my children inherited a worthy legacy.
Shepherd Heart: How was your relationship with God?
Seth: My parents loved God genuinely despite their fall from grace. To an extent, their lives still revolved around Him despite the shenanigans of satan. I grew up in an atmosphere where God was honoured, reverenced and feared. It was not difficult for me to relate with Him at all.
Shepherd Heart: There are millions of people on the face of the earth who doubt the existence of God. What would you tell such people if you had an opportunity to counsel them?
Seth:
For someone like me who saw the works of God in their pristine form, it is not difficult for me to bow and worship Him. God reveals Himself in nature and nature manifests His power and attributes. The problem with Atheists as they call themselves is that they are under the influence of demonic principalities and powers. Would talking to them about God make any difference? The intensity of the deception is such that the demons holding them bondage allows them to accept the existence of so-called aliens from outer space. If you don’t believe in God or a Supreme Being, how can you accept the existence of beings from outer space? It’s the same Atheists who propagate the falsehood that the universe created itself or that it resulted from the unproven ‘Big Bang’. How can you reconcile aliens with Big Bang? Are they also the products of the Big Bang just like man and other creatures? With this in mind, I will not attempt to counsel any Atheist. That would amount to explaining colours to a blind man.
Shepherd Heart: But we can’t fold our hands and let them continue on their paths to destruction!
Seth:
That would be irresponsible of anyone that has enjoyed the mercy of God in Christ. I am not saying that they cannot be saved. The solution is not in counselling them. It is doing what the Holy Spirit revealed through Paul. In his second letter to Timothy recorded in chapter two, verse twenty-four to twenty-six, he said, “And the servant of the LORD must not be quarrelsome, but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, and forbearing. He must gently reprove those who oppose him, in the hope that God may grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth. Then they will come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, who has taken them captive to his will”. Except God intervenes through the Holy Spirit, preaching the gospel to such people amount to a waste of time. And have you forgotten what Jesus said while addressing the Jews at Capernaum? In John chapter six verse forty-four, He said, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who has sent Me draws him”. The only Person who can convict a sinner of his or her sins, as well as remove the satanic veils over their hearts and minds is the Holy Spirit. Jesus also declared in John chapter sixteen verse eight that, “When He (the Holy Spirit) comes, He will convict the world of sin, and of God’s righteousness, and of the coming judgment”.
Shepherd Heart: In effect, we have been using our own methods to reach unsaved souls. No wonder we have seen little or no results in world evangelism!
Seth:
God has ordained that the Word and the Spirit work together to bring about the redemption of humanity. The Word manifested in the flesh in the person of Jesus Christ to atone for sin; but the Holy Spirit is the one transforming the soul with the word to bring humanity back to God. 1 John 5:7 says, “For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one. Somebody cannot claim cleansing by the blood of Jesus and reject the word of God. After all, no one can be born again without the word of God. 1 Peter 1:23 states, “For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God”.
Shepherd Heart: This is profound. Obviously, if you were born in our times, you would have made a great pastor.
Seth: Every child of God is called to share His love with a dying world. That is what Jesus meant by sending His disciples out to be witnesses of His resurrection. When you tell people the good things God is doing in your life, especially your salvation experience, you are propagating the gospel.
Shepherd Heart: We thank you for the great insights on the gospel and the relationship with God in general. We pray that they would minister to our readers and ginger many believers to share God’s love with others.
Seth: I have enjoyed the chat tremendously. God bless you for giving me the opportunity to talk about Him. He is my delight.