Unveiling Grace
A Meditation on Genesis 1–3
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Grace
She takes the blame
She covers the shame
Removes the stain
It could be her name
Grace
It’s the name for a girl
It’s also a thought that
Changed the world
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~ From U2’s song Grace, Lyrics written by Bono
“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” ~ Genesis 1:1
But before the beginning, that is, before there was time, matter, and space, there was only God. The fun question is, “Where was God before anything existed?” Before there were “Where’s,” “When’s,” and “What’s,” there was God Himself. He was not alone nor lacking in anything. God was enjoying the fellowship of the triune Godhead. He was and is entirely self-sufficient within Himself. He needed no one, for He is independent. He did not need time since He was His own eternity. He is His own fountain. He enjoyed His glory among the Trinity — no need of worship from others, for God delighted in Himself.
An example of God’s self-sufficiency is in the burning bush from Exodus 3:1–3. Fire requires fuel to consume to continue burning. When a fire begins to die, all you need to do is throw another log, and soon, that fire will be ablaze. Yet, the fire in the bush was not consuming the bush… It was not using the chemical compounds of the bush as its source to burn. This flame in the bush was completely independent, a flame that was nothing but fire that kept itself burning. This flame was self-sufficient.
We read in 1 Corinthians 15:10 about Paul’s reliance on God, “But by the grace of God I am what I am,” but God describes himself in Exodus 3:14 as “I AM WHO I AM.” God does not rely on anything or anyone like humans, for God is self-sufficient.
So why is there something instead of nothing? Simply because God wanted to create. It brought joy to God to show His glory to his creatures. Yet, nothing God created added anything to God — nothing changed about Him, for flowing from His self-sufficiency is His immutability. No need to change and He will never change.
The Perfect Home
Imagine with me the following scenario:
A person purchased the best piece of land you can imagine, the kind of area that you would love to live in for the rest of your life. Perhaps you’re imagining rolling grassy hills or a sandy beach on the coast, where the sounds of ocean waves and seagulls pleasantly mix with the smell of salt water; perhaps you’re thinking of somewhere up high in a mountain, with waterfalls, rivers, and forest animals. Think of your setting.
Now, picture this person beginning to build a house on your ideal land. They intentionally plan the home's dimensions and exhibit masterful artistry through their craftsmanship. Once the house is made, the person begins to landscape their perfect area. In a short period, this purchased land is covered with beauty both in variety and content: gardens filled with flowers of colors you have never dreamed of, bushes with berries that are sweet to the taste, and strong trees providing shade for perfect picnics. There are walking paths bordered by lamps so that a relaxing walk can be enjoyed any time of the day or night. The person builds a swimming pool and a Jacuzzi. Perhaps they have trained pets: dogs or cats or birds. The house has a fully stocked refrigerator, freezer, and pantry. The drinking water is perfect in taste and temperature, as are all the other beverages that bring instant refreshment. There is an air conditioning and heating system (when needed). There are windows to let in the daytime light, and lamps provide soother lighting in the evening—a fireplace for the cozy ambiance. Lastly, the person has provided fun projects to be worked on and the most enjoyable games to be played.
Imagine this.
What if this person invites you to visit the property and live in it for the rest of your life with full access to everything at this property as if you owned it?
God: The World’s Host
This is an illustration of what God did when He created the Earth. God is the world’s Host. He skillfully designed a house. But that house was not meant to be empty. God created this planet called Earth intentionally to be inhabited.
God formed the Earth to be inhabited, that is, occupied by those who do not own the Earth. God made a house, and it is called Earth, and He planned to fill it with life.
I want to take a few minutes to consider this miraculous home God made. May we never cease to be astounded at His creativity and power as we consider His handiwork:
On Day 1: God created Light and called it Day and darkness Night.
On Day 2: God created the Sky and the Atmosphere.
Consider the creation of air:
The air close to the earth’s surface is heated by energy from the sun, and after the air is warmed, it becomes less dense and rises upward. The result is that the air near the earth’s surface maintains a temperature at which life can exist. If air contracted when heated and became denser, the temperature on the earth’s surface would become unbearable, and most life could not survive very long. On the other hand, the temperature a few hundred feet above the surface would be freezing, and most life could also not exist there for very long. The only habitable region would be a thin slice of air, but even there, life could not live for long because the plants and trees necessary to support life in the atmosphere could not survive, as they would be in the cold zone. Thus, birds would have no resting place, food, water, or oxygen. But because air on the earth’s surface rises when heated, life can exist on the planet.
The movement of warm air from the surface rising upward creates wind, an essential part of the earth’s ecological system. The wind carries carbon dioxide away from areas that overproduce, such as cities, and moves oxygen to needy areas.
The mixture of gases usually found in the atmosphere (not contaminated by human pollution) is perfect for life.
The Institute for Creation Research (ICR) comments,
“If it were much different (e.g., 17% instead of 21% oxygen, or less carbon dioxide, or if the atmospheric pressure were much higher or lower), life would cease to exist on earth. If our atmosphere were much thinner, many of the millions of meteors that now are burned up would reach the earth’s surface, causing death, destruction, and fires everywhere.”
The atmosphere also serves to filter out ultraviolet light and cosmic rays. Both harm life and would be much more common at the earth’s surface if the atmosphere were less dense.
God created Air.
On Day 3: God made land, water, and vegetation. We see God building His “swimming pool” and “landscaping” here. Think with me how awesome of a host God is with Him making water:
The Earth is the only known planet with vast bodies of water. 70% of its surface area consists of oceans, lakes, and seas surrounding massive bodies of land. The few other planets with water contain only moisture floating as vapor on their surface or small amounts of ice or liquid water on the world itself, not large bodies of liquid water as on Earth.
Again, ICR comments:
“Water is unique in that it can absorb enormous amounts of heat without a large alteration in its temperature. Its heat absorption level is about ten times as great as steel. During the day, the earth’s bodies of water rapidly soak up enormous amounts of heat; thus, the earth stays fairly cool. At night, they release the vast amounts of heat that they absorbed during the day, which, combined with atmospheric effects, keeps most of the surface from freezing solid at night. If it were not for the tremendous amounts of water on the earth, far greater day and night temperature variations would exist. Many parts of the surface would be hot enough to boil water during the day, and the same parts would be cold enough to freeze water at night. Because water is an excellent temperature stabilizer, the large oceans on earth are vital for life to exist on earth.”
God created Water.
On Day 4: God made the sun, moon, stars, and the seasons.
The Sun: Of all the energy the sun gives off, only 0.45 billionth of its daily output warms the Earth.
ICR states, “The sun provides the earth with energy estimated at over 239 trillion horsepower, about 35,000 horsepower for each current resident.”
The Moon: If the moon were larger or nearer to the earth, the huge tides would overflow onto the lowlands and erode the mountains.
Regarding Seasons, ICR observes:
“If the earth was not tilted 23 degrees on its axis, but rather was on a 90 degree angle in reference to the sun, we would not have four seasons. Without seasons, life would soon not be able to exist on earth — the poles would lie in eternal twilight, and water vapor from the oceans would be carried by the wind towards both the north and south, freezing when it moved close enough to the poles. In time, huge continents of snow and ice would pile up in the polar regions, leaving most of the earth a dry desert. The oceans would eventually disappear, and rainfall would cease. The accumulated weight of ice at the poles would cause the equator to bulge, and, as a result, the earth’s rotation would drastically change.”
God created the Sun.
Now, before considering God’s creation on days five and six, notice that everything created on the first four days was necessary for occupants to live on the Earth. Before the Host of the world made fish, He made a place for fish to live called the Sea. Before The Great Host made birds, He made a place for them to fly called the Sky. Before making animals walk on the land, He made land. And for the birds, fish, and animals, He made food. He stocked the pantry with vegetation and fruit of all kinds.
On Day 5: God made the birds and the fish to occupy the water and the sky.
On Day 6: God made animals — livestock and creeping things and beasts, to occupy the land.
So, the house was built, the landscape complete, the swimming pool ready, the pantry packed, the lights were on, and the fun was waiting…
It was not until after this perfect “home” was made that God finished his work on Day 6 and created people to live in this house called Earth. God created people as man and woman.
God Rested & Reflected
On Day 7: God rested from all His creative work that had been done.
O, How God loved his creation! He saw the light the sun provided with its warm rays and thought, “This is good.” He saw the brilliant twinkling of the stars up in the sky at night and thought, “This is good.” He saw the effect of the wind caressing the long, soft, grassy fields and thought, “This is good.” He heard dolphins playing with sharks in the swimming pool’s deep end as the water was filled with joyful vibrancy, and He thought, “This is good.” The perfect balance of time with the sun and time with the moon only to bring about the following day ushered in by light-hearted melodies from birds filling the atmosphere, and God thought, “This is good.” Music, water, warmth, and life filled the house called Earth, and He thought, “This is good.”
But none of His creations did He love more than man and woman. They were unique to Him. All the other creations God only spoke into existence, but with man, He fashioned him from the ground, and the woman was fashioned from man’s side; both inhaled the breath of God, giving them eternal souls. None of the other creations had God used a metaphorical mirror to make. But with man and woman, God created them each in His image. Anyone who has ever become a parent knows what it feels like to hold your newborn child for the first time; that feeling is merely a fraction of the abundant, joyful love that expanded throughout God’s infinite being as He beheld man and woman. Such pure love God had for humans. It was a love that was unique, special, and holy.
God looked at all He created and said, “It is very good.”
The Image of God
I want to pause the Genesis story to elaborate on an important point. As previously mentioned, man and woman were created in God’s image. This divine image stamped on humans has nothing to do with physical appearance, like what one sees in a mirror. Instead, the image of God that humanity bears is of attributes.
There are some attributes of God that He has shared with humans only and not with any other living creature. These attributes are known as communicable attributes of God. Some of these attributes include (I say “some” because it is impossible for a finite being to list the characteristics of an infinite God exhaustively):
✨ Knowledge
✨ Wisdom
✨ Love
✨ Grace
✨ Peace
✨ Justice
Communicable attributes are ways that humans are like God. We can love because God loves; we can know because God has knowledge; justice matters to humans because God is just.
There are also attributes of God known as non-communicable, which He does not share with humans. Some of those are:
✨ Omnipresent
✨ Omnipotent
✨ Omniscient
✨ Independent
✨ Immutable
Incommunicable attributes are ways that humans are not like God. I find that both the communicable and incommunicable attributes are glorious reasons to worship God. I praise Him for allowing me to share some of His attributes and marveling over how He is not like me.
Consider these words expressing worship over God’s attributes from Blair Linne’s spoken word poem entitled “Perfection of Beauty”:
Beauty is sold in exchange for a “dime”
Nothing to attract us to You, yet we worship Your creation as fine
Captivated by it’s forbidden fruit
Pleasing our senses, so we suppress the truth
And eat the lie
Media’s fig leaf deadening our soul and mind
Sin blinding us to You
The only objective Beauty that’s truly absolute
Hidden in the symmetry of Your goodness, glory and truth
Each attribute working harmoniously
Justice with patience, wrath with graciousness
Omnipotence with humility, long-suffering with faithfulness
Each a note to a sweet melody
The ultimate hymn entitled “God’s Beauty”
Immutable, no change
Because “dimes” get lost daydreaming in dark gutters
Unable to hear the call to wake up
They, the noose, dripping honeysuckle
Lips pasted on with Mac makeup
If they truly beheld Your beauty
You’d make magazines and Mattell go bankrupt
You sent Your Beloved to be lifted up
On a beautiful, seemingly ugly cross
The visible image of Your hiddenness
Only You are beautiful and yet invisible
True beauty is spiritualTherefore, sanctify our worldly minds
Your complexion is unappealing to lustful eyes
Besides, apart from new birth in Christ
Sinners beholding Your Holy beauty would die
Therefore, beauty residing in the eye of the beholder is a lie
It is found in the Beautiful One- The Most High
God’s Goodness
God’s love for man and woman was manifested in many creative ways, highlighting His love and goodness.
God’s goodness is shown by how He created humans.
Consider taste buds on the tongue. It wasn’t enough for God to create humans to need to be consistently sustained by water and food like the way a metal machined vehicle requires gasoline and oil. God delighted in allowing humans to enjoy pleasure while being nutritionally nourished. Taste buds’ sole purpose for being on your tongue is to please you when you bite into the chocolate. On average, there are 10,000 taste bud receptors in your mouth. So, we know that God’s goodness is generous towards us. These receptors detect five distinct tastes: bitter, sour, salty, sweet, and umami. God’s goodness is also diverse towards us.
Taste buds are proof that God is good!
When God spoke the world into existence and created His house to host humans, He showed His goodness by the colors He chose to paint and decorate this house called Earth. Thanks to pictures from the Hubble Space Telescope of Earth, we definitively know that our world is primarily blue and, secondarily, green. When God created bodies of water and the atmosphere with wavelengths reflecting off air molecules, He did so as the Creator of the human eye.
Light travels into the eye to the retina, which is covered with millions of light-receptive cells called rods and cones. When these cells detect light, they send signals to the brain. Based on psychological research, “blue is the color of trust, serenity, and peace.” Additionally, “it is calming, reducing tension and fear, slowing the pulse rate and reducing appetite.” Likewise, the color green is “restful and secure, symbolizing harmony, healing, security, and stability.” Blue and green are the most pleasing colors to the eye, allowing the eye to rest and not become overstimulated. It’s no coincidence that these two colors mainly make up the Earth.
The goodness of God was at work when God created water, the sky, trees, and grass all around, and then He created the human eye to be calmed and pleased by the environmental colors blue and green.
The color of the Earth and its effect on humans prove that God is good!
God commanded the man and woman, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it.” They were to procreate. However, God not only created humans able to have sex for reproduction, but He made sex to be a pleasurable intimacy enjoyed between husband and wife. The physical pleasure from an orgasm is not required for reproduction, but God made it enjoyable because He is good.
Orgasms are proof that God is good!
God’s goodness caused God to place man in a divinely crafted garden. Where was the man initially at the time of his creation? I am unsure, but God formed him out of dust, so it was where dirt and dust were available. Toward the East is where God planted a garden. It must have been beautiful. All that Yahweh does is perfect, so why would the beauty of this garden not be anything other than ideal? Consider some of the gardens that exist today and imagine how much more advanced God’s Garden would have been in sublimity:
God’s handcrafted garden would make all these stunning gardens look like 20-inch black-and-white televisions. God’s goodness is seen in that He placed man in a lush garden surrounded by the sound of a river watering the garden, multi-colored butterflies dancing through the air, and refreshed by a consistent yet gentle, cool breeze (I always wondered if God “placed” man was comparable to how I pick up my Google Maps person and place him in my intended location).
Placing man in the garden is proof that God is good!
God’s goodness can also be seen in providing activity to the man by putting him in the garden not just because it’s a majestic location but to have the man cultivate and tend to the garden. Work was not originally a bad thing. God created the garden and delegated man to develop it. Since God is the Creator and humanity is made in God’s image, this task given by God to cultivate and tend the garden would please man.
Work is proof that God is good!
Abundance and a Boundary
Before forming the woman, however, God told the man in the garden,
“From any tree of the garden you may freely eat; but from the tree of knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for on the day that you eat from it you will certainly die.”
God invited the man to enjoy and eat freely, then gave a boundary followed by the reason for the restriction.
God created a sublime garden, bringing pleasure to all the human senses. The sweet smell of flowers and fruit traveling on a breeze carried the enjoyment of such a fragrance as the wind gently moved the garden’s aromas under man’s nose.
The man was told to eat from any tree in the garden freely. How many trees were in the garden? And how many different types of fruit trees were available? There would have been an abundance of fruit for the humans’ delight. Apples, oranges, mangoes, lemons, pears, apricots, plums, cherries, peaches, figs, and limes could have been available; perhaps even fruits we know nothing about were available. God did not spare for His beloved humans but invited them to eat freely from any tree in the garden. He provided for man and woman everything needed for a happy and satisfying life. God was bountifully good to humans.
However, if the humans followed one of the grassy paths along the rivers, they would be at the center of the garden, which stood the tallest tree with the thickest trunk. This massive pre-telephone poll was called the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. It, too, was very good, for God created it. But why the restriction, “You may not eat of it?” This question is not meant to be answered by the rest of God’s sentence (“for when you…”). It’s a metaphysical question. Another way of asking this question is, “Why would God make disobedience possible?” If God did not forbid anything, there would be no rule to break. This is what heaven will be like, so why not create a heaven-like reality on Earth in the very beginning to make disobedience impossible? However, in a lawless reality, obedience would not be possible either.
Before God created people, He had a choice regarding their will — whether they should have one. God, before the beginning of time, in the counsel of His will, considered the specifications of the design of humans. If you enjoyed the Marvel movies, it might help to imagine Doctor Strange seeing the future of 14,000,605 possible outcomes.
God could have made them without a will. In God’s manifold wisdom, being outside of time and space, He saw what this would be like. Humans would be like robots doing whatever the scientist programmed them to do. This would guarantee no disobedience (at least until Neo came to free everyone from their simulated lives 😉). But worship from willless humans would be meaningless since they have no choice but to worship God. Programmed worship without a will can hardly be considered worship at all. As a parent, it brings me much joy when my kids make their beds and do their chores independently. My joy diminishes to the degree that I request they do their chores because they’re only doing them so as not to disobey. One action was done out of the mandate, and the other was done out of love. It’s a legal transaction compared to the expression of a loving relationship. Two vastly different motives made the bed.
Today, we can read in Job 1:6–2:10 how Satan accused Job of loving God only because He had made Job wealthy and spared his life. You don’t have to have access to the Marvel green Time Stone to see what Satan would accuse God of if humans had no will, “Of course they worship You. You programmed them to do so!” And he would be correct.
God could have made humans with a will but not restrict anything. At this point, reality would be very similar to if humans had no wills since both scenarios lack choice. What is the quality of one’s obedience to God if disobedience is not an option since there would be no rules or laws? What good is a will with no choice?
God saw all the options before creating time. The one option that would allow humans to choose to worship God, thus glorifying God through the humans’ enjoyment of Him, was to give humans a will and a boundary, thus creating a choice. The choice was this: Will man and woman trust God or not?
Therefore, God is good for creating the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil and attaching the command, “Do not eat from this tree,” thus providing humans with a choice that allows them to show their obedience is from a loving relationship with their God.
We could also analyze the psychological reasons this boundary is good for the man and woman, but my point has been made. God allowing there to be a Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil and giving a boundary to man and woman for what they can and cannot eat is the best and most loving plan for humans that also brings the most glory to God.
Crossing the Boundary Has a Consequence
As a reminder, God told the man that if the fruit from The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil were ever eaten, the consequence would be death.
“for on the day that you eat from it you will certainly die.”
Does death seem to be an equitable consequence for disobedience? If the punishment should fit the crime for justice to occur, then why is death the penalty for eating fruit? And how is God good if death is not equitable and too harsh of a punishment?
The answer is yes. Death is an equitable consequence for disobedience to God. A simple reason is that as the Creator, God has every right to set the rules for the world He created. Ultimately, however, the reason death is an equitable consequence for disobedience is profoundly steeped in the character of God. What is the essence of God’s character? What word would best sum up God’s being? In the Bible, there is only one characteristic of God that, when describing Him, is repeated three times: Holy.
“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” ~ Isaiah 6:3
This thrice declaration of God’s holiness emphasizes who God is. He is pure, clean, and free from defilement and other profane things; He is morally set apart and excellent. God is holy. This is another way to say that God is God since He is set apart from all that is not God. There is an infinite qualitative difference between Creator and creature. He is incomparable. God is in a class by Himself as He is utterly holy. Call it His glory, greatness, divinity… In the end, human words are depleted. In the word “holy,” we have flown to the edge of the universe, peaked over the ridge, and beheld utter silence of awe, wonder, and reverence.
“There is no one holy like the LORD, indeed, there is no one besides You.” ~ 1 Samuel 2:2
God’s holiness determines all He is and does and is determined by no one. Flowing from His holiness is God’s righteousness, another attribute that God alone possesses perfectly. And because His righteousness is part of Him, it is natural for God to be just. He is the basis of equity and fairness of judgment. The picture above of Lady Justice symbolizes God as a judge of the universe. Lady Justice does not stand over God in assessing Him; He is the standard of justice and righteousness. As such, He metaphorically holds the scales in one hand, weighing facts and evidence. The other hand wields a sword, indicating God’s authority and power to punish injustice. There is a reason “An eye for an eye” does not trouble most people. It sounds fair and just. It’s a principle for justice between humans, and most people don’t take issue with it. But we have a more challenging time grasping the horror of crimes humanity commits against God (aka, “sin”), so death seems too harsh of a penalty.
I must also define sin. I’ve been synonymously using the word “disobedience” with “sin,” so I should pause here to define sin. Sin can be understood as any failure to conform to God's moral law and character in act, motive, thought, or condition. Sin is directly opposite to all that is good in the nature of God. It is, in essence, the contradiction of the excellence of His moral character. It contradicts God’s holiness, and He must judge it.
God is the Righteous Judge
Imagine a courtroom scenario where the evidence is overwhelmingly conclusive that the defendant is guilty. The judge clears his throat to read the verdict and punishment. The judge declares, “Not guilty!” then looks at the defendant and winks, saying, “Try to stay out of trouble from now on.” Watching a judge in a courtroom of justice sweep the crime under the rug and wink it off, what would you think about this type of judge?
God is righteous and, as such, will not simply wink at sin but will judge it. Why? Because while sin can be (and often is) committed by people against other people, ultimately, all sin is an affront against the moral lawgiver, God. Sin offends God, finally, not people. Laws of morality extend from God’s character, so where immorality exists, there is a proverbial slap-to-the-face of God’s character. Sin devalues God in the sight of His creation; it lies about God’s trustworthiness and challenges God’s value, righteousness, and holiness. Therefore, since God is righteous, then He will judge sin appropriately.
The Punishment of Sin is Death
The measure of the penalty — death — is the measure of the enormity of the offense. The measure of the offense is the measure of the intrinsic value of the one offended, God. God is infinitely valuable! If there were something or someone more valuable than God, God would prove fraudulent. He would no longer be the source of goodness and excellence since He would derive His value from this other source, just like humans find their intrinsic value and worth from God’s image.
I’ll write it again:
God is infinitely valuable.
Therefore, rebellion against Him would cost the guilty the most valuable asset — life. It only cheapens God’s worth to pay for one’s crime with lesser valuables, as if offending God is only worth $1.00 since God is only worth a hundred pennies.
Here’s an illustration: You break a vase in a store. You ask the owner if you can pay for the vase, and she agrees. You look down at the price tag, and it reads, “$399.98.” You only have $20 and offer it to the owner, and she gets furious. Why? You’ve insulted the value of her vase and cannot make equitable restitution for your offense. Likewise, the price tag for God’s holiness, provoked by sin, is $ ∞.
Furthermore, if God ordained such a severe penalty for what some may say was a minor offense or a mere peccadillo, how seriously does it show that God regards all sins, including those we label as “big” ones? Those who assess sins as “small” or “big” do so with an inaccurate measuring standard. The standard is not what we humans think is small or big, but the standard is God’s holiness, perfect purity, and infinite worth.
This is why James wrote, “For whoever keeps the whole Law, yet stumbles in one point, has become guilty of all” (James 2:10). Paul wrote, “For the wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23). God’s perfection is the standard by which immorality is judged by and the punishment against an infinitely valuable God is death.
What Kind of Death?
A literal translation of the Hebrew of Genesis 2:17 is, “In the day you eat thereof, dying you shall die.” God warns the man that the day man and woman sin against Him by eating from the forbidden tree, they will be spiritually separated from God. By choosing to disobey God, man and woman would have a sinful nature and no longer enjoy a spiritually intimate relationship with God, for sin will cut them off spiritually from their relationship with God. Spiritually detached from God is to be spiritually dead. And like a leaf picked off from the branch, as the humans are spiritually cut off from God, their bodies will wither away — physical death will begin. Dying spiritually, you will die physically.
If we think this death is a passive judgment of God, spiritual death from sin causes physical death, but it also requires the active punishment of God’s wrath. As mentioned earlier, God’s holiness and perfect righteousness require all sin to be judged.
God gave the law to the man (the boundary and consequence), who passed it along to the woman. And all was well and comfortable in the Garden of Eden.
The Tempter, The Temptation, and The Choice
In the pristine beauty of God’s house called Earth, an intruder was about to walk in through the back door. Satan, possessing a serpent, slithered into the garden. Like the donkey in Numbers 22:28 would speak for God, here the serpent spoke for Satan. His cunning deception was aimed at none other than God’s crowning creation: The man and woman, for misery truly loves company.
Satan zeroed in on the woman. He sowed the seeds of doubt and disobedience in her heart with honeyed words.
“Has God really said” was the first drop of poison that strategically fell from Satan’s lips. The opening phraseology of the serpent was crafted to have a duel effect of doubt on the woman: 1) Doubt God’s truthfulness and 2) doubt Adam. Maybe Adam misunderstood God when handing down the prohibition to her. How was she supposed to know what God said before her existence confidently? Eve was intentionally put in place to trust God and Adam due to her secondhand knowledge. This would be where Satan cunningly began his deceptive work to plant doubt in her mind, creating division between her and Adam and God.
His intentionally misleading question continued, “You shall not eat from any tree of the garden?” The serpent was indirectly challenging God’s abundant provision for her. God told Adam, “From any tree of the garden you may freely eat.” However, Satan’s challenge was camouflaged in the form of a question. The serpent did not boldly declare, “God told you not to eat from any tree!” Such a clear statement of God’s words would cause the woman to think of its accuracy and disagree. However, a subtle question about what God said would be considered by her. Satan’s deception was presented by what he said and how he said it.
His poison began to work as she replied, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’” As the serpent listened to her response, a grin barely perceptive reflexed in the corner of his reptilian mouth. It was hardly noticeable. More subtle of a grin than that on the face of Mona Lisa. Satan’s grin curled up when she said, “Or touch it.” She added words to what God said. God never restricted them from touching the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. She was already forgetting God’s actual words. Like a grandmaster chess player able to see seventeen moves ahead before claiming victory, Satan knew he was about to win this battle, though he made an effort not to widen his eyes in excitement.
Notice what Satan decides to correct her about when he replies, “You certainly will not die!” He doesn’t correct her with her misquotation regarding God’s restriction from touching the fruit but corrects her on the accurate thing she recalled. Satan was content with the woman’s inaccurate memory of God’s mandate. This time, however, Satan boldly challenges God’s words with a declarative denial. When he perceived her misquoting God, it was like a leg falling off a table, and now he only needs to lean forward, applying pressure with forceful statements until the table falls over.
Satan continued leaning on the table, hissing, “For God knows that on the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will become like God, knowing good and evil.” The woman didn’t have access to a Bible then and couldn’t look up Genesis 2:17 to compare God’s words with what the serpent was revealing. If she could, she would read that God said, “For on the day that you eat from it…” What? On the day you eat from it, YOU WILL BECOME LIKE GOD? No. Satan was lying. God told the man, “For on the day that you eat from it you will certainly die.” Yet, this snake asserts the woman will not die. Further, he implies that her most kind host has been holding out on her, preventing her and her beloved husband from becoming like God.
Satan was right about a couple of things, though. The most convincing lies are mostly true. The day she eats from it, her eyes will be opened due to her new knowledge of good and evil. What he omitted to tell her was her newly formed perspective of reality would be caused by her doing evil. She was created good. She’s only known good. She’s always obeyed God. Satan’s lie was to sell her the idea that she could know evil without experiencing evil and, therefore, become like God without any consequence.
This was the end of Satan’s lie-infused words. His job was done, and the table was about to crash. The woman turned her face away from the serpent and towards the forbidden fruit (with Satan’s words echoing throughout her curious mind). With her gaze on the tree’s food, Satan slowly backed away from her until he was out of sight. His eyes glowed with pure evil and widened; the hidden smile was no longer concealed. He moved away as he watched her move towards the tree. He watched her every move while hiding in the garden’s thick bushes. He laid still, waited, and watched her. She walked up to the tree. With each footstep, Satan’s intensity for the moment grew increasingly. He waited and watched. Her head cocked to the side; she was thinking as she licked her lips while staring at the fruit. Her hand reached out. She took some of its fruit. Her eyes were as big as Satan’s.
She did not know what she held in her hand, standing in the cool breeze of the garden’s shade. She thought she was holding a key to wisdom that would unlock the doors of God’s library of knowledge; the fruit that would give her a new type of freedom was a delight in her eyes and was now in her hand. She had no idea that her trembling hand held the most cataclysmic weapon capable of obliterating all life in the universe; She had no idea that what she held in her hand would be the single cause of every form of pain and suffering; murders, domestic violence, child abuse, racism, drunkness, rape, cannibalism, orphans, hunger, thirst, demonic worship, lies, betrayals, cheating, stealing, pride, greed, wrath, envy, lust, gluttony, and sloth; She had no idea she held in her hand the single source of every form of corruption of power from Herod, Nero, Attila the Hun, Genghis Khan, Ivan the Terrible, Vlad the Impaler (aka Count Dracula), Timur, Caligula, King John, Muammar Gaffafi, Pope Alexander VI, Saddam Hussein, Ida Amin, Vladimir Lenin, King Leopold II, Pol Pot, Mao Zedong, Emperor Hirohito, Joseph Stalin, and Adolf Hitler who altogether were responsible for hundreds of millions tortured and slaughtered by mass genocides; She had no idea she held in her hand the source of every cult and its systemic destruction from Scientology, Mormonism, Jehovah Witnesses, NXIVM, Heaven’s Gate, the Manson’s Family, Sovereign Grace Churches, and the Peoples Temple church; She had no idea she held in her hand the source of AIDS, cancer, strokes, heart attacks, and every virus and physical ailment; She had no idea that she held in her hand the reason why fathers leave their families, why mothers rejected their children, why siblings betray one another, and why there will be elder abuse; She had no idea that she held in her hand the source of every natural disaster, all hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, avalanches, droughts, and tsunamis; She had no idea she held in her hand the beginning of all sexual abuse, prostitution, pornagraphy, human trafficking; She had no idea that she held in her hand the cause of next week’s heated argument with her husband and the increase of pain during childbirth as the mother of all living; She had no idea she held in her hand the reason why one of her sons would murder one of her other sons; She had no idea that she held in her hand the source of death and the reason for the existence of hell, and the cause of ruin for this very good house God had joyfully created.
She had no idea what she held in her hand. But Satan did.
She had a choice. So did her husband. They both exercised their wills as Satan watched.
“She took some of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband with her, and he ate.”
With those bites, the world immediately changed.
“The ruin that the fall brought upon the soul of man consists very much in his losing the nobler and more benevolent principles of his nature, and falling wholly under the power and government of self-love. Before, and as God created him, he was exalted, and noble, and generous; but now he is debased, and ignoble, and selfish. Immediately upon the fall, the mind of man shrank from its primitive greatness and expandedness, to an exceeding smallness and contractedness; and as in other respects, so especially in this. Before, his soul was under the government of that noble principle of divine love, whereby it was enlarged to the comprehension of all his fellow creatures and their welfare. And not only so, but it was not confined within such narrow limits as the bounds of the creation, but went forth in the exercise of holy love to the Creator, and abroad upon the infinite ocean of good, and was, as it were, swallowed up by it, and became one with it.
But so soon as he had transgressed against God, these noble principles were immediately lost, and all this excellent enlargedness of man’s soul was gone; and thenceforward he himself shrank, as it were, into a little space, circumscribed and closely shut up within itself to the exclusion of all things else. Sin, like some powerful astringent, contracted his soul to the very small dimensions of selfishness; and God was forsaken, and fellow creatures forsaken, and man retired within himself, and became totally governed by narrow and selfish principles and feelings. Self-love became absolute master of his soul, and the more noble and spiritual principles of his being took wings and flew away.”
~ Jonathan Edwards, Charity and Its Fruits
Things Will Never Be the Same
The first change for the man and woman was with themselves. They became aware that they were naked. The emphasis was not they noticed the other person was naked, but the man noticed he was naked, and the woman noticed that she was naked.
Along with this awareness of their nakedness came a new emotion they had never felt before. It was a horrible feeling, one they couldn’t remove, no matter how hard they tried. It was shame, and it polluted their minds and souls. They were created good, pure, clean, and innocent. As such, they both were naked and not ashamed. But that had changed now. Sin committed was innocence lost. Why did their nakedness now bring about shame? Is this the first instance we see of body shaming? Far from it. The man and woman had sinned against God and had guilty consciences. The awareness of their physical nakedness is proof of their spiritual condition — They are each spiritually naked and exposed, aware of their guilt, and need cover to hide their shame.
So, their spiritual need to hide their guilt is expressed by them sewing fig leaves together. Here, we see the first religion, an attempt by humans to hide from their guilty conscience through manmade invention so they can continue to be accepted by God.
The second change noticeable for the man and the woman was their relationship with God. They heard God walking in the garden while wearing their newly crafted fig leaves. Instead of their regular impulse to run up to Him and embrace Him, as they have enjoyed doing so in the past, their shame moved them instinctively, yet somewhat involuntarily, to hide from God behind some trees. A new feeling overcame them called fear, and this fear of their Creator is why they hid from Him. The fig leaves were unable to conceal their guilty consciences from God.
“Then the LORD God called to the man, and said to him, ‘Where are you?’”
God asked this question not because He did not know the man was hiding behind the green giant arborvitae. God is omniscient and knows everything. So why is God calling for man? God is calling for man because God is good and kind. What do I mean? God's calling for man gave man a chance to come forward and take responsibility for what he had done. God’s love for his people moved Him to seek out the man.
The man left his hiding place and walked trembling out in the open, explaining to his God that he heard Him coming and hid because he was naked and afraid. Then, to let the man speak out of nobility and own up to his actions, God asked the leading question, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree from which I commanded you not to eat?” God’s first question is rhetorical since the man’s awareness of his nakedness did not come from someone else telling him he was naked. There was nobody else! The only way the man could become aware of his nakedness was by disobeying God’s command by eating from the tree. So God asked man, “Have you eaten from the tree from which I commanded you not to eat?”
The third change noticeable in the man and woman is their relationship. God asked the man if he disobeyed Him. Instead of owning up to his guilt, the man tried to shift the blame. Instead of selflessly and sacrificially loving his wife, the man attempted to throw the woman under the bus while implying God’s guilt in the matter, too, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me some of the fruit of the tree, and I ate.” The man admits he ate, but only after pointing out it was handed to him by the woman, the one God gave to be with the man.
Then God questions the woman, allowing her to use her will and choose to own up to her sin. Instead, she also blame shifts, admitting that the serpent deceived her and she ate.
Sin destroyed peace within self, with God, and with others.
The Consequence Was Death
How would God respond to the disobedience of the man and woman? It has already been established that God is holy and righteous; therefore, he cannot sweep this sin under the rug. The divine Judge must uphold his righteousness; Sin is an attack against God’s worth — He must judge it.
The LORD God tells the woman that it will be through pain that she delivers children and that there will now be marital strife between her and her husband.
The LORD God tells the man his labor for food will be sweat-bearing difficulty for all his life until he dies and returns to the ground.
The problem, though, is these are all mere consequences of sin entering the world: conflict in marriage, painful labor, and labor for food until they die. So they will physically die, but what about God’s punishment for spiritually dying, sinning against Him? For example, a man drives while intoxicated, crashes into another car, killing the other driver, and after surgery, he lives but has a permanent limp. The limp is not the same as the judge’s death sentence. Again, problems in marriage, pain in childbirth, and hardship in cultivating food are “the limp” of sin entering the world. Where is the Judge’s punishment for their sin?
Wouldn’t it be fair if God executed the man and the woman right then and there? According to justice, the Bible should be an unfortunate and brief book that ends with the man and woman eating the forbidden fruit and God destroying them in holy judgment. The list of atrocities yet to be committed should never had their day since the end of humanity should have been at this moment. God is perfect and holy, and the humans are now sinful. God hates sin and told the man the day he ate the forbidden fruit, “dying you will die.” After Genesis 3:13, the man and woman confessed to eating and sinning. That’s it. The story is over; that’s a wrap! The man and woman had no children, yet… How will the LORD God Almighty respond to his glory being defamed by his creation? This should be the end of humanity.
If it seems like I’m belaboring the point, it’s only because it is so vital.
Where’s God walloping the man and woman? When does justice get served on the humans for disobeying? Heck, even Charlie got a good yell from Willy Wonka for drinking fizzy lifting drinks!
My point is this: Anyone who has a problem with God or with something that God allowed in the Bible should pause and realize that after the man and woman ate from the forbidden tree, there should be no more humans IF God justly executed them at that moment.
Many people are angry with God about a perceived wrong, but I never hear anyone get angry at God for how patient and kind He is towards all people. We are bothered and angered when we think God has violated our rights, but we’re not interested in the least when God continues to allow the rain to fall on crops and raises the sun over our cities. No one loses sleep over how good God is to sinful humans; I’ve yet to read the article on Medium that ponders if God is holy and just, then why do good things happen to bad people? Instead, we throw God in the defense stand with our fists raised, demanding Him to answer us for why bad things happen to good people.
- “What about the genocide of the Amalekites?”
- “What about the marriage laws after one is raped?”
- “What about the stoning of infants?”
- “What about the existence of pain and suffering?”
- “Where were you at Auschwitz?”
- “How could you let him do this to me?”
- “Why would you let her die?”
We place God in the defense stand and we reside as the judge over Him.
So, does God execute the man and woman? Do they die right then and there? What will God do to His beloved and prized creation called man and woman while maintaining His righteous holiness?
Unveiling Grace
As the man, the woman, and the serpent await the expected execution of the humans by God, God surprises them with a new attribute of His. He’s always had this attribute; it’s not new to God but to humans at this point.
God shows His grace to the man and woman. Such a beautiful concept: Grace.
Some define it as “unmerited favor” or “getting what you don’t deserve.” I like to think of God’s grace as His love put into action. It is undeserving, for the man and woman deserve punishment. It is also not against the law (more on that later). As much as sin changed the world, I think Bono is right when he wrote, “Grace… It’s also a thought that changed the world.”
God unveiled His grace when He addressed the serpent, “And of your offspring and her Seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise Him on the heel.” Grace is experienced not only in the fact that the woman will live to have children but, most importantly, God promised a savior to come through a woman and crush the head of the serpent by undoing his corruptive deeds through redemption.
This grace of God called “Seed” is why humanity was allowed to continue to exist. Throughout the rest of the Old Testament, every Jew watches and waits for this promised Seed to undo the devil’s work and redeem the creation of God. So God shows grace by promising a savior to rescue humanity.
🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶
She carries a pearl
In perfect condition
What once was hurt
What once was friction
What left a mark
No longer stings
Because Grace makes beauty
Out of ugly things
🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶
~ From U2’s song Grace, Lyrics written by Bono
But God is incredibly gracious and was not finished showing the man and woman grace. “And the LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them.” Their pathetic fig-leaf attempt to atone for their guilt was manmade and insufficient. God committed the first physical death in the world towards an animal sacrifice for the good of humans. God provided the covering for their shame through death.
God was still not finished showing grace to His humans. One more undeserved gift towards the man and the woman was to send them out of the Garden of Eden. How was this grace? Well, with the introduction of death into the world, a new tree grew in the garden, one that was not needed before. This tree was called The Tree of Life. It wasn’t needed before because death did not exist, so eternal life was the default condition for humanity. But now that humans have sinned, if they ate of The Tree of Life, they will not be able to die, yet they will always be separated from God by their sinful condition. Their sin would require their deaths to rise from the dead with sinless, regenerated bodies. Without death, there’s no resurrection for the man or woman. God showed His grace, ensuring that never happened as He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword to guard The Tree of Life.
The man and woman sinned against God, but instead of killing them, He showed them grace. Amazing. What a gloriously beautiful God!
🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶
Grace finds beauty
In everything
Grace finds goodness
In everything
🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶🎶
~ From U2’s song Grace, Lyrics written by Bono
No Grace for Fallen Angels
Interestingly, God did not question the serpent. That’s because God was not allowing Satan to own up and seek forgiveness, for there is no grace to redeem fallen angels.
One might ask, “Why was Satan in the Garden of Eden if everything on Earth was created good and pure?” Adam and Eve’s sin was not the first to be committed. It was the first sin for humans, but the first sin ever committed was by an angel named Lucifer.
Passages like Isaiah 14:12–15, Ezekiel 28:11–15, Jude 1:6, 2 Peter 2:4, and Revelation 12 all depict what happened. God created the angels. Lucifer was the most dazzlingly exquisite angel of them all. And he knew it. Filled with pride, he led a third of the angels to rebel against God, so Lucifer would sit on the throne. But God sent Satan to earth and cast the rest of the fallen angels “into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, held for judgment.” Jesus even commented in Luke 10:18, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like lightning.” Satan’s lie to Eve to become like God was similar to the lie he told himself. Yet, God showed the humans grace.
We Can Learn From the Angels About Grace
What I find interesting is that the other two-thirds of angels who did not sin are well aware of what happened to the fallen third. The angels have seen every day of history, and still, they long to look at God’s grace towards sinners for redemption. They are stunned by God’s redemptive power and patience while they sing praises of His Glory eon after eon. Angels can’t get over the amazing mystery of the gospel of grace offered to sinful humans (1 Peter 1:12).
Let that sink in.
Angels who serve in the presence of the Holy One stretch their necks out like horses drinking water to see the unfolding of the gospel of grace. We sinful humans cannot look at God’s face and live (Exodus 33:20), yet we can so often yawn at the word “grace” while perfect angelic beings who worship in God’s presence are in awe at the gospel.
Why are angels in awe of the gospel? Because no angel has experienced grace. If an angel sins, God will send no Savior to redeem the fallen angel. I desire God’s grace, which has been extended to me through the gospel, never to become anything less than amazing.
Angels live in perfect submission and holy reverence to the LORD God; Humans do not live perfectly on an hourly basis // Angels are right with God because they’re sinless; Humans are right with God because of forgiveness.
The unveiling of God’s grace was viewed not just by Adam and Eve but by the angels, too. To the angels, The Holy One’s grace extended to sinful humans is breathtaking. It should be to us, too.
It Was Not Cheap Grace
How does God showing Adam and Eve grace satisfy the demands of His righteousness? Didn’t God eventually sweep their sin under the rug while pouring out grace towards them? Such grace could look cheap, not exceptional. But remember… God promised a Savior — A seed from the woman born to crush the head of the serpent.
God’s grace would cost Him the most infinitely valuable treasure: Himself.
God became man; the host became a guest at His house. The promised Seed would be born by the virgin, therefore, not sharing man’s sinful condition while still ontologically human and God.
“Christ Jesus, who, as He already existed in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but emptied Himself by taking the form of a bond-servant and being born in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death: death on a cross.” ~ Philippians 2:6–8
The second person of the Godhead would become human and die. Why? For every person who will not face God’s judgment for their sin but instead receives God’s grace, that’s why. Every person who experienced God’s saving grace before the coming of Christ Jesus and will experience God’s saving grace after the ascension of Christ Jesus experienced God’s grace at the cost of the second person of the Trinity, Jesus — the God-man. God is righteous and must judge sin. If there was no such thing as “God’s grace,” then God would judge sin righteously, and Adam and Eve would be the first and last of humanity. When God decided to show grace, righteous judgment against sin could also be handed out on Christ Jesus for all to whom God shows His grace. Sin is judged and reconciled either by God’s wrath poured out on the sinner or poured out on Christ — There’s no injustice, for God is the Righteous Judge.
“Christ Jesus, whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in God’s restraint He let the sins previously committed go unpunished; for the demonstration, that is, of His righteousness a the present time, so that He would be just and the justified of the one who has faith in Jesus.” ~ Romans 3:25–26
Yes, God let the sins go unpunished, which raised the question of God’s righteousness. The key is for all who received God’s saving grace in Christ, all sins were punished on Christ, not on the sinner. This is why Romans 3:21–26 is quite possibly the most vital passage of all the Bible. God’s righteousness seems to be questioned over the course of history by His passing over sins. Romans 4:5 even affirms that God justifies the ungodly… How? How can God justify the ungoldy without being a corrupt Judge? Because every sin that was passed over and left unpunished by the sinner, God would righteously judge Christ on the cross. In Christ, God’s holiness is vindicated and sinners are forgiven.
It was not a cheap grace that God unveiled in the Garden of Eden:
- Adam and Eve fell to Satan’s temptation in the Garden of Eden. Jesus would be tested by Satan in a garden, also.
- Adam would have to toil by the sweat of his face. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus sweat blood from His face. Jesus’ agony was unequaled because He had to become sin, and holiness is repulsed by sin. The magnitude of His grief caused Jesus’ subcutaneous capillaries to dilate and burst. As the capillaries burst under the pressure of deep, profound distress and blood escaped through the pores of His skin, it mingled with his sweat.
- Thorns and thistles are what the ground would grow for Adam. Jesus would be forced to wear a crown of thorns on His head. The thorns would pierce His head as His tortures beat Him on the head while spitting and mocking Him.
- Adam and Eve were naked and ashamed. Jesus was stripped and nailed to a cross as a spectacle. “He endured the cross, despising the shame.” ~ Hebrews 12:2
- Adam and Eve wore animal garments made by God. Jesus was the sacrificial lamb whose blood was to be poured out as that which absorbs God’s wrath and satisfies God’s justice — Jesus was the propitiation.
“Now from the sixth hour darkness fell upon all the land until the ninth hour.” ~ Matthew 27:45
Eve did not know what she held in her hand. Satan did. Christ Jesus did, too.
Christ would know what Eve held in her hand by experiencing God’s unmixed fiery wrath against every sin committed in thought, motive, and deed by those God shows His grace.
For three hours, God treated Jesus like He was a murderer, a thief, a liar, a rapist, a torturer, a racist, a guy hooked on pornography, a girl who is obsessed with her beauty, a drug dealer, an abusive mother, a polygamist — after three hours, Christ yelled out, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” and with one last breath of life in His lungs, He cried, “It is finished!”
God’s grace was not cheap. It was bloody, and it was excruciating… It was lonely. On the cross, He who knew no sin became sin. Christ’s Father forsook Him; the Holy Spirit forsook Him, and the angels turned their face away from Him. Jesus faced a unique form of solitude unlike any other human being. As the Son of God, He shared a sweet fellowship with the Father, the Holy Spirit, and all the celestial angels of heaven. Yet, in a profound moment, He experienced the abandonment of His Father as He willingly took on the burden of humanity’s sins. He became so intimately associated with sin that even the heavenly hosts had to avert their gaze. The very sin that repelled them was the same sin that repulsed Him, the immaculate, holy, untainted Son of righteousness.
Christ completed His mission: He vindicated His Father’s glory and holiness while living a perfect life fulfilling the Law while dying for His people’s sins. At the cross, God’s righteousness and peace kissed each other. In the work of making a way for sinners to be forgiven and God’s glory to be upheld, Christ yelled, “It is finished!”
“So forever will I tell, In three hours Christ suffered more than any sinner ever will in hell!” ~ Timothy Brindle
Planned Grace
What if I told you that none of this surprised God? Adam and Eve’s sin, redemption through Christ, and righteous judgment settled either on the cross or in hell — God planned it before time began.
“According to the purpose of Him who works all things in accordance with the plan of His will.” ~ Ephesians 1:11
Looking again at Romans 3:25 we read that, “Christ Jesus, whom God displayed publicly” or another translation reads, “Christ Jesus, whom God sent…” God planned for all of this to come to pass according to His wise, loving, sovereign will — Even the crucifixion of His Son. God sent Christ to absorb the wrath of God which appeased the righteousness of God for the sake of the glory of God.
God joyfully created a house full of beauty and life, knowing His kids would stain all the rooms with dirt, mud, and grime. This saving grace of God was not reactive but planned. Before time, space, and matter, the Trinity counseled among Himself, and in His infinite wisdom, God’s will was to create a universe centered around the exaltation of Jesus Christ. The Father planned it, the Son implemented it, and the Holy Spirit empowered it. Humans get the joy of being forgiven by God’s grace through faith in Christ Jesus so that none can boast. God gets the glory. Justice is kept, and Paradise lost becomes Paradise redeemed.
Redemption
The story of God’s grace will never end, for all those saved by His grace will live forever in ever-increasing joy centered around the worship of God. The Garden of Eden was temporarily lost to humans, then redeemed by Christ’s resolve in the Garden of Gethsemane to drink every last drop from His appointed cup, and people are brought back to the Garden of Heaven.
“Behold,” God will declare in Heaven, “I am making all things new.” God will live among His people, and they will see His face as He sees theirs. It’s safe here, it’s home. Where God wipes away every tear from their eyes, He is making all things new — The forbidden fruit’s destruction, pain, sadness, and loneliness will no longer exist.
There will no longer be death, only life. If you follow the music and walk along the river, you’ll arrive where the streets have no name. The tree of life is no longer guarded, and no boundaries are given.
“And he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the middle of its street. On either side of the river [was] the tree of life, bearing twelve [kinds of] fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree [were] for the healing of the nations.
There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him; they will see His face, and His name [will be] on their foreheads. And there will no longer be [any] night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illuminate them; and they will reign forever and ever.” ~ Revelation 22:1–5
♪♪🎵♪🎵♫♬🎵♪🎶🎶♬♫🎵♪♪🎵♫♬🎵♪🎶🎶♬♫🎵
Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound that saved a sinner like me! I once was lost, but now am found, was blind, but now I see. ~ John Newton
Rejoice, friends! Rejoice for such grace that redeems us from our sins. God planned it, but it was costly, and He freely offers it now to anyone who would trust in Christ as the sacrifice for their sins. God, thank You for Your amazing, planned, costly, and free GRACE! Amen.
