God placed man in the Garden of Eden with this rule: "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but 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" (Gen 2:16-17). When the serpent tempted Eve, he said, "Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of the fruit of every tree of the garden?'" Men often make the same mistake today by putting question marks where God put periods. Here are some examples:

God said, "in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day" (Ex. 20:11). Men ask, "Do we really know how long it took God to make the earth?

God said, "Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise" (Prov. 20:1; cf. Prov. 23:31). Men ask, "What's wrong with taking a drink?"

God said, "speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord" (Eph. 5:19). Men ask, "Why not add our own kind of music to singing?"

God said, "Baptism doth also now save us" (1 Pet. 3:21). Men ask, "Do I have to be baptized to be saved?"

The mistake of putting a question mark where God put a period is as old as man. Let's resolve to never make that mistake.