In the Beginning
Starting out this new year, my Sunday School class is studying Genesis. It’s a bit unfortunate since we had already done that book through another study guide just last summer. But like all Scripture, we can learn something new each time we study God’s Word. God has something new to teach us in this season.
As I started out this morning reading the beginning of God’s creation story, I was reminded of a few things and what we experience in this time we live in. There is a struggle we all have that is rooted in us from the beginning of time.
After God formed man from the ground, He created woman from the man. He formed man from dust but “built” the woman from the man. Different actions taken for each, but in the same likeness of God. God breathed life into man, different from His other created beings. God placed value on us and in us.
There was no one suitable for man after all the creatures were formed. So, God “built” one who would be a helper to man – a valuable aid and support to man. This indicated a completeness to man and woman, showing the union God created in human beings with each other. We are made for community.
I know we don’t want to speak of these things today. Man and woman. It’s such a “hot” topic in our society. But this gets to another feature that happened in the Garden. Sin – or a deception that is used to this day to distort God’s Word.
There was a thought that jumped into my head as I was reading the narrative – from the Garden to the Cross. The sin narrative started in the Garden of Eden by Satan distorting God’s Word to Eve (and Adam who was in the same vicinity when this conversation took place, just pointing this out – they are both at fault for falling for this deception).
The commentator of this lesson pointed out the sin was not what Eve had done, but what Satan said to distort God’s Word thus causing Eve to have doubts about God. The commentator noted “Satan questioned God’s integrity, goodness, and therefore, His trustworthiness.” God had already given Adam and Eve everything they needed. He just commanded them one thing (Genesis 2:16-17):
“You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat of the eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.”
But God… God knew what would happen in the Garden. God knew the heart of man. He gave Adam and Eve free will to choose to follow God’s Word. When Eve took the fruit and gave some to Adam, their eyes were opened. Satan always points out the “good” things we will gain by following him, but fails to mention the things we will lose because of our choosing him over God. Yes, the fruit was good. But now there are consequences for those actions that will reverberate throughout history.
But God… in the Garden of Eden was the beginning of sin and death. The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them (Genesis 3:21) the foreshadow of shedding blood to cover the sin. But God also stated in the Garden (Genesis 3:15): “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head and you will strike his heel.” Death will be defeated by One who will come through Adam’s line – Jesus!
At that moment of the first bite, human kind became separated from God. No longer was there fellowship with Him in the Garden. The Garden was closed to them and God sent angels to guard the Tree of Life. Adam had to struggle for his food and Eve would struggle in childbirth. Life would become a struggle for all of us.
As history continues to prove the sin nature of humanity and the deception of Satan is alive and well, but God made a way in another garden to put an end to this sin problem. This garden would see drops of blood as Jesus struggled in His prayer with the Father to let this cup of wrath that sin created to be taken away, but Jesus said “not my will, but yours be done.” And so it was in that garden, Jesus laid down His will to the Father’s and went to the cross to die for our sins.
The separation ended on that day. No longer was there a curtain between God and man because Jesus died to rip that veil in two – but that wasn’t the end of the story. That’s just the beginning of the end. Jesus was raised to life; defeating death. Jesus said (John 10:10):
The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
Remember God’s goodness, His integrity and His trustworthiness. Jesus has given us life. Do not be deceived by the enemy’s tactic still being used to distort God’s Word. If there is any confusion, recognize the deception leading to death and look toward what God has to offer us – Life and to the Full!
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2
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