Where Sin Abounded . . . Grace Did Much More Abound >>>>>Read Genesis 3 <<<<<

Where Sin Abounded . . . Grace Did Much More Abound
>>>>>Read Genesis 3 <<<<<

Eve is strolling along and finds herself in the center of the garden where there are two special trees. A beautiful serpent begins talking to her, drawing her attention to the forbidden tree – the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Suddenly she doesn’t see the things God has given her in the garden, her focus is on the one thing she could not have. Satan’s purpose is to raise a question as to God’s motive and intent for Eve; and so he did. Her confidence in God waned; there was a flicker of doubt about His intent for her, and then she became uncertain about His love. Eve was primed to believe Satan’s lie.

He went straight for Eve’s wavering heart when he said, “God knows you will be like Him,” and “you will not surely die.” In essence, he was saying, “How could He love you if He would deprive you in any way?” And “He’s not telling you the truth.” Eve’s attention, drawn away from God and His goodness, was now focused on herself. Her spirit was no longer in control; instead, her emotions, mind and will became available for Satan’s use. This is exactly what he wanted – his purpose was (and is) to misrepresent God so that he could deprive Him of His relationship with the race of man. When Eve ate the fruit of that tree, she took herself out of God’s hands. Abandoning dependence upon her Creator, she chose subjection to Satan’s whims and slavery to her own flesh.

Eve shared the fruit of her sin with Adam and set the world spinning off in a new direction. Innocence (ignorance of evil) was gone. With a new understanding of good and evil, they experienced conscience for the first time as they realized they were naked and exposed. Nakedness in the Scriptures speaks of shame and being exposed before God.

In an instant, distance took the place of intimacy with God, and ‘the flesh’ was born. The mind, will and emotions of mankind would now be subject to the influence of Satan and the flesh. Adam and Eve no longer fit with God; instead, they were ashamed and afraid to be in His presence. As they hid themselves in the bushes, they heard a voice calling to them: "Where are you?” It was the familiar voice of Jehovah, but with a difference, for He had never had to call out to them before.

Three significant changes immediately took place on that last day in the garden. First, the very fiber of man’s being was changed – as evidenced by the unfolding of human history in the pages of the Bible. Second, intimacy between Jehovah and Adam was replaced with distance; and third, the world itself (which had been pronounced ‘very good’ by the Creator) would now be a world system. The physical world would display the effects of God distancing Himself from it, but that pales when compared with the systems of government and religion that spring up under the rule of the ‘prince of the power of the air.’ You see, Adam had relinquished his authority to rule the earth in partnership with God; he had turned it over to Satan. (Eph. 2:2)

Did God pass judgment on the first couple and the world, and then just walk away? He did not! A wonderful thing happened on that first day of sin – it was also the first day of GRACE!

God graciously took the matter entirely into His own hands. How could Adam, who had once walked with God, endure the awful results of what he had done? God in His mercy, planted hope in his heart for the coming redeemer – how else could Adam face himself and his life – all would be despair! But no, God has provided hope and security in Him. To create man out of the dust of the ground was power; but to seek man in his lost estate was grace. C.H. Mackintosh

Adam submitted to the discipline of the Lord, and began to trust Him for the future; his confidence rested in the promise of a redeemer. Even as we see God driving Adam and Eve out of the garden, we do not see Him driving them away from Himself. He is still Jehovah, who will reveal Himself to His people, and be to them all that they need.

God longs for a race of men who will represent Him on the earth. He did not get that in the person of Adam, and He will not get it in Adam’s offspring. As Adam and his wife are driven out of the garden, they face life in an unfriendly environment; even more tragic is the fact that they must go on without the intimate friendship of their beloved Creator. Yet, as they heard the garden gate slam shut behind them, Adam and Eve had a promise, and they had something else: they had faith that Jehovah would help them to endure life outside the garden.

The Lord now calls out to humanity: “Come! Come to Me and I will never drive you away.” (John 6:37).

LJ 5/09