Grace Beyond the Garden
In the Beginning - Part 4
Sunday, September 12, 2021
Genesis 3:8-24
And the Lord God made garments of skins for the man and for his wife, and clothed them.
Then the Lord God said, “See, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”— therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he was taken.
Genesis 3:21-23
Listen to this week’s sermon here:
It is ironic that one of the greatest arguments against faith in God is the problem of evil, pain and suffering in our world. I say ironic because in truth we have never known a world without these things. Without the existence of God, what would make us think it should or could be any different? We have come to assume that pain and shame and blame are a normal part of life… part of human nature…. And we excuse it by saying we are “only human”
We have already seen this is not the case. These are the result of the insecurity we feel being at the top… cutting out the 7th day and taking God’s place. Our attempts to be in control and “play God” have failed miserably.
Pain is not normal. Suffering is not part of God’s design. Death and grief were not part of the original plan for creation. We often think of exile and death as a punishment for our sin in the garden, but what if even these were an act of God’s grace… the best gift God could offer to restore us to a right relationship with our Creator?
God knew the consequences of sin and rebellion. God knew that we would misuse our knowledge of good and evil leaving nothing but pain and destruction in our path throughout all human history. God also knew we deserved the consequences we brought on ourselves.
But God still wanted better for us. Had Adam and Eve eaten from the Tree of Life after the fall, they would continue living forever in a broken and evil world. There would never be any freedom from pain and suffering. Wars would truly never cease.
And so, God sent us away. God allowed us to die. Not as a vengeful punishment, but as a means to experience new life. Because the God who allows us to die is the same God who raises the dead to life.
What would it look like if we shifted our anger and fear of death to a spirit of gratitude and praise for the power of resurrection and the gift of an eternal life that we do not deserve? In our sinful state, we are not suited for paradise. We are too reckless. Like a child in a room full of expensive crystal, we are far too dangerous and destructive.
What if exile from the garden and the reality of death is simply the doorway through which we, like the prodigal son, can return home?