The Fall

The tragedy of sin cannot be overstated. Every human problem stems from one moment—in the Garden, when man decided he was God of his life. When he decided to trust his own reasoning over God’s command. When he decided to put his trust in himself over God. When he decided God’s love, kindness, and goodness weren’t enough to move him to obedience.

And in that decision to de-throne God as Lord of his life and promote himself, he sent the entire Earth into disorder, chaos, and imperfection. He also turned away from fulfilling his purpose: to be an image bearer of God himself. Now the image of man is stained by sin.

Before this moment, the fullness of God’s holiness and glory had a home with man. God and man’s communion, fellowship, and togetherness had no limitation, no barrier—they could be one, as Jesus was in his human form here on Earth. But after that moment, that decision, the fullness of God had no home with man. Man had rejected it by trusting himself—thus corrupting his image away from the picture of full submission, communion, and trust we see in the Trinity.

Now that we see the utter depth of this sin—a tragedy that cannot be overstated—look to God’s response.

Genesis 3:9 — “But the Lord God called to the man, ‘Where are you?’”

What God is this?? He knows where man is. He knows what man did and what man deserves, and yet He asks, “Where are you?” Imploring man to look at himself and where he is. The mercy and compassion that is displayed here by God asking questions is incredible. God is relational!

Adam answers, “I was naked so I hid.”

God asks, “Who told you that you were naked?”

God is asking: What defines you? Whose words determine your identity?

Adam’s response: “The woman you gave me gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate.”

Adam blames God. No sign of repentance. He simply blames his Creator.

What is God’s response? Instead of instant death for man, He shows love, grace, compassion, and mercy. Especially love in this question: “What is this you have done?” The pain, sorrow, and hurt in this question jumps off the page and into your heart.

God loves us.

Love cannot exist without vulnerability.

If you have no ability to be hurt by someone, you cannot love them.

God opens Himself up for us to hurt Him by our ability to distrust and reject Him. You can hear His hurt as He asks man to look at his actions and see what he has done.

Now mankind will seek worldly things to fulfill them.

Woman, verse 16: “Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.”

And Man, verses 17 and 19: “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life… By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food.”

Woman seeks fulfillment in her relationship with her husband, and man seeks fulfillment in his relationship to his work—neither of which will ever fulfill us. They are both cursed. Yet we see humankind chasing these things to fulfill them. This curse is only lifted when sin (past present and future) is fully removed. Man’s enmity with his work and woman’s enmity with her husband CAN be redeemed. But only by returning to the purity of the garden. Sinless communion with God and people.

Now, back to Genesis.

Humans have become the prodigal son. We have spat on God and said, “We reject You—Your place as our Lord and God, AND Your purpose for us.”

But God had a plan. Through mankind, He would bring about His mission of His own glorification. Through sinful mankind, He would make a way for us to come back to Him. We were eternally separated by our sin, so God made a way for us to be eternally separated from our sin.

Return to the Garden is God’s mission—and it will be accomplished.

Redemption and salvation belong to the Lord. His holiness cannot be overstated. It is deserving of a lifetime of self-sacrificial worship and an eternity of praise.

Thank You, Lord.

You love me.

You chose me.

You came and got me.

You saved me.

I love You, God.

9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” 11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen. Revelation 7:9-12