The Word for Writers
IN THIS SERIES of articles, we have been examining the idea of God as the Storyteller. In the previous three installments we have discussed the setting, the characters, and the plot. In this installment, we will look at the necessity of conflict.
CONFLICT. Every good story has conflict at its heart. A well-crafted plot will portray both the internal and the external struggles of not only the story's main character, but in some cases, the ancillary characters as well. Conflict must be present because evil is real. Evil clashing with good is the quintessence of human existence in our sin-corrupted world---the result of man's free will at work.
His story in the earth begins with Adam, the first man, being placed into a beautiful garden in a location called Eden. Filled with many trees, the garden provided God with a testing ground for Adam. "Eat of any tree but one," God said. "You may ... eat of the tree of life and live, but do not eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, for if you do, you will die(48)."
Now another character enters the scene. He is God's archenemy and is known by various names--the Serpent, the Devil, Lucifer, Beelzebub, and Satan. Jesus called him a liar and a murderer(49). He embodies evil and his mission is to conflict with God, God's purposes, and God's people. Here, at the very foundation of human existence, he tempted Adam to question God's Word.
Let us backtrack for just a moment. In reality, God made this conflict possible. He gave man a free will--the ability to choose. Knowing that the Serpent would provoke Adam to temptation, God nevertheless did not hesitate in granting Adam freedom. By allowing for the option of evil, God the Storyteller embraced the potential for conflict in His story.
Let's pick up the story at the point where Adam's "helpmeet," Eve, has already made her choice. How long did Adam deliberate on his choice? We do not know. Did he hesitate? Or did he jump right in after his woman? Just imagine the internal conflict. What we do know is that when all was said and done, Adam, too, had chosen the Devil's path and disobeyed God's commandment. From that moment, spiritual darkness and separation from Creator-God engulfed the earth.
But later, much later, at precisely the right moment in His story, Deliverance appeared. The Bible says that in the fullness of time, God's own Son arrived in human form to restore His elect to a right relationship with Father-God.
Once again we see conflict. Christ himself struggled. Would He follow His Father's plan or would He, like the first man, follow His own path? Every Easter, in thousands of churches all across the globe, the drama of Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem, the Last Supper, His agonizing struggle in Gethsemane, His betrayal, His trial and sentence, His crucifixion and resurrection is reenacted. Christ's story is indeed high drama. For He was in all points tempted as we are, but without sin(50).
Conflict cannot be avoided. Through the centuries, His story's protagonist--that's us, the people of God in the earth--has struggled to allow God to assume His Kingly place in our lives. We, the "holy nation" spoken of by Peter and noted in the last installment, have conflicted with the nations and kingdoms of this world since God first began to collect a people for Himself.
As we the Church pursue His goal of leading the nations to Christ, of extending the rule, the reign, and the government of God in the earth, we are continually confronted with obstacles, both natural and spiritual. The heart of the natural man is hardened to God, and the Devil remains relentless in his efforts to upset the purposes of God. His chief weapon is the lie. The lie and the Truth have waged war since Adam's first temptation in the Garden of Eden.
All stories have conflicts. But sadly, the good guys don't always win. Because evil is real, failure too is a reality. We take comfort in knowing that if we turn to the back of the Book, we discover that God and His people ultimately triumph in the end.
.............
(48) Genesis 2:16-17
(49) John 8:44
(50) Hebrews 4:15
PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE
Reader Count & Comments
Date
The opinions expressed by authors do not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com. This is especially true with articles that
deal with personal healthcare and prophecy. We encourage the reader to make their own decision in consultation with God, His Word, and others as needed.
This article has been read 932 times < Previous | Next >
Read more articles by Mark Weaver or search for other articles by topic below.
This article has been read 932 times < Previous | Next >
Search for articles on: (e.g. creation; holiness etc.)
Read more by clicking on a link:Free Reprints
Main Site Articles
Most Read Articles
Highly Acclaimed Challenge Articles.
New Release Christian Books for Free for a Simple Review.
NEW - Surprise Me With an Article - Click here for a random URL
God is Not Against You - He Came on an All Out Rescue Mission to Save You
...in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them... 2 Cor 5:19
Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Acts 13:38
LEARN & TRUST JESUS HERE
FaithWriters offers Christian reading material for Christian readers. We offer Christian articles, Christian fiction, Christian non-fiction, Christian Bible studies, Christian poems, Christian articles for sale, free use Christian articles, Christian living articles, New Covenant Christian Bible Studies, Christian magazine articles and new Christian articles. We write for Jesus about God, the Bible, salvation, prayer and the word of God.